When someone says the words “seasonal business,” we tend to think about businesses that operate for only part of the year. That’s a fair assessment, but even year-round businesses can benefit from a seasonal marketing strategy. Not every business is affected by the seasons, but if your business is, it makes sense to plan a seasonal marketing strategy – even if your doors are open all year.
A seasonal marketing strategy is all in the timing
What goes into a seasonal marketing strategy? Here are a few tips to build a marketing plan that takes advantage of seasonal timing.
Study the calendar for seasonal marketing opportunities. Retailers count on holiday shopping and back-to-school shopping, but the calendar has a wealth of other opportunities hidden inside. Planning timely sales around national holidays and offering “last-minute deals” can give a real boost to your bottom line. Not every holiday will turn out to be marketing gold, so pick the best (and hopefully relevant!) ones for your seasonal marketing strategy.
Bad weather can be your best friend. No one likes to go out in bad weather, and in many parts of the country, weather is bad during the winter. It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s miserable. So make an event out of it! Plan a sale that’s so incredible that even the grumpiest Bah Humbug can’t resist. Offer special deals, value-adds and giveaways on the items that make winter tolerable. Make sure your parking lot is clear, and offer online promotions to allow everyone to join in the fun.
Emphasize preparation! As Louis Pasteur once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” A seasonal marketing strategy is very friendly to “preparation.” Create events that help customers prepare for the upcoming season, whatever that season might be. October and November are great months in most parts of the country to prepare for winter – so have “Get ready for Winter!” sales. Whether you sell windows, snow removal services, heating and cooling services, clothing or dog food, preparation for the upcoming season can really work.
Use multiple platforms to reach your intended audience. Using multiple media to reach your audience is a good seasonal marketing strategy. Email, in-store flyers, online marketing and social media are all good, effective and relatively in expensive ways to get the word out about your seasonal efforts. The benefits of email, social media and online marketing is that they’re easy for customers to pass along to other interested parties. If you don’t already use email marketing, consider putting it to use as part of your seasonal marketing strategy, and test its effectiveness among your client base.
If you would like more information about creating a seasonal marketing strategy for your business, please contact our Creative Director Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.
Photo Credit: Katy Smith, via FreeImages.com
