12 seasonal campaign ideas to incorporate into your marketing strategy
Take advantage of themed moments throughout the year to boost your sales
Anyone who shops online has noticed that there are certain periods when online stores start racing to release discounts as part of their marketing strategy.
And no, we're not just talking about Black Friday.
That's usually when the best deals can be found, but there are a variety of sale occasions throughout each month to incorporate into your marketing strategy.
These types of campaigns are called seasonal, and the benefits they bring to your business are many. Today we'll tell you more about them, and then give you specific ideas on how to boost your results through them.
What are seasonal campaigns?
These are themed campaigns that run at certain times of the year when customers are in the mood to shop.
Usually these are holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day, or months where there is mass preparation for certain events like summer trips or the start of the school year.
These are examples of opportunities your business can take advantage of to increase your sales at a time when there is consumer demand.
This means more turnover, but it may also lead to higher advertising costs due to the high competition during some of the biggest campaigns.
Why you should bet on seasonal campaigns in your
marketing strategy?
There are two reasons.
π The first is that in certain periods the demand for specific products is the highest.
If you offer, for example, sunscreen cosmetics, a campaign at the beginning of summer will certainly boost your sales.
If you sell home decorations or products suitable for gifting, Christmas for example is the perfect time to run mouth-watering discount and other offers.
π The second reason is that seasonal campaigns are (almost) always associated with positive emotions. Holidays, vacations and holidays - these are all occasions that bring a good mood and create feelings like joy, gratitude, love.
And it is emotions that sell best.
That's why seasonal campaigns are a unique opportunity to touch the hearts of your audience with your offerings. Drive consumers to your online store while the good feeling keeps them.
That's what the big companies that invest in Christmas TV spots do every year.
If you don't believe us, check out our selection of emotional Christmas ads here, but just in case, get your tissues ready!
What are the benefits of seasonal campaigns?
βοΈ Sell more
Yes, this is the most obvious one, because as we mentioned - demand for specific products naturally increases at certain times. Your job is to make the most of these opportunities.
βοΈ Turning Leads into Customers
Seasonal promotions with their mouth-watering discounts can prove useful for something else - converting large numbers of leads into customers.
And once they've tried your products, some of them can't help but come back if you meet their expectations of course.
βοΈ Create brand awareness
Seasonal advertising is also good for promoting your brand - a bigger budget means more people will see your ad.
And even if they don't buy anything, the extra traffic to your site creates an opportunity to target new audiences of potential customers - something that will benefit other campaigns in your business's marketing strategy.
βοΈ Taking advantage of the seasonal excitement
Gift-giving, family gatherings, preparing festive menus - all these are occasions for excitement in many people. That's what you should take advantage of in your seasonal campaigns.
The other plus point is that these offers have a distinct end, which means that users have to act quickly to take advantage.
Creating a sense of urgency is one of the factors that work best in getting customers to act. Once the offer expires, the only regret will remain if they didn't take advantage in time.
How to plan a marketing strategy with seasonal campaigns in 9 easy steps?
- Make a calendar to organize your seasonal activities.
2. Choose a theme for the seasonal campaign to start with. Keep in mind that if you're going to run ads for February 14th, for example, you should start these steps in mid-January.
3. Define the goals you want to achieve with your campaign.
4. Select the products/services that will be involved.
5. Determine the amount of reduction you will give, if any.
6. Determine the advertising budget.
7. Choose the period in which your campaign is active.
8. Choose the landing page your ads will lead to and/or create it.
9. Analyse the results and if necessary change something in your marketing strategy to achieve more with future campaigns.
Tips for creating a marketing strategy with
seasonal campaigns by month
Here, we'll give you specific ideas for seasonal campaigns by month that you can use to increase your turnover, gain new customers or simply promote your brand at the right time.
βοΈ January
January is the month of new beginnings, starting "fresh", detoxing, abstaining from alcohol, creating good new habits.
Usually in the first month of the year, businesses do post-holiday markdowns to clear out the items they failed to sell before Christmas.
If your business is focused on healthy living, for example you offer nutritional supplements or diet products, this is the time to step up.
This is also the time to start preparing for the St. Valentine's Day, if you are going to prepare one.
βοΈ February
The month of love (and wine) is the next marketing opportunity for businesses from a variety of fields.
This is also the time to start preparing your March 8 campaigns.
π± March
The most tender month is dedicated to ladies and their needs. Celebrate women's beginnings with themed campaigns ahead of March 8.
Then go on a spring wave - spring cleaning, nature walks, getting in shape for the summer season.
π± April
Spring campaigns continue in April, often combined with Easter sales.
π± May
In May, proms dominate the advertising space - formal outfits as well as hair and beauty services are in demand. Preparations for the summer campaigns also begin.
βοΈ June
The first month of summer is the time when many consumers load up with:
sunscreens, insect repellents, bathing suits, beach towels, summer clothes and shoes, and other items that are useful during the sea or mountain vacation.
βοΈ July and August
The holiday hot months are the time for the hottest discounts. And at the end of the period, we start planning our back to school campaigns for September 15.
π September
Life is regaining its pre-holiday structure, students are heading off to school, and workers are starting all those projects they've been putting off until after the summer.
The slight cooling of the weather also gives a start to the autumn collections of clothes and shoes.
Focus your campaigns on the start of the school year and the coming fall.
π October
October is the month of Halloween, fall sales and preparing for the winter season.
Every business could run some sort of themed campaign that suits the products or services they offer.
October is comfort, honey tea, rainy days and streets coloured yellow and red by the leaves of the trees.
October is also the time to start planning your Black Friday campaigns .
π November
The penultimate month of the year is all about planning and preparing your Black Friday and then Christmas campaigns.
November and December are the months where you have the opportunity to make a lot of sales.
However, keep in mind that the prices per click will also be high due to the saturation of advertising platforms with competition.
π December
December is Christmas - presents, festive meals and shared moments with loved ones. And then the carousel starts all over again.
With good planning and analyzing results, you will become wizards at making a marketing strategy with seasonal campaigns.
If there is one final piece of advice that we cannot gloss over, it is:
to start thinking about them in time.
Often, working on a campaign involves people in different roles and in different parts of your company, which can cause schedule delays.
- The marketing manager has to organize the campaign, come up with the idea and objectives, allocate a budget, calculate the right promotional offer, etc.
- The creative team has to prepare the advertising materials - design of banners, videos, texts.
- The programmer should create a landing page if a new one is needed.
- The PPC specialist should upload the campaigns to the platforms and monitor them regularly.
ADvantage 's digital agency team can save you most of these steps. We take on the hard work of planning, organizing, creating the campaign, and analyzing the results.
And for you the best thing remains - to harvest the fruits of our cooperation. Request a consultation with our specialists now and don't miss out on more profit opportunities.