Download our sample PDF
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
London
Sydney
119 Alexander Street,
Sydney, New South Wales,
2065
Sydney, New South Wales,
2065
+61 416 122 553
The festive season comes with an added cheer for shoppers in the form of Christmas marketing campaigns, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, Valentine’s Day offers, or summer sales. Regardless of the occasion, this is the time when retailers come up with many strategic seasonal marketing campaigns that help sales surge.
But what happens once the season is over?
Think of a small skincare brand that launches a limited-edition sunscreen bundle. The campaign is a hit during summer when sales spike, influencers share glowing reviews, and customers rush to grab the exclusive offer.
But do these seasonal buyers stick around or does the excitement fade with the season?
The real power of seasonal marketing is how brands turn those moments into lasting customer relationships.
Read on as we discuss how this can be achieved.
“Seasonal marketing” is a strategy used by businesses to match their campaigns, promotions, and content to specific seasons, holidays, or events. This way brands avail of spiked consumer interest, drive sales, and build customer engagement. These campaigns can be held across the various holidays and seasons during the year.
Some famous examples of seasonal marketing campaigns are:
Coca-Cola introduced the red Christmas truck and its very own Santa Claus as part of its Christmas marketing campaign, and they have since become an essential part of the season each year. This campaign creates nostalgia and an emotional connection which boosts brand loyalty, helping year-round sales.
Another genius campaign is Spotify’s Wrapped, which results in massive engagement and hype. The brand releases each user’s “year in review” in December, based on their streaming habits. This includes their favourite artists, and most played songs over that year. Users share the results they receive on social media and the streaming service creates great online buzz in the process.
After massive coverage on social and physical media, such as on billboards and in ads, Spotify drives engagement among existing customers and gains the attention of many new ones all year long.
Every fall, Starbucks brings back its Pumpkin Spice Latte creating a frenzy amongst customers. The occasion has become quite popular on social media and is much anticipated each year.
Nike promotes sports gear and activewear for students returning to school. These campaigns feature offers and discounts for parents, and limited-edition releases. This seasonal push drives sales and brand loyalty among the younger audience.
The holiday season is quite dominated by Amazon with its multitudes of deals and discounts. Customers are attracted towards the platform due to smart marketing which brings in spiked sales throughout the season and beyond.
These seasonal marketing campaigns bear fruit throughout the year for many reasons.
During busy seasons businesses have a chance to get the attention of new and old customers. This is when brands can come into the spotlight by creating targeted campaigns, forging partnerships and giving promotions.
For example, they can create excitement with Christmas marketing campaigns by announcing “holiday-themed social media challenges” or “seasonal giveaways”, and create engaging content around it.
The result is word-of-mouth marketing, social sharing and thus increased organic reach for the brand.
Even after the season is over, the name of the brand sticks in customers’ minds, increasing the likelihood of their coming back for more.
Seasonal marketing campaigns create a sense of urgency because of which customers are inclined to take immediate action. When customers feel the offer is only for a short time, they go ahead with the purchase immediately.
Businesses can use this urgency to their advantage. They can make limited-time offers, announce flash sales or early-bird discounts. They can have a countdown timer ticking away to create the fear of missing out (FOMO).
Such deadlines encourage people to act quickly, and even make impulse purchases. Once they have had a taste for the products, they are more likely to keep coming back for more, helping deliver year-round results.
With seasonal marketing campaigns, businesses have a chance to get personal with their customers. It is an opportunity to connect emotionally with them by sending personalised e-mails, based on their previous purchases, loyalty program offers and perks, VIP discounts, or even personalised experiences. A program that offers perks to “members only” can help create long-term engagement.
Brands can offer bespoke recommendations during seasonal campaigns, such as customised holiday gift guides or hand-picked spring wardrobe options. This can make customers feel valued, increasing the likelihood of repeat business even after the season is over.
Creating an association with clients goes a long way in earning their loyalty and trust. This is a perfect way to turn one-time buyers into loyal customers.
What better chance to study customer choices and behaviour than a busy season? Every seasonal marketing campaign means businesses can gather invaluable data about the target audience.
Which promotions brought in more customers? Which products were more popular? Which ads brought greater ROI? Answering these and similar questions with the help of data can help refine strategies for future campaigns or product launches. Data collected during this period can help devise personalised and targeted strategies to attract clients throughout the year.
Once the season is over, businesses can carry the momentum forward by keeping customers engaged. There are many ways this can be done. E-mails or messages can be sent to target audiences with thank-you notes or sneak peeks at upcoming collections. They could be offered loyalty program memberships and special product recommendations.
So there is no reason for customer engagement to end after peak seasons are over. Businesses can change seasonal shoppers into “lifelong customers” by following smart marketing trends.
This is another way of making the most of seasonal campaigns. The tonnes of engaging content that is created for different media and platforms can still be used throughout the rest of the year.
High-performing seasonal posts, customer testimonials, and user-generated content can be turned into evergreen ads. Video and emails from seasonal launches, product demos, or campaign highlights can be repurposed into tutorials or educational content for ongoing brand engagement.
Thinking long-term is needed so businesses can make seasonal marketing efforts work for them beyond just one season, so there is continued brand visibility and engagement.
Though seasonal marketing makes the most of mainly the holiday wave, it also creates lasting impressions that keep customers coming back. If a campaign is well-planned and equally well-executed it is sure to spark conversations, strengthen brand identity, and build relationships that extend beyond the season.
So take advantage of the spiked shopping periods and leave a lasting impression on people’s minds so they remember your business and become returning customers.
