The Holiday Hype: Is It Right for B2B Advertisers?

This post was originally published in 2024 and updated for 2026 with new stats and recommendations.

When you think about holiday advertising, you probably picture gift guides, flash sales, and inboxes full of “last chance” offers. For B2C brands, Q4 is the ultimate stage. But for B2B advertisers, the question is trickier: does the holiday hype even make sense for us?

The answer is yes. But, not in the same way.

B2B buyers aren’t impulse shopping for software or enterprise solutions because of holiday discounts. Their cycles are longer, and decisions involve entire committees. Still, the end of the year presents opportunities if you play it right. Many companies are finalizing budgets, researching vendors, and planning for Q1. That makes the holidays less about closing immediate deals and more about visibility, credibility, and pipeline building.

Why the Holiday Season Holds Potential for B2B

Though the holiday season is often dominated by consumer campaigns, Q4 can still spark activity among B2B buyers. In fact, a recent study shows that Q4 content consumption across professional audiences increased 67.1% from 2020. Among C-level professionals specifically, consumption across November and December grew 80% over the same period.

That matters for B2B advertisers. While decision-makers may not be making impulse purchases, many are still researching, planning, and evaluating options as the year winds down. Staying visible during that period gives brands an opportunity to remain part of the conversation as priorities and budgets for 2027 take shape.

For B2B advertisers, the goal isn’t to mimic consumer holiday campaigns. It’s to use smart audience targeting and omnichannel advertising solutions to stay present with the people who are actively thinking about what comes next.

5 Key Tactics for B2B Advertisers This Holiday Season

Target High-Value Accounts with Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Q4 is a smart time to double down on your highest-value accounts. Rather than widening the net, account-based marketing allows B2B advertisers to tailor messaging and media around a defined set of high-value companies and the buying groups within them.

That approach continues to outperform broader demand generation efforts. Gartner’s 2025 benchmark found that tech companies running ABM programs saw pipeline lifts of more than 11% compared with traditional demand generation or prospecting programs.

Heading into 2027, use ABM to stay visible with priority accounts as they evaluate budgets, vendors, and upcoming initiatives. Messaging around efficiency, measurable impact, and readiness for the year ahead can help keep your brand relevant while those decisions are still taking shape.

Engage on LinkedIn with Holiday-Themed Campaigns

LinkedIn remains one of the most important environments for B2B discovery and professional content, making Q4 a strong time to increase visibility with decision-makers already thinking about the year ahead.

Instead of forcing a holiday theme, focus on content that is useful in a planning mindset: industry outlooks, benchmark reports, year-in-review takeaways, customer insights, or perspectives on what businesses should prepare for in 2027. The goal is to give buyers something worth engaging with while your brand stays visible during an active research period.

Paid campaigns can extend that reach to specific job functions, seniority levels, industries, and target accounts, helping advertisers keep relevant content in front of the people most likely to influence upcoming decisions.

And just like consumer brands need to adjust to shifting holiday timelines, B2B advertisers should think carefully about when planning conversations actually begin. For a deeper look at timing strategy, revisit The New Holiday Timeline: 4 Ways Advertisers Can Get Ahead.

Run Limited-Time Offers for Year-End Budget Allocation

Plenty of organizations face the classic “use it or lose it” budget dilemma. Research on corporate advertising budgets found that when managers had surplus funds, average spending increased 44% in the four weeks before budgets reset.

That creates an opening for B2B brands, but the offer still needs to make business sense. Rather than relying on a generic holiday discount, consider incentives tied to annual contracts, early renewals, bundled services, implementation support, or added value for agreements signed before year-end. The strongest offers help buyers justify the spend internally while giving them a practical reason to act now instead of pushing the decision into Q1.

For more strategies on making budgets work harder and proving value in tighter conditions, explore our eBook Tough Times, Smarter Ads.

Stay Visible with Retargeting Campaigns

B2B buyers may engage with your content in December without being ready to make a decision until the new year. Retargeting helps keep that initial interest warm, giving brands another opportunity to reconnect with people who have already visited a site, watched a video, opened a lead form, or otherwise engaged.

That follow-up can make a measurable difference. LinkedIn found that retargeting people who had opened or submitted a Lead Gen Form increased click-through rates by 65% and reduced cost per lead by 29% compared with campaigns that did not use that retargeting tactic.

The key is to use that second touchpoint to move the conversation forward rather than simply repeat the same message. Someone who has already consumed an industry report, for example, may be ready for a case study, product comparison, or more specific proof point as planning resumes in Q1.

Retargeting also works best as part of a connected media strategy. For more on how channels can reinforce one another throughout the buying journey, check out our blog on Omnichannel Holiday Shopping: 4 Strategies Advertisers Can’t Ignore in 2025.

Use Email Marketing to Share Industry Insights and Trends

Email remains a core B2B channel, especially when buyers are researching, comparing options, and planning for the year ahead. Rather than filling December inboxes with generic holiday messaging, use email to deliver something genuinely useful: a 2027 outlook, benchmark report, industry recap, customer insight, or practical planning resource.

That matters because B2B buyers increasingly want to educate themselves before engaging directly with sales. Gartner found that 61% of B2B buyers prefer an overall rep-free buying experience, making useful, self-service content especially valuable during research-heavy periods.

The goal isn’t to send more email simply because it’s Q4. It’s to give buyers a reason to keep engaging with your brand while they’re still shaping priorities and evaluating options for the year ahead.

Embracing the Holiday Season for B2B Success

The holiday season may be dominated by consumer ads, but for B2B advertisers, it’s an underrated opportunity. With decision-makers finalizing budgets, sketching out priorities, and spending more time with professional content, Q4 is a moment to invest in presence, thought leadership, and long-term pipeline.

So, is the holiday hype worth it for B2B? Absolutely. With the right strategy, you can capture attention, build valuable connections, and lay the groundwork for a strong start in 2026.

And if you’re curious about how the shopper mindset — B2C or otherwise — is shifting this season, don’t miss Dear Advertiser: A Letter from Your Holiday Shopper.