Mastering Seasonal Campaigns: The Key to Marketing Success
Almost every business sees seasonal spikes in their turnover. Many of these will be due to key seasonal events such as Black Friday and the end of school holidays.
In this article, we explore the importance of planning for seasonal campaigns and the positive impact this can have on your business.
What are Seasonal Campaigns?
Seasonable campaigns are much as they sound – marketing campaigns which focus on notable dates and seasons. Some of these include:
- Back-to-school
- Annual sales (e.g. summer sales)
- Key industry events
- Scheduled changes in industry rules and regulations
- Religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter
Which seasons are most important to your business will depend on factors such as your brand, your industry and your audience.
The Benefits of Seasonal Campaigns
Seasonal events like those listed above create great opportunities for business. Allowing them to leverage the buzz to generate attention, which can then be converted into profits.
For example, planning campaigns around major shopping events such as Black Friday can help brands tap into the excitement surrounding the festive period. This increase in consumer awareness allows brands to drive customer engagement, increase brand visibility and drive greater sales.
Although year-on-year trends for seasonal events can change based on economic factors, many businesses depend on seasonal spikes to achieve annual targets. For example, in the UK a massive £8.71 billion was spent on Black Friday in 2022. This was a dip compared to previous years, but still a significant spike on an average day of sales.
Taking time to plan for seasonal campaigns can help your business better leverage these opportunities and drive greater profits. This approach can also reduce internal stress and pressure during what is often already a stressful time.
The Pitfalls of Poor Planning
There are several pitfalls to not taking a considered approach to seasonal marketing.
The most obvious is simply that you won’t be able to reach or communicate with potential customers, leading to lower profits. Not planning ahead of time can also cause considerable internal stress as teams make last-minute rushes to drive profits.
A lack of strategy can also lead to issues, potentially missing opportunities to engage in the most effective way.
Steps in Planning for Seasonal Campaigns
Planning seasonal campaigns isn’t complex, it just takes a little forward-thinking. Here are the steps you need to get started:
- Schedule the most important events for your business
- Set reminders well ahead of time to create plans for those events
- Research the market conditions surrounding those events
- Set goals (for example: to generate £6,000 in sales on Black Friday)
- Break down your goals into actionable steps
- Allocate a budget to achieving those steps
- Develop creative assets
- Plan a campaign timeline
- Select channels (social media, emails etc.)
- Execute your campaigns
Planning Seasonal Campaigns: Summary
It is clear that planning seasonal campaigns is essential for businesses that want to drive profitable peaks throughout the year. In this article, we have highlighted exactly why seasonal campaigns are important and the steps involved in creating them.
Of course, some of these steps take a considerable time investment. This can put pressure on internal resources. Working with an agency like ours can help you leverage the benefits of seasonal campaigns without having to shift focus from your day-to-day business.
Get in touch now if you want to make your next seasonal campaign your best yet!