2023 Holiday Gift Guides

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What are holiday gift guides?

Picture this: it’s December 1st, you’re staring blankly into your laptop screen trying to figure out which tab (out of the 57 you have open) has that gift your mother in law might like. You click through about 27 of them before rediscovering what you thought was the perfect gift for her. Found it- um, what were you thinking, an orange sweater with a cat on it? Is this the result of blue light delirium? It’s only the 1st and you’ve found yourself this exhausted from online shopping to the point where you thought an orange sweater was THE perfect gift for your mother in law?

Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you’re the expert at gift-giving. Or, maybe you’re the shop-owner with a beautifully curated selection of gifts someone’s mother in law is sure to love. The orange sweater with a cat on it shopper simply can’t find either of you- the shop or any sort of marketing (more specifically, influencer marketing) pertaining to the perfect gift. Thus the orange cat sweater and 57 tabs & counting.

Gift guides are a perfect solution for, well, every person in the above narrative. These friendly lists, found on various websites, blogs, and platforms, are like your festive gift-giving companions. They're sorted by categories like "gifts for him," "gifts for her," or themes such as tech gadgets, home decor, and fitness goodies. Let’s say you’re the gift buyer. You Google “Holiday gift guide 2023” and stumble upon the New York Times annual gift guide. Fabulous! But you’ve seen most of these things before, and maybe they’re not as special or unique as you’re looking for. You might edit their search to “Holiday gift guide 2023 near me” in hopes to find something more local.

Can I create my own gift guide?

Ok, time to switch roles, you are now the small business. You prepped for this, you were made for this. In September, you began curating the best gifts for your shop. You stalked all the trends on TikTok, found high quality sources, and behold- you have created an in-demand, high quality, beautiful gift that is wanted! Time to get it out in the world. Oh, but you’re smart. You know about holiday gift guides! You begin contacting clients you know who would love to recommend your product. You even provide them with an affiliate link, so they can get coin for the referral.

Now, imagine you're not an influencer, a gift buyer, or a shop owner, but rather a professional in a specific field, like real estate. In this case, you have a unique opportunity to nurture your sphere by creating a local small business holiday gift guide. Leverage your expertise and local connections to recommend businesses and products that align with your community's interests. Your sphere trusts your judgment, making you a valuable resource for holiday shopping recommendations.

In essence, holiday gift guides are versatile tools that cater to the diverse needs of individuals during the festive season. They provide a structured approach to gift hunting, empower small businesses to showcase their offerings, and allow professionals to foster connections within their communities. As the holiday season approaches, these guides become more than just lists—they become bridges connecting buyers, businesses, and experts in a shared celebration of generosity and thoughtfulness.

Creating and using gift guides for affiliate marketing

Creating Holiday Gift Guides for affiliate marketing in the age of influencer marketing has honestly never been easier. You can earn commission while provided your sphere with valuable information at no cost to them. If you love certain products and want to share the knowledge, this type of affiliate marketing will be organic, thus more appealing to the consumer. You can even optimize these guides with keywords to rank higher in search results and attract organic audiences. Leverage social media platforms by creating engaging posts, stories, and videos to promote your gift guide. At Design Studio, we make the gift guides featured in our newsletters visually appealing by using Canva! This way they are presented nicely for our clients, and they have the option to cross post them to platforms like Pinterest to gain even more traction.

How can I start affiliate marketing?

Amazon is an extremely popular and easy way to begin affiliate marketing. You can start by signing up here! Once you’re an affiliate, you can begin create affiliate links to share products. This allows Amazon to track where a customer found item, and if it was through your link, Amazon will pay you an associate’s commission.

Can Design Studio help me with this?

Yes! We love making gift guides for our business as well as for our clients. Click here to make an inquiry!