Your customers look to you for inspiration, ideas, and creative solutions to their needs. They want you to be their resource for the latest and greatest trends. They want you to keep them in the know. They want you to be all of these things to them throughout the year, but especially during holiday seasons.
Note: For this conversation, we’ll use the term “holiday,” but that definitely includes longer seasonal pushes like back-to-school campaigns.
The holidays are usually the busiest time of year for brands and businesses, individuals and families alike. Regardless of demographics, we all have longer To Do Lists during the holidays, so we need to prioritize and be better organized in order to accomplish everything we want to accomplish. Easier said than done, right?
We all know that planning ahead will get us where we need to be more efficiently. But, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start – especially when our minds are overflowing with more tasks and goals than usual.
We find that less is more at times like this. Rather than over complicating things with grand plans and lofty buzz words, let’s start with a few bite-sized tips that will help get your seasonal messaging off to a great start.
.1. “SEASON” WELL
Whether you’re into cooking or not, you’ve probably heard that seasoning your ingredients well can dramatically improve the flavors of the finished dish. This same concept works with seasonal marketing.
We all know how time can get away from us, so “seasoning” your messaging with tidbits about the upcoming holiday – lightly at first, and more heavily as the date approaches – will help keep it on top of your customers’ minds.
As soon as you’ve finished reading this article, sit down with your calendar and pinpoint the dates of the holidays that you typically promote. Next, create “tiers” of dates relevant to the date of the holiday itself: One week out, three weeks out, five weeks out, etc.
Create excitement about the holiday with short, simple posts that remind your customers about the upcoming holiday: “Wow! XYZ Day is only a month away!” or, “Just three short weeks until…”. Studies show that people need to hear or see something seven times before it sticks with them, and pre-planning consistent holiday messaging will help make it stick.
.2. PAINT A PICTURE
Rather than messaging that sells, create messaging that suggests. Talk about the things that people think about when they think about the upcoming holiday. Provide ideas that inspire people to visualize how they will use your holiday products or services.
Engage your social media communities with questions and invite feedback that will help you design campaigns around their wants and needs. Show them ideas that will get them thinking about what they’re going to do for the holiday. Whether it’s housewares or attire, people are more inclined to remember visuals than words. So, if you show more than tell, you’ll be on your way to building a great bottom line.
.3. PROVIDE OPTIONS
There are those who prefer to do it all themselves from scratch, but for the most part, people want the brands they follow to make their lives easier by giving them quick, easy options to choose from.
Offer packages with catchy names like “The Big BBQ Party Package” that includes everything they need for that first big weekend deck party of the year. Or, create themed collections that evoke a certain feeling: “The Rustic Retreat Holiday Collection,” or “Spring Symphony Garden Collection”. Be very clear about what’s included in packages and collections so people can see the value of the offer and know – literally – what’s in it for them.
.4. DRIVE IT HOME
This is where all that pre-planning and preparation comes in. Because of the weeks or even months you’ve spent seasoning, painting and providing in your social messaging, your customer are ready to buy when the holiday is about to happen. They need to start getting ready for it, and you’ve shown them how to do it, so all they have to do is buy.
Pick the appropriate date tier in your plan when you begin offering the discounts, the VIP rewards, the special pricing, etc. Allow for varying levels of offers and don’t forget to include “Plan B” offers to push items that may not sell through as quickly as anticipated. Allowing some variability in your plan will make it easier to move things as needed throughout the season.
.5. MAKE IT EASY TO BUY
All the best laid plans in the world will fail if you don’t look through your customers’ eyes when setting up seasonal and featured displays. It should go without saying, but displays that are set according to the store’s priorities rather than the customers’ needs will not be successful.
Clear signage and pricing are key. You don’t want customers to be unpleasantly surprised because they aren’t getting the deal they thought they were.
Featured items should be displayed up front and center with related items right by their side. Don’t make people walk all over the store to “gather” the hot holiday items you’ve been promoting. If they want to shop for more, they will do so. But if they want to get in, get what they need, and get out, then make it easier for them to do that.
Creating effective seasonal social media content is a much easier concept when you include these five elements. Always begin with an end in mind and think through the holiday (and the process), and your seasonal campaigns will be much more successful.
If you’re looking for ways so spice up your seasonal social media campaigns, give us a call… We can help you cook up a storm!
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