Leverage seasonal promotions to boost business
From Black Friday deals to last-minute holiday shopping to New Year’s promotions, it is a busy time of year for businesses. It is also an ideal time of year for your business to leverage seasonal promotions. As more businesses participate in seasonal promotions, there are more opportunities across digital spaces to leverage these offers and drive consumer engagement.
“Many times, businesses have the same promos and offers on digital and in-store,” said Strategic America (SA) Digital Marketing Manager Taia Veren. “However, we have found success in offering different promotions as an exclusive digital sweetener offer, for example, to get people to capitalize on that offer.”
Consider timing
When planning seasonal promotions, it’s critical to get ahead of the curve. Advanced planning helps ensure there are no missed opportunities, and your business is prepared to leverage these promotions. It is also important to integrate promotional content with standard content, Veren said.
“Timing is everything,” Veren said. “Seasonal promotions are usually top performers because they are so timely and usually paired with a great offer. I recommend layering seasonal promos on top of evergreen content. I usually see a variety of ad types and messages work best.”
Set your offer apart
During a time of year when there are a multitude of seasonal promotions, it is important to find a way to set your business apart. Finding niche holidays throughout the year that pertain to your business is an alternative route that can cut through competition focused on main holidays, Veren said.
“Seasonal promotions are timely to the consumer, but promotions alone won’t set your business apart, as lots of competitors capitalize on seasonality as well,” Veren said. “Really honing in with a great offer, call to action and stellar creative can be a game changer.”
Explore various channels
Seasonal promotions are most effective when they are integrated across platforms. Different channels offer pros and cons when promoting these deals, and it is important to understand your audience and goals for each channel.
“Connected TV can be great for high-impact brand awareness, while a seasonal offer on Facebook ads can be great for driving web traffic and conversions,” Veren said. “It really takes a mix of tactics to get the best payoff.”
Get creative
Depending on the platform, seasonal promotions have a variety of available metrics, including click-through rate, return on investment or engagements. However, seasonal promotions are usually short, which poses a challenge because paid social campaigns need to go through a learning phrase and optimization to get the best results.
“We have to get creative with messaging, schedules and targeting to ensure we have the right balance of urgency while still letting the ads get off the ground,” Veren said.
Collaborate for optimal results
Seasonal promotions are often a team effort. Depending on the project, there can be many tactics involved, spanning different disciplines and areas of expertise, Veren said.
“For example, our SEO and SEM teams can look at historical data and predictive trends to see what content we should capitalize on specifically so the seasonal promotion can perform the best for our client,” Veren said. “We also look at competitor research and consumer research to determine messaging that will resonate with our audiences the best.”
How can SA help?
As an integrated marketing firm, SA offers our clients all the resources necessary to successfully integrate, leverage and analyze seasonal promotions. Whether you’re offering a great deal for Black Friday or a quick discount for a niche holiday, the SA team is here to help your business benefit from these deals as much as possible.
Taia Veren is the Digital Marketing Manager at Strategic America. Learn more about our services.
