Holidays are always hectic; or at least for those in the marketing field because holiday marketing is an extremely crucial time for every business due to the boom in the spending of their customers which goes far beyond from what they normally spend throughout the year. That’s why businesses are thinking of their own gimmicks to hook the customers from discounts to promos with free shipping included! For years, it was able to excite people and entice them to buy even those who don’t have any initial plans. But the question is for how long will this be effective? And what other preparations should a marketer do to cope up with the holidays? Let’s talk about it.
Planning ahead of time
Planning is the most important thing for marketing in general. Doing it ahead of time is the key to achieve your goals for the season, and help you track your progress a lot easier.
Securing a content plan as well as all the materials ahead of time can help you start early campaigns which can lead to a smoother holiday season. Know that most Christmas ads are successful because they are prepared in advance. Some even do them as early as summertime while others are not thinking about the yuletide season yet.
But what’s more important than having a plan is to be organized because even a well-constructed plan can be left in shambles during the holiday season especially when you and your team are not focused on the crucial elements of your campaign.
Christmas holiday materials such as brochure, flyer catalog must also be designed early as it will be easier to just insert changes or developments than to start entirely in scratch. What’s important is for you to have your big sales and promotions started as early as possible so that your customers will be aware of them and that’s when their excitement will begin.
Launching it too early can be annoying do and there’s a tendency that they will forget it over time. So, timing is also important. In this cause, you must make a clear schedule leading up to your actual big event. There should proper build up and momentum but not slow so it wouldn’t be boring. This schedule will remind you with important dates and targets and help you determine whether they are being reached. You can also have an overview of your entire plan through it so it will be easier to know if it’s feasible.
Preparing your product catalog
Product catalogs provide customers a quick and easy access to information about your products such as their prices along with a short description. This is convenient for them because shoppers don’t have to go to the actual store.
This is also preferable for retailers who sell a variety of products as there’s no way the customers would want to walk all around the store just to look at every single product. This is not only time-consuming but also extremely tiring.
But, with a product catalog, looking for a specific product won’t be that stressful anymore. It can be their guide on what they should expect on various items and which among them are covered with discount. Flyers on the other hand, are simpler. Yet, are also effective in getting your products out there.
Optimizing users’ mobile experience
Your mobile store plays an important role in holiday marketing. So, you need to start preparing it early so your users will have a stress-free experience with it. Check for issues or list down possible issues that may arise and start looking for solutions or troubleshooting backups. Cramming on this aspect on the last minute will be the end of all your holiday marketing opportunities.
Social Media Utilization
Promote your brand on all social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest as this is considered one of the fastest and most successful ways to advertise today.
As a marketer, you can use social media trends to encourage brand awareness, make a sale or interact with existing customers. This is where most people dwell nowadays especially those with money. So, do not forget to let your presence be known.
Wrap Up
Discussing holiday marketing strategies can be really complicated. So, I tried my best to make it as simple and as short thus giving you the explanation above. But this doesn’t mean you couldn’t learn for more. There are still a lot of resources that could help you so don’t stop looking.
Aside from everything mentioned above, another piece of advice is for you to do efforts to really know your audience. Because only through this can you know how to appeal to them.