Posts Tagged ‘seasonal marketing’

There’s something I love about watching sign twirlers. I’m not talking the long-suffering ones that appear to be a bored employee, humiliated to be stuck outside in some kind of mascot costume and horrified because they don’t know any cool sign twirling tricks. I’m talking the ones that draw the eye because they are rocking the house with their moves and ingenious twirling capabilities. And it occurred to me the other day we could all learn a few things from a good sign twirler:

1. Fake it until you make it – You can’t tell me that all of those rockin’ sign twirlers love their job when its 100 degrees outside or dropping a nice snowy mix. But you would never know they don’t love their jobs because they never show it.  They are outside enthusiastically tossing and twirling and on some level, it makes you as a potential customer stop and take notice. Your business could probably stand to approach marketing with that mentality, because if you can’t buy into it, neither can you customers.

2. Take time and listen to the music - Sign twirlers take this literally – probably because they can and its one way to beat off the boredom blues. But as a business person, you can take that statement figuratively or literally. Wouldn’t it be nice to take some moments of enjoyment out of whatever it is you are doing?

3. Infuse some energy – A good sign twirler always looks energized, alert and active – much like your business should! No one wants to do business with a sluggish organization, so show off the energy and enthusiasm you have for your work in order to get others to buy what you’re selling!

4. Create a new move - Sign twirlers don’t just shake their money maker (sign that is). They generally show off every dance move they know and ultimately, whatever new move comes to mind. Why? Because they don’t want to be like everyone else and neither should your business. So think about how to position yourself so you offer something no one else has! It’s one way to really stand out.

5. They have it, so they flaunt it – Sign twirlers dance, hop, skip, wave, flip, spin and in general show off their signage. They do it because its part of their job to draw attention to their client. You should do the same to draw attention to your business! Don’t be shy about telling people (in the appropriate manner of course), what you do and how you can help them. If they don’t know, they won’t buy…

Can you think of other ways sign twirlers could teach us a lesson or two? Leave a comment below!

As we’ve mentioned in our blog posts, seasonal marketing can be a great way to boost sales, but you are often competing with others who are vying for the same attention. So consider a bonus to your customers! Everyone likes a free perk, especially during high purchasing times.

5 Savvy Bonus Options

1. Offer free shipping – Sell your items online? In a store? Offer free shipping for the duration of your seasonal campaign!

2. Offer free or donation-based gift wrapping services – It takes some of the pressure off of your customers. Plus it allows you to present your products in the best way possible!

3. Consider personal shopping assistance – People often benefit from a word of advice. So why make them wait until they can track down a sales associate? Set up an official shopping or gift item referral program. You know your goods best and a little personal attention never hurt anyone!

4. Showcase a story online - Talk about why you carry what you do, how your employees prep or volunteer for the holidays, why you enjoy your particular seasonal promotion, etc. – anything that blends a personal feel with a business promotion! Or ask others to submit their stories through Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube!

5. Consider extended hours or offer a class that helps customers prepare for traditional seasonal events - Make it easy for folks to come to you during a busy season. Empower them to decorate, prepare for big events, etc., by offering a free class – and boost your sales in the meantime!

Have other ideas on savvy ways to boost your seasonal marketing? Leave a comment!

Need help building a seasonal marketing plan? Let us know! info@thecollectivesavvy.com

Seasonal marketing, as we’ve discussed, requires a lot of preparation. But one point that often gets skipped is virtual preparation – Spring Cleaning if you will – no matter what time of year! Sprucing up your virtual sites can go a long way in making your company seem polished, organized, and ready to go for the seasonal market time of choice.

3 Savvy Virtual Seasonal Marketing Techniques to Consider

1. Spruce up Your Seasonal Marketing Materials Online - Do you use the same ad year after year? Are you sure it still resonates (if it ever did) with your clients? Do your graphic images match your seasonal campaign? Think about the message you are sending vs. the one you would like to appear and prepare to launch it in time with your seasonal campaign.

2. Specify Seasonal Keywords - When was the last time you fine-tuned your website to focus on certain keywords or phrases – especially holiday or seasonal related ones? Now is the time! Think about the words or phrases folks are likely to search and then add them to your mix.  Ta-dah! You just helped yourself move up the SEO food chain.

3. Spotlight Your Seasonal Promotion – Is your seasonal promotion front and center on your webpage, virtual media sites, or online shopping cart? Many folks forget to make their seasonal promotion prominent, which defeats the purpose of your seasonal marketing efforts. So let it shine! Give it the attention it so deserves.

Seasonal marketing can be a great chance to boost sales. Prepare now for profit later! Need help? Let us know! info@thecollectivesavvy.com.

Seasonal marketing is often tied to a cause marketing effort. We recently defined seasonal marketing, but cause marketing hasn’t been heavily discussed in this blog. Essentially cause marketing is the combined effort of a for-profit business and a non-profit cause to raise mutual awareness, brand affiliation, and money. I suspect you see where this is going now…

Taking integration to the “next” step, a savvy marketer will often marry their seasonal promotion activities to a cause to tug on people’s heart strings (and purse strings!). This cause may be one that the company has supported over an extended period of time – such as Wendy’s support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, or it may be a cause that ties well to the season, such as companies that support Toys for Tots over the holidays.

3 Savvy Ways Companies Can Blend Seasonal + Cause Marketing

1. Percentage of Sales Donations – Pick a seasonal marketing timeframe. Then pick a percentage of proceeds from your seasonal sales to go to your charity of choice. For example, seasonal Back to School promotions may work with charities such as your local PTA or  Back to School Clothing Drive.

2. In-Kind Donations – Cash donations are great and often appreciated, but sometimes a company is able to garner more support and resources around an in-kind donation. In-kind donations vary from charity to charity, but examples include fans for Project Cool in San Antonio, where fans are collected and distributed to the elderly in order to handle the intense summer heat. Your company may give these gifts outright and tie it to a seasonal promotion;  it may make the amount donated dependent on sales during a seasonal promotion; or it may serve as a collection site.

3. Time – Sometimes a company may offer a donation of time – either by bringing employees in for a project or recruiting volunteers for a project to help their pet cause.  Ever see Extreme Home Makeover? Look at the companies that donate time to the building of homes on that show – often showing up in force!

One thing we recommend companies keep in mind is that don’t lose focus on the fact that cause involvement is still ultimately an element of your business plan. Its great to do it, but you couldn’t do it if your business wasn’t in place. So make sure you are vocal about it.  It will have multiple levels of impact – on your company, your cause, and the way people perceive both.  So don’t leave the information out of your seasonal marketing efforts – imagine the impact you could have if others take up your cause as well!