Advantages of a Seasonal Marketing Campaign

Every year there seems to be a new event on the calendar that we are encouraged to celebrate and, more importantly for businesses, spend money on. Last year there were chaotic scenes as customers rushed to Asda in the UK as they launched a huge range of discounts for Black Friday – despite the cultural significance of the event on these shores being absolutely zero.

Because of all this, it is easy to become cynical about these holidays and cultural events imported from across the world. However, even if you are a Halloween-hater or a bit of a Scrooge at Christmas, there’s no doubting the opportunities a seasonal marketing campaign can have to boost sales for businesses big or small.

As an example, Halloween is now seen as the second most profitable trading event after Christmas, and any trader needs to update their marketing to accommodate this. To help you understand just how to take advantage of these opportunities, we have put together a list of 4 advantages of seasonal marketing campaigns:

Create immediacy in your campaigns

The so-called “reactance theory” – the psychological concept that people don’t want to miss a threatened opportunity and thus will act immediately to prevent losing it – can help you to organise your advertising campaigns. The idea is that a seasonal campaign always has an expiry date, and thus it can help to spur on customers into missing the deal once the season ends.

Of course, not every seasonal campaign needs to be themed around that particular holiday. A discounted period on some products doesn’t have to only be on pumpkins for Halloween or tinsel for Christmas, be creative and promote a product grabbing the consumers’ attention with the idea that this is a limited-time offer.

Give Passers-by a wake-up call

With so many competing businesses on the high street coupled with the growing online marketplace, it’s easy to walk past an establishment every day and not give it a moment’s notice. Sometimes what is needed to change someone’s buying habits is an original seasonal campaign that can lure customers in.

With holidays such as Halloween and Christmas celebrated during the darker months a backlit display could work best for you. To really shine above the competition on a dark, wintry street, a backlit display promoting a seasonal offer could be a great option.

Show that you are constantly adapting to customers’ needs

Customers’ needs change throughout the year, and any business – large or small – needs to recognise how they can adapt to suit them. Any marketing campaign takes a degree of planning, and seasonal campaigns are no different.

Whether you are a restaurant or café promoting seasonal produce, or you are running a special holiday-themed competition, you need to promote these effectively through various channels such as a newsletter, social media and indoor and outdoor displays.

Simple advertising banners can help to promote such offers and show that you are a business that is constantly evolving at points throughout the year.

Cost-effective and re-usable

The great thing about seasonal advertising is you can guarantee that you will be able to use the same advertising year on year.

Small Business Trends suggest having a banner season using simple language such as “Christmas discounts in store” which is general enough to be used annually but also fits any specific campaign needs you have that year.

What’s your approach to seasonal marketing campaigns?

Let us know about your seasonal promotions and how you make sure you get a great ROI. How can you get an edge on competitors who offer similar products during Halloween or Christmas?