USING SEASONS AS A MARKETING TOOL

Have you heard the term Christmas in July? Well, now is the perfect time for your company to begin gearing up for the holidays. The end of the year is filled with major and secondary holidays that can serve you well. 

While you may not believe there are secondary holidays, trust me, there are. To identify your secondary holidays, log into your analytics and research your traffic over the past year. Do you see spikes? Next, look at revenue throughout the past year. Do you see corresponding spikes? While the traffic uptake may have resulted from a well-received campaign, you can determine more by annotating your analytics and looking at a calendar.

Fitting In

The use of the seasons is an often overlooked tool for expanding sales and your audience. Seasonality is an evolving trend, and implementing it into your marketing strategy could yield surprising results. This method takes advantage of the seasons and applies it for the purpose of appeal and boosting sales. If you have a business that doesn't fluctuate much with the time of year, your customers or clients can still respond to particular seasons personally. This strategy works in any B2B or B2C situation but does exceptionally well for e-commerce businesses.

So Where Do I Start

Look at your analytics to determine if there are predictable patterns for increases and decreases from the last 2022 holiday season. (The two years prior, 2020-21 included the covid situation, so don't place too much emphasis on these.) This will provide you with a general idea of where you need to concentrate.

If you're a new business, begin now with a 12-month forward plan, then start your research. Keep an eye on search trends and look at what top influencers are targeting. Pay attention to the more prominent blogs or online publications and notice what national businesses are doing, as this will spark some insight and creativity for you.

The more significant holidays, upcoming events, and national awareness months (or days) are great places to begin. Incorporating lesser events like the end of the school year, nonprofit causes, or personal events such as moving into a dorm or "tax day" are also possibilities. You'll find online calendars providing fun, attention-getting ideas, so don't be shy. Everyone enjoys a little light-heartedness, so if it fits with your brand, go for it!

It's The Season

Seasonal marketing can also be used to correlate matching ideas beyond the obvious. The bridal season is an excellent time for dresses and caterers, but what about travel plans, cameras, or luggage? Spring and summer mean the outdoors and many sports, so apply it to camping, conservation, watersports, moving, etc. Autumn and winter bring more extensive holidays with festivities, football, snow sports, and weight loss. The possibilities are endless, but they will require some long-term planning and creativity.

Grab a calendar, begin with August, then plan the next 12 months. How can your business be linked to the seasons, and what preparations are needed when? Consider email campaigns, social media posts, brand photography (proven very effective), or even collaborations with other businesses. An example of matched brands would be a pet toy business with a leather accessory line that branches out to make collars and leashes for dogs and cats. Take it one step further by adding a seasonal theme! 

The Importance Of Analytics

Monitor your analytics at least monthly, if not more frequently, and adjust accordingly. Those numbers are helpful to you now but become even more valuable as you forecast for the following year. It's essential to target visitors during the seasons and determine how they are finding your site. 

Because all holidays are not the same, you may find visitors convert very well from affiliate sites during the Christmas season but observe a negative ROI from affiliates during your secondary holidays. Using a multi-channel funnel lets you discover what visitor paths convert best, then use that information to better target your visitors during any holiday season.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email or a comment. In the meantime...

You can do this!

Matthew