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Marketplace Events:
Holiday Market

An ROI Positive Paid Social Media Marketing Strategy

Results Summary

Thanks in large part to our paid social media marketing strategy, this campaign delivered an ROI of 89%.

Holiday Market Instagram
The Challenge

The Cincinnati Holiday Market has been running for 20+ years, growing from a modest local event into one of the top attended shows in the U.S., drawing more than 300 exhibitors and 33,000 guests. In 2021, they faced a new challenge: How to market an in-person event during a global pandemic.

Connecting the dots—from data to creative strategy.

The Approach

Develop a robust paid social media marketing strategy for Facebook and Instagram. The campaigns used a variety of targeting tactics—including retargeting, lookalike audiences and interest-based audiences—and tested a range of copy to pinpoint what appealed to people most. Then, we paired our eagle-eyed data analysis with engaging, eye-catching creative—including stop-motion photography videos, carousal ads and static images—to showcase the best of the event’s “shop local” appeal. 

Holiday Market Photography Shoot Scene

89% ROI. That’s what we’re talking about.

The Result

Thanks in large part to our paid social media marketing strategy, the campaign delivered an ROI of 89%. That success, plus the deep insights we uncovered for future marketing efforts, is why St. Gregory is the only agency Marketplace Events allowed to do their social media … and why we’ve been Cincinnati Holiday Market’s go-to agency since the event’s very first year.