Now that we’re in the heart of fall, what does that mean for your business? Traditionally, fall is a time for reviewing the metrics of your summer strategy and laying the foundations for a successful holiday marketing strategy. Customers are also more likely to make big purchases, like home improvements, during the fall season. With the right creative digital marketing strategies, you can take advantage of arguably the most important season for marketers.
Get Ready For the Holidays
While Christmas and New Year’s signify the official start of winter, because of its association with the harvest, fall is chock-full of holidays. From Columbus Day to Hannukah, fall is full of opportunities to increase interest-and more importantly, sales-for your business. That leads to the all-important question: when should you start marketing for these holidays? And how should you advertise?
First off, let’s not forget about Black Friday. Last year, Americans set a record, spending a whopping $9 Billion on Black Friday. Just under one-third of all retail sales occur from Black Friday through Christmas, which means that month is one of the most pivotal times for all businesses. Now is as good a time as any to start planning-and implementing-your Black Friday strategy. What kind of strategies work?
Most importantly, stir up awareness. The competition for sales is fierce, so before you can get your customers to part with their hard-earned cash, you have to get them through the door. This is where your SEO and social media strategies will come in most handy. Because emotion drives purchasing decisions, taper your strategy around creatively tapping into those emotions to facilitate sales.
Last year’s holiday season was marred by pandemic restrictions limiting gatherings, so this year folks will be anxious to get back together. Think about how your business can help bring people back together or make the season brighter, and build your strategy around that!
Review and Plan
Because fall is traditionally when businesses plan their marketing strategy for the following year, it’s also a good time to review metrics for the past year. Those data should give insights into when, how, and why your customers are buying from you. More importantly, you can look at what strategies worked and what didn’t. Consider metrics like cost-per-acquisition as well as the ROI on your strategy and find winning combinations.
Take advantage of all the creative digital marketing strategies available, including email marketing, themed sales campaigns, and even charity initiatives. After all, the holidays are the best time to give back to the less fortunate! In addition to earning tax deductions, charity drives can help paint your business as empathetic and giving, and could even inspire more folks to give you their business. If you really want to get creative, consider developing fall-specific products!
In terms of creative digital marketing strategies, however, your best bet is fall-themed content marketing. Remember the key tenets of fall: holidays, cooling weather, leaves falling, etc. Find a way to incorporate the ennui of life into compelling content that facilitates sales. Think about your customers: not only who they are, but why they do what they do. Remember to consider not only demographics, but psychographics and social technographics as well.
Keep Things Moving Smoothly!
October 1st might be the start of the fiscal year for the federal government, but for most businesses, it’s simply the start of the 4th quarter. Just like your favorite sports team, finish the game strong. Take a look at where you’ve excelled throughout the past three quarters, as well as where there are still opportunities remaining. Remember: if it isn’t broken, don’t break it.
Fall doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. But given that the summer just ended, the impetus is on keeping your customers’ spirits up. With the right creative digital marketing strategies, you can keep folks interested in your business all year round!