The Secret to High-ROI Holiday Campaigns? (Hint: It’s July Prep)

The Secret to High-ROI Holiday Campaigns? (Hint: It’s July Prep)
Ashley Wisby | July 22, 2025

High-ROI Campaigns Don’t Start in November

Let’s be honest: most brands wait too long to get serious about holiday marketing. Then November hits, and suddenly it’s a mad dash to build ads, fix landing pages, and somehow launch a polished campaign… all in peak Q4 chaos.

Spoiler alert: that rarely ends well.

At Two Trees, we’ve seen a clear pattern year after year. The brands that see the best returns in Q4? They’re the ones who start now.

July Is the Secret Weapon You Didn’t Know You Needed

Think of July as the off-season training camp for your biggest marketing moment of the year. It’s quiet. Ad costs are reasonable. Your team isn’t maxed out yet.

And most importantly, you still have time to test, tweak, and optimize before the pressure hits.

Here’s why that matters:

• You can test ad creative now at a fraction of Q4 costs
  
  
• You can build stronger retargeting lists with warm traffic
  
  
• You can lock in production time with your creative team before the holiday rush
  
  
• You can run real A/B tests and adjust before it’s go-time
  
  

What Should You Be Doing in July?

Here’s how we help our clients use July as a launchpad for their highest-converting campaigns:

1. Audit Last Year’s Performance

What worked? What flopped? Dig into the data now so you’re not guessing later. Look at ROAS, audience engagement, and conversion points across channels.

2. Start Building Your Offer Strategy

You don’t need to know every detail yet. But get clear on what you’re selling, who it’s for, and why it matters. From there, outline promotions, bundles, or limited-time offers.

3. Refresh Your Creative

New visuals. New copy. New hooks. July is the time to prep ad assets that align with your brand and break through the Q4 noise.

4. Segment and Grow Your Audience Lists

Launch light awareness or lead gen campaigns to expand your email and retargeting lists before the competition spikes prices.

What This Looks Like in Practice

We’ve seen it time and time again, brands that start early have a serious edge.

Prepping in July gives you the space to:

• Test different offers with low-stakes ad spend
  
  
• Identify winning creative before the competition ramps up
  
  
• Build email and retargeting lists while CPMs are still low
  
  
• Launch pre-holiday warm-up campaigns that boost engagement and intent
  
  

It’s not about being first to launch, it’s about being ready when it counts.

Final Thoughts: ROI Loves the Early Bird

If you want a holiday campaign that’s calm, creative, and actually converts, don’t wait until the leaves change.

Use July to get your strategy in shape, test with intention, and build a system that can scale when it matters most.

We’re helping brands get ahead right now. Want in?

Let’s map out your highest-ROI Q4 yet!
→ Schedule your strategy call with Two Trees.