Whew – made it through the end of 2018! The holiday seasonal campaign is officially over and you think you can rest. Unfortunately, there is little to no rest as your company sets in to high gear to start off the New Year implementing new ideas, but how do you transition the end of one seasonal campaign to the next?

Thankfully, many of the same principles that were used to execute the high priority and visible campaigns can be used in lower periods and future campaigns.

Reboot the Year with New Strategy

Specifically the end of the year holidays come with consumers who will reach deep in to their pockets to get the best gift for their loved ones and donate to their favorite charities. The love for over indulgence during the holidays is a trap many consumers fall in to. After the season is over, they get their credit card bills or see what’s in their bank accounts and pull the purse strings super tight. Now all that is left is space for necessary purchases for them and their families.

Seasonal campaigns bring in high traffic and working on the next seasonal campaign is a must, but with the dead of winter, many are overcome with cabin fever and need an outlet – that’s where your brand can enter. How do you feed the beast of “consumer boredom”?

January is when we see the New Year’s resolutions of ‘becoming healthy and exercising’ come in to full swing. Everyone wants to go to the gym and start their fitness routine. Is this something your company can take advantage of with fitness apparel, equipment, food or nutrition?

The beer, wine and spirits industry may see a dip in January as many participate in the ‘Dry January’ – where you eliminate alcohol during this month due to the over indulgence of the holidays.

No-Shave November (“Movember”) is when men forego shaving in order to raise awareness for men’s health issues. Is this an opening to engage and offer products/services that will create and keep interest in your company? Can this be used a ramp up to the end of year holiday season?

Social movements and issues can be a time to create a buzz about your company when there is time in the campaign schedule. Do you take advantage of National Hot Dog Day or National Unicorn Day? What reflects best on the offerings of your company to capitalize on during the year?

Being able to mix in your company’s main brand strategies and mission with different opportunities are worth putting in to a calendar to understand the true lulls of the year with the high priority campaigns.

Same Tactics, Different Application

Through the seasonal campaigns you can decidedly identify consumers that will be interested in your brand and certain products or services within. How can that continue through the rest of the calendar year?

• Data – bringing in your analytics team to debrief on the results of the seasonal campaigns is crucial to shaping the next campaign and strategy.
• Calendar Keywords – just as you would have a content calendar for social media, blogs, podcasts, etc., you can align those tactics with specific keywords that will help boost sales during seasonal campaigns and the in-between.
• Adjust Retargeting Ads – looking at the data to segment your audience differently for targeted ads may help during the low periods.
• Highlight Seasonal Favorite Items – during seasonal campaigns many are inclined to review the items received or they gave as a gift. Use the highest rated items from the seasons to re-promote during the lulls.
• Build Excitement – offer a competition or sweepstakes after large seasonal campaigns to keep and foster enthusiasm for your brand and products.
• Social Media – the most powerful tool to story tell and engage with your consumers. Create thoughtful stories for followers that resonate with seasons, trends, issues, etc. Being able to utilize the platforms your company has to learn from your consumers during the “downtimes” to understand interest during different times of the year will only be beneficial to shape larger campaigns and to fill in the gaps.
• Experiment – the lulls are the times to play around with new ideas whether it’s through social media, paid advertising, or print. Taking your results to shape these risks could grant high rewards that can be used in or reshape the larger campaigns.

Curbing the Craving

When it comes to its simplest form – how can brands curb the craving from over indulgence that the seasonal campaigns invite? Especially, that big end of the year seasonal campaign!

Consumers will want to spend as much as possible, while knowing they are receiving the best deals. So, how can companies use that lust the consumers have to power through to the next campaign?

What the everyday consumer wants:

• Incentives – What will I get for buying your product or using your service? What’s in it for them?
• Sales – How much do I really have to pay? What discounts are you offering?
• Engagement – What will be my in-store shopping experience and service from your company? Will my overall user experience online be satisfactory?

Keeping these key features in mind when developing new strategies for your year will be crucial in how much you stay in the black vs red before the end of the year.

When determining your branding and marketing efforts for your seasonal campaigns, contact Colleen Eakins Design to set up a consultation to learn how we can best support you.

Meghan McClure Miller

I received my Bachelors in Marketing and Certification in the Pastry Arts. I have managed a wide array of printed and digital marketing needs.