The following is a guest post from Ivan Serrano. Ivan is a journalist living comfortably in San Francisco, California. Ivan's niche is in social media, business and marketing. When he's not typing up another masterpiece, he'll likely be off practicing his photography or losing his voice yelling at the television whilst watching his favorite sports.

With the holiday season in full force, every marketer wants to know the best strategies for creating a strong marketing strategy. However, with so many brands trying to get noticed during the holiday season, it can be challenging to create a holiday marketing strategy that stands out.

Luckily, there are a number of marketing secrets that many marketers still don’t know about. To help you create a holiday marketing strategy that even Santa Claus would approve of, here are five holiday marketing tips you should know:

1. Define your target customer.

Before you can implement your holiday marketing strategy, you need to determine your target customer. Will you be targeting last-minute shoppers? Or will you be focusing on people who finish their holiday shopping before December? Whatever audience you determine to target, you’ll have to create a strategy they revolves around their habits, interests, and demographics.

There are a number of ways to collect data about your target audience, but one of the easiest ways for marketers to collect information is through targeted social advertisments. Social networks such as Facebook and Google Plus make it easy for marketers to identify their target audience and create a campaign surrounding those people. This way, you’re able to design a holiday marketing strategy that will reach the right people at the right time.

2. Re-connect with your audience.

Although the holidays are an important time of the year for businesses to boost profits, it’s also an important time to remind customers how important they are to your company.

As you continue to advertise to your customers, take time to re-connect with them and show them the human side of your business. Communicate to your customers that you care about their holiday traditions and that you want to celebrate the season by their side. It’s also a good idea to focus on any charitable causes they might be interested in and give back to your community in a thoughtful way.

3. Create valuable content.

Most marketers think that the holiday season is all about selling their product or service. However, an important element they forget when creating their holiday marketing strategies is the type of content they’ll produce to reach their audience.

Before a customer can make a purchasing decision, they need to view content that will help them make a decision. For example, 90 percent of online shoppers will watch a video before they make a purchasing decision. As a marketer, you need to create holiday-focused content for your customers that will help them make faster purchasing decisions during the holidays.

4. Go above and beyond to create a unique holiday brand image.

Everywhere you go during the holidays, it’s very likely you’ll see images of Santa Claus and Rudolph, red and green lights, and Christmas presents galore. Instead of blending in with these traditional holiday images, why not create a unique holiday brand that will make your business stand out this season.

When developing a holiday brand image, thing about how you want to stand out to your target audience. Think about the voice you want your business to have and how you want to be perceived in your niche. Your business has a unique story to tell during the holidays, so make sure it’s reflected through your holiday branding.

5. Countdown to the holidays.

If you’re looking for a fun and exciting way to get your customers engaged this holiday season, think of unique ways to count down to different holiday events.

For example, you could host a “12 Days of Christmas” holiday Facebook contest where you give away a prize each day. You could also host photo contests on Instagram or even ask people to share how they’re counting down to special holiday events. By getting creative with celebrating the season, people will get more excited and be more likely to make a purchase from your business.

Throughout the holiday season, people want to feel like they’re a part of your brand. By following these tips, you’ll be able to create a holiday marketing strategy that reminds your customers about the magic the holiday season can bring.

What are your best holiday marketing tips?