Why Invest In Seasonal Marketing?
One of the pains of being an entrepreneur is the inconsistency in the flow of clients coming in throughout the year. Understanding your audience's motivation to purchase from you is critical, but also the distractions they face that affect them into not making a purchase.
For every brand, this often means navigating annual cycles and taking advantage of the seasons to overcome these fluctuations. This is why seasonal marketing is important, it helps balance these in and out.
Okay…but what do you mean by seasonal marketing?
“Seasonal marketing is a specialized strategy that focuses on seasonal and holiday themes to market and promote products or services. It is a voluntary adjustment to your normal marketing efforts to encompass special elements over the short term.” (Barbara von der Osten)
In other words
All the marketing efforts that are tied to a specific time of the year such as Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.
It is important to point out that not all seasonal campaigns are focused on a holiday, some are also attached to the weather.
For example, clothing brands often leverage winter, spring, summer, and fall campaigns to appeal to the needs of their buyers between transitions of products and collections changing. This is why we see sales for winter clothes when the weather starts to warm up.
Depending on your industry and niche, you might want to leverage other seasons such as Back to school, Spring break, March madness, Hanukkah, etc.
Some of the changes we see in brands adjusting to the seasons can be reflected in color, imagery, and message.
For example for spring, you might want to adopt a secondary color palette that appeals to the softness of Easter, bring some imagery that ties in with growth, rebirth, or even something more specific such as the Easter bunny, carrots, or a cross. Also, don’t forget about the message, which should be tied to the why of each season and tightly related to the beliefs and values of your brand.
/ CASE STUDY: MERI MERI
Meri Meri is a great example of a brand that knows how to market seasons while staying on brand. Every image, product, and message they put out reflects their fun and whimsy personality. Look at this selection of imagery, you can easily tell which season is each image but when looking at them all together, you can also tell they all belong to one brand. In my book, that’s the sign of success: staying: On brand and On season.
Benefits of investing in
seasonal marketing for brands
This sounds like a lot of effort… Why should I bother?
There are many benefits to venturing into seasonal marketing, from an increase in numbers to brand awareness, but let me get into a few.
Opportunity to create limited-time offers which often create a sense of urgency
You know that excitement you get when Christmas comes around and the freshly cut tree tents start popping everywhere, and the more you see them and the closer Christmas approaches. the antsier you get to go check them out? It is because you know that this only happens once a year and the longer you wait, the more likely you will end up with a skinny weird-looking tree.
Opportunity to connect with your audience on an emotional level
Additionally, seasonal campaigns allow businesses to tap into the emotional connection customers have with certain holidays or events, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and a stronger connection with customers.
I don’t know if you remember the Doc Morris (German pharmacy chain) commercial in 2020, but it is one of my favorites. I dare you to watch it and not cry.
Opportunity to showcase your creativity and stand out from the competition
With so many businesses vying for customers' attention, a well-executed seasonal campaign can help a business differentiate itself and attract new customers. I recently watched a Christmas promotional video by Blakely Made, an abstract artist based in Charleston. Her style is very inspired by summer and spring color-associated palettes, but as you can see in this video, she adapted it to Christmas in the most lovely way, which has converted me into a true fan of her work.
Opportunity to boost sales, create brand awareness and attract new clientele
With the right effort, exposure, and creativity, you can attract new customers and turn them into fans, just like I did with Blakely Made. I might not have become a customer of the German pharmacy Doc Morris, but now I know they exist, and since they became viral with 7 million views in merely a week of being uploaded, I am sure a whole lot of people know them as well.
Seasonal marketing is a no-brainer for any brand. Big or small, we all can adapt to the seasons to better connect with our audiences. It is not only beneficial but SO FREAKING FUN.
Why do you say? Should you give it a shot?
IF YOU FOUND SOMETHING INSPIRING, INTRIGUING, OR ENCOURAGING IN THIS JOURNAL ENTRY—
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW!
Send me a message in the DMs or contact me to inquire about working together. I can’t wait to keep the conversation going.
