Small biz festive branding tips

10 ideas for using a single artwork as multiple branded touchpoints this Christmas!

As small businesses, we tend to love Christmas (hello increased sales and hopefully hello time off!) and we also (hopefully) love brand consistency (or else, why are you here?). So how can we use the power of branding to join forces with all the Jingle-Bells-cheer to show our customers fun reoccurring imagery to create extra brand recognition this festive season?

1. Creating your hero image 🦸

Now you can’t do this whole exercise without the hero. The main artwork, not Superman. The graphic that’s going to capture your brand’s personality, tell a story and be easily recognisable while being fun and festive. While you can certainly create this through design, photography, collage, typography, you name it! We’re going to use an example of illustration - more specifically, my studio’s Christmas illustration.

And while you could go and just download a free pic off… Freepik, it’s probably not going to authentically represent your brand, so then really, what’s the point? So let’s start right at the beginning with brainstorming ideas of characters that could live in your brand’s world, how your products could be caricatured or humanised, think about if your team could be introduced into the story, what feelings your brand prides itself on capturing (are you laid back and friendly, are you energetic and enthusiastic?). Write these all down.

Now think of how to bring these ideas into a design through composition (how are they going to be laid out - is it going to be busy, will it be a pattern, or centred around one main object?), colour (are you sticking to your brand colours, or creating a special holiday palette that compliments your primary one?), tone (are we going light and festive, or dark and moody?) - all these play into how people will feel when looking at your artwork, and ultimately your brand, so keep the bigger picture in mind.

Then use your findings to create your vision - either DIY if you’re creatively inclined, or give the task to someone who is. If it means hiring someone skilled in the look you’re after, this is a great opportunity to collaborate with a professional to bring it to life - because remember, the plan is to reuse this image in multiple places for the whole month (or more) leading up to Christmas, so it really is worth the investment.

2. Repurposing your hero image into multiple touchpoints

Now that you have completed your hero graphic (yay, good job!), it’s time to repurpose it to create your branded Christmas cheer. Let’s take a look at some of the areas where you could incorporate it:

1. Post cards

This is one of my favourite uses of the artwork. You can aim to get it printed as Christmas cards or postcards to send in the snail mail to your customers and business partners as a small thoughtful thank you for their contribution to your business, or use them as a special print to include in your product shipping boxes as thank you cards to buyers.

Depending on the size of your operation, consider handwriting a short note to the customer for an extra personal touch on behalf of your brand. It’s little things like these that make your brand memorable because it makes the recipient feel ✨special✨.

Such prints are often A6 (105 x 149 mm) and need bleed (extra border area for printing that goes beyond the edge of where the sheet will be trimmed) - so be sure to read your chosen printer’s requirements carefully when getting your final artwork ready for print to make sure it comes out perfectly. They often provide downloadable templates to make things easier too. I highly recommend Moo for quality printing results, like mine.

2. Email signatures and banners

This is always a fun, easy way to incorporate not just your artwork into emails, but it’s also an excuse to come up with something fun to sign off your emails with. Some ideas: Festive regards, Merry greetings or Sleigh My Name, Sleigh My Name (just kidding on that one…). Of course, they still need to match your established brand voice.

Email banners can add extra pizzazz to your signature while being informative. You may need to rejig your hero artwork quite a bit to fit into the thin horizontal banner though, so having separated elements from your design helps with this. If you’re working with a creative on this, ask for individual elements (transparent PNGs are best in this case) in the deliverables in addition to your final artwork so you can create something yourself in Canva (if that’s your jam). Or you can send them this blog post and ask them to set all of these great ideas up for you. Done!

Generally, the best email banner size is 650px wide and between 90 - 180px high. This ensures your email banner will be easily viewable on desktop or smartphone. I use the banner as a reminder of my closure dates leading up to the festive season. But this can be used to announce Christmas specials or delivery notices etc.

3. Postage stamps (if you’re in Australia)

Coming from South Africa where the postal service is a hot mess, Auspost never fails to amaze me. So when I got an ad for printing custom stamps for Christmas (and for only $16) - it was a hell yeah from me! And another opportunity to include my branding/hero image elements. So of course, I got my Pippa floatie character printed. How awesome is that?

4. Stickers

Depending on the type of your business, you could consider including sticker packs or single unstuck stickers (that’s probably not the right phrase, is it?) in your shipping packaging for customers to peel back and stick on things (and maybe do some guerilla marketing for you around town - so be sure to add your website address or @handle on it so others can find you).

Or you could use your hero artwork or elements of it to get printed as packaging stickers or festive tape to seal your boxes, or just fun stickers to decorate your boxes. You can also play around with creating unique designs with messages on them too, you know the drill: “Merry Christmas”, “Santa came early” - get creative with it, just make sure they all work cohesively as a festive series.

5. Website

This is a great opportunity to rework your hero image into the landing page banner for your website to highlight your festive deals and steals. Or, if your artwork isn’t already something similar to a pattern, consider arranging your elements into a repeating pattern to put in the background of website callouts. However you choose to use the artwork, make sure to include it somewhere noticeable on your website to keep the theme running across from other points of contact. Remember, our goal is to create consistency through your festive narrative. So don’t feel shy, use it often!

6. Facebook banners

Same as with your website banners, don’t forget to update your Facebook page with a banner to match your hero image. Your social pages should stay up-to-date and reflect the season. They’re a great way to show that you’re active and relevant. Feel free to use the banner artwork as an opportunity to add a call to action about any specials or closure dates.

7. Social media posts & banners

Of course, this kind of limited-time seasonal artwork makes for great online sharing material! Whether you upload the hero as just the artwork in a post, share photos of your actual postcards in your stories, snaps of your website, or use the individual elements as digital stickers (consider converting them to animated GIFs for some real fun!), your hero image can be really versatile on social media.

It’ll also help set a tone for your posts as a whole for your Chirstmas period so that once the season is over, you can go back to your normal colours and posts and it’ll help differentiate the festive season’s end.

And don’t forget you could also consider updating your avatar to either match your hero or add a Santa hat onto your logo or portrait for the silly season.

9. Email newsletters

These are a great direct-to-customer extension of your brand in general, so be sure to use this platform to continue your Christmas branding, especially if you’re promoting festive specials. Update your usual EDM header banners to include your hero image, or include smaller elements throughout to add pops of festive cheer.

8. Gift wrapping & tissue paper

If you’re in the product and shipping biz, packaging plays a huge role in customer experience. If you’re running specific Christmas specials or limited edition stock, investing in seasonal tissue paper or gift wrap that is on brand and continues your hero image motifs is something to consider for that extra punch.

It’s also useful to include “keepable” touchpoints like these that your customers will love so much that they will consider reusing them, like for their own present wrapping… #recyclingforyourbrand. Your custom tissue paper will also be a great complement to the postcards discussed in point 1, along with those stickers from point 4, and you have something seriously special!

10. Merch

Ho ho ho! The last point is a goodie!

Have you considered doing a limited run of branded shirts, caps, those stickers we discussed, or stubby holders (especially if you’re craft brewer for example) to either sell or run giveaways? The opportunities are endless. So ultimately, aim to create a festive artwork that is something your customers will be drawn to and would want to wear or be associated with - then give them the opportunity to show it off!

So those are my top 10 ideas for reusing your special Christmas artwork in multiple ways to created brand consistency and recognition while making something fun and memorable.

What other ways would you use yours?