The December Playbook: Last-Minute Holiday Campaigns That Still Convert

It’s mid-December, the calendar is slammed, and suddenly… you realize your holiday marketing hasn’t really happened yet. Good news: you’re not too late. There’s still time to launch smart, last-minute campaigns that drive revenue, fill your pipeline, and set you up for a strong start to the new year.

Start With What You Already Have

Before you build anything from scratch, take inventory:

Top-performing offers from earlier this year
Best-selling products or services
Emails and ads with high click-through or conversion rates

These are your shortcuts. Instead of creating brand-new ideas, wrap proven winners in holiday framing:

Turn a popular “consultation + discount” offer into a “Holiday Planning Session.”
Re-run a past high-performing email with a holiday subject line and updated CTA.
Feature your existing best-sellers as “Holiday Favorites,” “Last-Minute Must-Haves,” or “Year-End Essentials.”

Lean on Fast-to-Launch Channels

December is not the time for big, complex campaigns. Focus on channels you can spin up, edit, and optimize quickly:

Email marketing – A simple 3-email sequence (Announcement → Reminder → Last Chance) can drive serious revenue in a week.
Social media – Short-form posts, carousels, and Stories with clear CTAs: “Book before Dec. 23,” “Order by Friday,” “Claim your spot.”
Retargeting ads – Remind website visitors, past customers, and abandoned-cart users to come back with a timely, holiday-themed ad.
Google Business Profile – Post holiday hours, limited-time offers, and “Call now” CTAs for people searching at the last minute.

Think speed and visibility: get in front of people who already know you, and make it incredibly easy for them to take the next step.

Create Simple, Irresistible Offers

Last-minute buyers are busy and overwhelmed. Your offer needs to be:

Clear – They should know what they get in one sentence.
Time-bound – A firm end date gives people a reason to act now.
Low-friction – Minimal steps, minimal forms, obvious next action.

A few ideas that still convert in December:

“Book now, use later” promotions (buy in December, redeem in Q1).
Bundle packages (e.g., “Holiday Bundle: Save 20% when you combine X + Y.”)
Giftable options like digital gift cards, “buy one, gift one,” or “upgrade a friend” offers.

The key is urgency without desperation: position your offer as a helpful solution for procrastinators, not a fire sale.

Optimize Now, Reuse in January

Even a short campaign can teach you a lot. As you launch:

Watch subject lines, click-through rates, and time-of-day performance on emails.
Track ad copy and creative that gets the most clicks.
Note which offers and CTAs generate the most responses.

Use those insights to:

Extend winning offers into early January as “New Year” campaigns.
Turn successful December emails into evergreen templates.
Refine your messaging for Q1 launches and promotions.

Final Thoughts

In the rush of December, it’s easy to feel like you’ve missed your chance, but you haven’t. Last-minute holiday campaigns don’t have to be complicated to be effective; they just need to be focused, fast to launch, and rooted in what already works for your business. By repackaging proven offers, leaning on quick-win channels, and paying attention to what performs best, you can still capture meaningful year-end revenue and set up a stronger start to Q1. Think of this season as both a revenue opportunity and a testing lab for next year’s playbook. When you move with intention instead of perfection, even “late” campaigns can deliver big results.