We are now deep in holiday campaign season. Performance expectations are high, and competition is fierce. Paid media costs are up 25–40% this quarter, inboxes are flooded, and consumers are in perpetual scroll mode. In this environment, small inefficiencies in creative, targeting, or post-click experience can quietly drain ROI.

So what do you do when you're in the thick of it? The answer isn't to spend more; it's to focus on performance improvements across creative—landing pages, offers, channels—with strategic optimizations. At LIFT, we’ve helped brands consistently improve results mid-flight with five simple steps that make every impression work harder.

1. Be Sure Your Creative Commands Attention

When precision targeting is table stakes, great creative becomes the difference-maker. Meta reports creative drives 56% of campaign ROI—more than audience or placement. Build three or four variants before launch and test hooks, not just visuals. Rotate new concepts every 10–14 days to beat fatigue and keep algorithms fresh.

In one LIFT client test, swapping new creative aligned to audience data lifted ROAS 40%. During peak season, freshness drives performance.

2. Fix the Post-Click Experience

High click-through rates mean little if your landing pages leak conversions. Optimize page speed, simplify mobile UX, and clarify offers above the fold.

At LIFT, improving SEM landing pages helped the world’s top parenting site double conversions and cut cost per acquisition by more than 50%. Another D2C beauty brand increased checkout flow conversion by 10%, translating to a 34% lower CPA.

Even a 10% improvement in post-click conversion can reduce the paid media spend required for each sale by nearly one-third. During Q4, that efficiency compounds fast.

3. Bring Offers That Feel Essential, Not Optional

Consumers expect deals, but the smartest brands balance urgency with authenticity. Instead of relying only on discount messaging (“40% off today”), test value framing (“your next six months, solved”). Bundling products or subscriptions often increases average order value and loyalty—research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found bundling can lift sales by up to 30%.

Create limited-time “Gift + Subscription” or “Buy 3, Get 1” bundles that make purchase decisions easy. In crowded markets, clarity beats cleverness.

4. Coordinate Channels for Cumulative Lift

Performance improves when channels work in concert, not isolation. A well-timed direct mail touchpoint can increase digital response by up to 27%, according to Winterberry. Combine QR codes or personalized URLs with paid media retargeting to create a seamless journey from mailbox to mobile to checkout.

OTT and paid social can also reinforce each other. Recent research shows cross-channel coordination across three or more platforms can raise conversion rates by 25–35%. The brands that win aren’t doing more—they’re orchestrating better.

5. Build a Rapid Optimization Loop

The best-performing campaigns operate like live experiments. Track key metrics daily—not weekly—so you can pivot before budgets burn. Create a shared view of key indicators (e.g. CTR, CVR, ROAS, AOV, LTV) across teams, and agree on thresholds for pausing or scaling assets.

Think about micro-tests: one creative tweak, one audience segment, one landing page variant. In Q4, speed of learning can be your biggest multiplier. Optimization can win you way more during your campaign than after it.

The Bottom Line

Peak season magnifies every inefficiency, but also every opportunity. The brands that win the day are those closing the loop between data and creative, clicks and conversion, media and message

Want to make your marketing work harder this season and next? Get in touch to talk about our peak season performance playbooks

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