Written by Kaia Vincent
Who needs a calendar to remember special occasions anymore? Every newsfeed, TV screen, supermarket aisle, magazine, shopping centre, car radio and petrol pump is here to remind us that there’s yet another important date coming up…
Seasonal events like Easter, Christmas and Valentine’s Day have always been premium marketing opportunities for brands big and small. But these days, you can’t check your phone without being reminded of a million extra dates to remember such as International Day of Forests, National Pet Month and National Tea Day (although we wish The Sleep Council had told us sooner that March has been National Bed Month!).
In short, Monday to Sunday, from January to December, there’s a lot happening out there. So how can your business use these marketing opportunities to your advantage yet still stand out among all this seasonal chatter?
Save the date
As a marketing agency in Hampshire, we’re always scouting for inspiration to help our clients get the most out of dates that will provide a chance to promote their products and services. We loved reading this collection of 31 Seasonal Marketing Ideas from App Institute; taking us through a whole year of marketing opportunities, such as these:
“Spring Cleaning — the arrival of spring brings with it the return of warmth and the promise of renewal. And it’s often a time when people start cleaning their houses as part of that promise. Retail businesses can do “cleanings” of their own, by offering steep discounts on winter merchandise.”
Who are you fooling?
Spring 2018 presents us with a double-whammy of a seasonal marketing opportunity as Easter and April Fools Day fall on the same date. For Easter, App Institute suggests “letting your customers know in advance you’ve hidden Easter egg discounts on your website, give them a clue to get started and then send them on their way”. Given the timing this year, would it be cheeky to throw an April Fool in there for good measure?
App Institute says, “April 1 is the only day of the year when it’s socially acceptable to mess with people’s heads. Any business can riff on this idea, sending out fake newsletters to its customers for a laugh. Not every marketing idea needs to lead to a sale, and this is a great way show your business’s human side.”
April isn’t just about good-natured jokes and chocolate eggs, don’t forget Earth Day on 22nd April. The focus this year is to end plastic pollution, a topic Brevity blogged about back in December. Why not host a clean-up day in and around your building or community and offer discounts to participants?
Sounds like a plan…
Thinking of ideas for seasonal marketing campaigns is only the beginning though. As ever, careful forward planning and scheduling is integral to getting the most out of these commercially critical dates in the consumer diary. Hubspot stress this in their informative article How to Plan a Seasonal Marketing Campaign: A 5-Step Guide:
“With today’s journalists, editors, and site owners receiving hundreds of content pitches and press releases each and every day, you can imagine the influx they receive around peak seasonal times. That said, you need to have your content prepared, built, planned and ready to be sent to sites at least two months before the big event — preferably sooner.
“When creating a schedule for your campaign, don’t forget about your audience. When is the best time to contact them? When will they be most willing to share the content or engage with the campaign? Plan around that, too.”
A year of opportunity
Don’t worry if you’ve run out of time for a Spring campaign. The summer beckons and brings with it more marketing opportunities than you can shake a daffodil at; you just need to pick the ones that are right for your business and your target audience. How about National Bike Week, International Women in Engineering Day, World Photo Day or – one we should all be on board with – Don’t Step on a Bee Day? And there’s Christmas, of course!
Can’t keep up? At Brevity Marketing, we can’t help you remember your wedding anniversary or your Mum’s birthday, but we can help you spot a prime seasonal marketing opportunity and plan an original campaign around it that integrates SEO, blogging, social media, e-marketing, PR and more. Talk to us about it today on 01256 536000 or email hello@brevity.marketing
