How to Prepare for Q5: Your Guide to Post-Holiday Advertising Success

While marketers are busy focusing on Q4 and the bustling holiday season, it’s essential to remember that the opportunity for revenue doesn't end with the holidays. Enter Q5, an often-overlooked window of potential.

Typically defined as the days between Christmas and New Year’s, Q5 is increasingly recognized to stretch into January. As holiday excitement simmers down, this unique gap is where brands can capitalize on renewed consumer interest and capture leftover holiday spending.

Key Highlights

• Unlock Q5 potential by tapping into post-holiday shopping momentum with less ad competition and lower costs.
• Use tested creatives, targeted messaging, and optimized funnels to maximize impact.
• Prep and adapt by tailoring campaigns to align with consumers' new-year goals and post-holiday self-care mindset.

This “extra quarter” is defined by high purchase intent, lower ad costs, and increased social media engagement. With fewer major brands in the ad space and lower CPMs, it’s an ideal time to capture the attention of shoppers looking for post-holiday deals. Time spent on social platforms soars as people unwind from the holiday hustle, making Q5 a perfect opportunity for brands to connect with motivated consumers at a fraction of the cost.

Benefits of Q5 Marketing

Q5 is a good chance to pave the way into the new year with new opportunities as ad auctions are low but the consumers are still amped up to shop. Shoppers are ready and advertisers should take note.

Increased Consumer Attention

Consumers are not ready to hit pause on shopping just because the holidays are over. During Q5, consumers are still highly active online. They’re taking time to browse and make purchases, especially as they have holiday gift cards and extra cash to spend. With more people on their devices and fewer distractions, brands can capture attention more effectively.

Lower Competition

As big brands pull back post-holiday, competition drops significantly. Historically, the end of Q4 and the start of Q5 bring lower CPMs, with ad costs often dropping around Week 51, particularly on platforms like Meta. For marketers, this means maximizing ad spending with minimal competition—ideal for smaller brands looking to make an impact.

Increased Mobile Engagement

The post-holiday season sees a notable spike in mobile activity and social media use, as people relax and catch up on their feeds, even while on the couch. Optimizing ads for mobile is crucial, as these longer sessions offer more chances to engage and convert.

How to Plan for Q5 Digital Marketing

As brands shift their focus to Q5, many find themselves uncertain about how their strategies should evolve. While the holiday rush centers around gifting and maximizing sales, Q5 presents a unique opportunity to engage consumers on a different level. The key to successful planning is to approach Q5 with the same diligence and foresight you would apply to the holiday season.

Setting Clear Goals for Q5

Start by setting clear objectives: what do you aim to achieve during this quieter period?

• Brand Awareness: Q5 offers a quieter landscape where ads are less competitive, creating an ideal time to build brand awareness and reach new audiences before the market picks up again. Your goal here is to stay top of mind as consumers consider their post-holiday spending, positioning your brand as relevant to their New Year’s aspirations.
• Conversions and Customer Retention: With purchase intent still high, Q5 is a prime period to focus on converting holiday shoppers into loyal customers. Consider using exclusive offers, personalized recommendations, or loyalty incentives to retain these customers well beyond the holiday season.
• Drive Early Sales for the New Year: Many customers are ready to start fresh with products and services that support their goals and resolutions. By positioning your brand as the answer to their New Year’s needs—whether through “treat yourself” messaging, fitness and wellness products, or organizational tools—you can drive sales and deepen brand loyalty.
• Testing New Campaign Strategies: With less pressure and more ad space, Q5 is a perfect period to experiment with new creatives or channels. Establish a strategy for testing what resonates most, like a particular style of UGC ad or a unique product bundle, to gather insights that will guide your upcoming campaigns.

Changing Consumer Buying Habits in Q5

Next, identify your target audience and their stimuli as motivations are bound to shift from holiday gifting to personal growth and New Year’s resolutions.

Crafting a compelling strategy requires embracing a "why not" mindset. During Q5, consumers are often focused on self-improvement, making this an ideal time to connect with their aspirations. By tailoring your message to resonate with their goals and ambitions for the new year, you can inspire action and engagement.

For example, a “perfect gift for mothers” can turn into a “post-holiday personal growth” ad. The "self-care" and "treat-yourself" mentality is particularly strong during this time, with 57% of holiday shopping between December 26 and January 4 accounting for self-gifting, driven primarily by millennials and Gen X.

By recognizing this shift in consumer behavior and adjusting your approach accordingly, you can ensure that your brand remains relevant and appealing even after the holiday sales have faded.

Get Your Top-Performing Creatives Ready

To thrive during Q5, it’s essential to rely on data-backed decisions regarding your ad creatives. Review the performance data of your previous creatives to identify which ads resonated most with your audience. Focus on the content that not only garnered high engagement but also translated to conversions and repurpose these successful creatives.

According to TikTok users, adding a “Gift Code” Sticker can increase click rates by 208%.

This could involve adding a seasonal twist, interactive add-ons, or refreshing the messaging to align with the post-holiday shopping mentality. Utilizing proven content, especially user-generated videos or testimonials, can enhance trust and relatability, encouraging shoppers to take action during this crucial shopping period.

PS. If you're wondering how to create UGC ads, we've got TikTok and Meta guides for you!

Optimize Your Funnel

Optimizing your funnel for Q5 means adopting a full-funnel strategy that leverages the typically lower competition at the top. While many brands focus their efforts on closing sales, your brand can stand out by engaging consumers earlier in the buying process. Prepare a diverse array of creatives ahead of time, ready to launch as soon as prices decrease. This ensures that you can capture the interest of shoppers who are still exploring their options.

Hyper-personalization is Key

According to a study by McKinsey, over 75% of consumers are more likely to purchase, repurchase, and recommend brands that provide personalized experiences.

Hyper-personalization becomes a crucial strategy for brands looking to maintain engagement and drive conversions. As consumers transition from holiday gifting to self-care and personal growth, they are particularly receptive to tailored and relevant offers. This period presents a unique opportunity for brands to capitalize on the heightened willingness of customers to engage with personalized content that speaks directly to their preferences and aspirations.

Leveraging real-time data analytics allows brands to gain insights into consumer behaviors following the holiday rush. By scrutinizing purchase history, browsing habits, and social media interactions, brands can identify individual preferences and predict future needs.

Freeze Changes Before Q5

To ensure optimal performance during Q5, establish a no-change period for your campaigns. Aim to set this freeze a couple of weeks before Q5 begins, allowing your existing campaigns to run without interruption.

Avoid introducing new creatives or altering ad targeting strategies at this time; instead, focus on analyzing existing data and preparing for a strong push. This period of stability will help you gauge what resonates with your audience and position you to capitalize on that insight as you enter the post-holiday shopping season.

Prepare Your Support Team for High Demand

With the holiday rush behind you, it's crucial to prepare your customer support team for the potential influx of inquiries and feedback during Q5. Equip your team with the tools and training they need to manage customer interactions effectively.

This proactive approach will enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately boosting your brand’s reputation.

Streamline Your UGC Advertising Process with Ramdam

Navigating the post-holiday advertising landscape can be challenging, especially when it comes to creating compelling UGC ads that resonate with your audience.

For brands looking to take advantage of UGC during Q5, Ramdam offers a comprehensive solution to streamline the process. With its AI-driven brief generator, creator matching, smart sorting, and budget optimization capabilities, Ramdam enables brands to connect with the right influencers quickly, ensuring that every collaboration aligns perfectly with brand values and goals. Additionally, Ramdam provides spark codes that enhance ad visibility and ensure compliance across platforms like Meta and TikTok, allowing brands to boost their UGC ads effectively.

With a single, integrated platform that removes the complexities of UGC advertising, Ramdam takes the complexity out of end-of-year advertising.

In a nutshell

As we move into the post-holiday Q5 period, early preparation is crucial. Just because the holiday shopping rush is winding down doesn’t mean people have stopped buying.

Q5 is a fantastic opportunity to connect with shoppers who are looking to treat themselves or invest in their goals for the new year. Take a look at what you’ve done in the past, tweak your messaging, and get those campaigns rolling. Q5 is often overlooked, but it has the potential to boost your brand’s success in ways you might not expect.