‘Tis the season to promote your brand! Expand your network and boost your sales with the help of this strategy! [Thursdays: FYO!]
Thanksgiving.
Christmas.
Black Friday Sale.
These are some of the holidays and shopping events that most people look forward to every year.
According to the National Retail Federation, from the period of Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday Sale, over 190 million people usually shop in stores or online.
That number was just from the US alone!
Imagine how much bigger that number would be if we add up all the shoppers from different parts of the world!
As a business owner or marketer, don’t you think being able to reach such a large number of consumers is good for your brand?
IT IS!
That’s why a lot of businesses take advantage of these busiest times of the year through…
Holiday Marketing!
―the process of using different marketing channels to capture the attention of consumers through EXTRA valuable offers and increase a brand’s revenue on the threshold of holidays.
As a business owner or marketer, why should you use holiday marketing?
Holidays are marked by gift giving, celebrations, resolutions, and new aspirations. These mean most customers make plenty of purchases from various companies, whether through online or in-store shopping.
In fact, Sleeknote (a digital marketing campaign builder) reports that aside from being “the busiest times of the year,” holidays boost a brand’s sales for two main reasons:
- They only happen once a year.
- They drive a sense of urgency among consumers.
So… how can you make good use of these events to boost your brand’s online presence and grow your customer base?
-
Showcase your brand’s unique story.
The Journal of Consumer Psychology states,
“Brand authenticity includes being faithful to yourself, true to your consumers, motivated by caring and responsibility, and having a desire to help consumers be authentic to themselves.”
One of the ways to encourage your target market to trust your brand?
Be authentic―let your customers and prospects know who you are!
One of the keys to a solid brand identity is to genuinely represent your business in everything you do, including during holidays.
This is because, according to the National Retail Federation, 78% of consumers support businesses they connect with. So as a brand owner or marketer, your focus should be on getting consumers to interact with you more, maybe through sharing holiday recommendations, tips, gift guides, etc.
For instance:
If you sell various food products, you may write content about some of the most common holiday treats then subtly promote your brand’s products through the ingredients needed to make those recipes.
That way, you provide your target market with an opportunity to connect with you through fun holiday recipes while also marketing your business!
-
Get “social” through your brand’s social media pages.
Software company Sprout Social states there’s a 75% increase in social media posts during November and December over what retailers see during the other 10 months of the year.
This shows that holidays play a part in retail-related social media posts!
Use these times to connect with your customers and prospects by letting them know more about your brand using a holiday-related spin.
Examples:
Create an Instagram story about what you are grateful for in your business’ journey…
… share your favorite holiday traditions through a social media live stream…
… incorporate holiday-related trivias into your hashtagged Twitter posts…
… and a whole lot more!
You may also level up the “social” in social media by partnering with other brands or influencers.
Co-branding and influencer marketing are a win-win marketing strategy for everyone involved, so go and look for another business to partner with or a celebrity to help promote your brand!
Remember: The more social media users enjoy consuming your content online, the higher the chances that they’ll like and share your posts―another way for you to boost your brand’s online visibility!
-
Offer individuality and exclusivity through your products and services.
Many consumers like being a part of something special about a brand. Take advantage of this by offering something that can only be purchased during your holiday launch!
Limited edition items are a key component of this strategy because some customers feel that by not buying a product or service that’s only available for a limited time, they miss out on something extraordinary.
In fact, the Canadian marketing company Citizen Relations reports that 68% of millennials made “reactive purchases,” or purchases based on seeing their peers’ experiences and not wanting to be left behind.
In other words, FOMO or the “fear of missing out.”
As a business owner or marketer, how can you take advantage of this opportunity?
Through limited-time products and deals!
By doing so, customers will be more motivated to interact with your brand and give your products or services a try!
One of the companies that uses holiday marketing well is Ban.do, a millennial lifestyle and accessories brand from Los Angeles, California.
In the Christmas season of 2020, the brand created a realistic approach to gift-giving.
How?
Through gift guide categories based on its products’ prices―gifts under USD 50 and USD 25!
Ban.do posted these on its Instagram account so that its followers can see the gift guides on their timelines and tag their families, friends, etc.
By offering customers gift guides based on price, Ban.do was able to communicate its message that it understands not only consumers’ wishes but also their budget.
As a result…
The brand generated a total of USD 11,000 in sales from its holiday marketing strategy (a good number for a small business like Ban.do) and its Instagram followers rose from 500,000 to over 590,000 during the Christmas season!
Just as the holidays are an exciting and festive time for most consumers, these events are also some of the busiest times for brands and businesses.
If you want to launch or grow your brand online, using the holiday marketing strategy is a smart move.
Why?
Aside from helping you connect with your target market online through fun and creative content, this strategy could boost your brand’s sales because of the built-in retail advantages of the holiday season.
Use the holiday marketing strategy for your brand!
Mark your calendars and ‘tis the season to help your target market FIND YOU online!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: FYO! Find You Optimization”
Why should you stop thinking SEO and start thinking FYO?
We’re not saying that you should abandon Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Don’t get us wrong, of course, we know this is something very important, especially in today’s digital marketing age.
The internet landscape is vast, and a world of its own. You really need to distinguish yourself and make your brand/company/website known and easily searchable.
Better yet, get to the top of page one for Top Results on Google or any other search engine.
However, what is the purpose of SEO? It’s that customers Find You!
That’s what matters. So, while SEO is one factor of FYO… it really is only one, and we ought not to abandon all the myriad of ways digitally and offline for improving your FYO.
How can we look at this from a different and better perspective?
Let’s say you have it in the bag! You and your team are experts in SEO. Awesome. But did you ever wonder what else you could do to push it further and give your SEO skills a boost?
FYO! Find You Optimization!
You need your target audience to FIND YOU—your brand, product, service, or offer. This is SEO plus other tools that increase visibility online (and offline).
Every Thursday, we publish content on how you can get your target market to find you, beyond the typical “type and search.” There are other things you can do along with your SEO to give your online advertising process a boost.
Try considering other tactics beyond it—WOMO (Word Of Mouth Optimization), RO (Referral Optimization), and “All-Other-Means-Of-Getting-Your-Target-Market-To-Find-You” Optimization (AOMOGYTMTFY, if you’d like a long acronym).
Part of a great marketing strategy is knowing how to adapt new methods and make use of different types of marketing and promotion that best fit your business goals and which give you the results you want.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s FYO!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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