Seasonal promotions are traffic drivers that center around special, recognizable days, events, celebrations, or times of the year. A special offer for celebrations like Christmas, back-to-school, and even Valentine’s Day (just to name a few) can catch the attention and drive sales from your target customers.
Why does this work? Purchasing behavior shifts based on seasonal relevance! Your customers have been pre-conditioned to believe that deals will be made around holidays and celebrations. As a result, savvy businesses have an opportunity to capitalize on this buzz to promote their brand.
Are you using Google Trends? Google Trends can help you keep an eye on seasonal happenings for your industry and your ideal customers. Prepare for seasonal promotions ahead of time! A well-organized promotions calendar will serve you well as you add this strategy to your marketing plan. Be prepared and maximize your active marketing efforts.
Establishing a clear goal for each seasonal campaign will help you reach the right customers, analyze the results of your efforts, and understand what to do (or not do) for your next seasonal promotion. Goals can vary across different promotions. For example, one seasonal campaign goal might focus on selling leftover stock, while another might focus on increasing in-store traffic. Maybe you’d like to increase your social media followers or grow your email list. Setting a campaign goal helps set your team up for success.
PRO TIP: While having more than one goal for each campaign is okay, decide which goal is the most important and make sure your campaign leads with that. In the example of driving in-store traffic, your offer should be exclusively redeemable in-store or, at a minimum, more rewarding when redeemed in-store. Promoting the campaign on social media will likely gain followers, hence a secondary goal.
Seasonal promotions are the best time to add holiday pizzazz to your products and services. Keep in mind that you’re catching a trend and tapping into buzz. You can reframe year-round products and services with holiday flare by adding a slight twist. Think about how a customer might use your product during a particular season and run with it. The holidays are a great time to promote what you do year-round!
Bundling products and services in a holiday sale is a great way to give your customers gifts. Bundles often offer small product discounts that feel big to your customers. Bundles can also solve the age-old problem of “How do I find something for everyone on my list?” Your customers can save time and make fewer decisions when shopping while you look like a rockstar! That’s a WIN for everybody, you included.
People love holiday displays! Holiday displays are great for increasing foot traffic into your stores because they inspire positive feelings usually associated with holidays and special seasons. Setting up holiday displays and then taking them online by posting them to social media is a solid marketing tactic. 90% of marketers attribute increased brand exposure and in-store traffic to social media.
Hosting holiday-inspired events on-site or virtually definitely drives traffic through the doors. Teaming up with other non-competing brands (two national brands partnering is awesome!) is another strategy to discuss. The right mashup can help establish brand loyalty and even build trust. Encouraging your guests to share your event with an established hashtag and tagging your local and brand social pages is a surefire way to increase online visibility and grow your reach.
Timing is vital for a successful seasonal promotion. Deciding when your promotion will start, the type of content you will use, and what you will offer is crucial when developing a seasonal marketing campaign. Starting early is always the best approach!
UMI Marketing Solutions is a full-service marketing operations partner with over two decades of supporting multi-location brands. Print production and sourcing, national promotions, and local store marketing to maximize your reach; each initiative should have various channels aligning to deliver one powerful message. UMI simplifies how brands get this done, working across multiple specialties, and bringing dedicated marketing experts to the table that help you and your team execute every step of the way.
If you want to maximize your seasonal promotions and need a little push in the right direction, we’re here to help. Our team has managed thousands of national promotions,
and local store marketing to maximize your reach; each initiative should have various channels aligning to deliver one powerful message. UMI simplifies how brands get this done, working across multiple specialties, and bringing dedicated marketing experts to the table that help you and your team execute every step of the way.
If you want to maximize your seasonal promotions and need a little push in the right direction, we’re here to help. Our team has managed thousands of national promotions, and we know what it takes to make an impact! Contact us today for more information.