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ADvocate Jan 13, 2022
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As the dust settles (or snow melts away) from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, businesses and corporations brace themselves for the inevitable slowdown in sales and consequential decrease in revenue that comes from the new year. Shorter register lines, fewer employee hours, and a surplus of stock are all part of this seasonal slowdown. While so much time and effort go into lucrative winter promotions, this is not the only time of year in which you can capitalize on sales campaigns. These seasonal promotion ideas will help you start the new year strong with your business and keep customers coming in year-round.
Build a Promotional Email List
Before you launch that brilliant new campaign, take the time to ensure you have the appropriate audience for it to land. Email marketing is the cornerstone of business promotions and an excellent means to let people know about upcoming sales. As customers come to you for services, keep careful logs of their personal contact information, including email addresses to include in your marketing promotions. Program your website with a “join our email newsletter” prompt on your website to remind page visitors to sign up.
The real fun begins once you have compiled your list of existing customer email addresses. Email marketing platforms such as Rejoiner, Mail Chimp, and SmartrMail are excellent ways to organize your audience lists and schedule newsletters. If you operate an e-commerce platform, consider excluding recent purchasers from promotional newsletters to reduce customer frustration from missing a discount code.
Host Impromptu Giveaways and Flash Sales
Social media giveaways and flash sales help pepper in customer interest throughout the year. You can take advantage of the current happenings to keep your promotional language relevant and engaging (ie: temperatures are dropping and so are our prices). If you are launching a new product, make a post announcing a giveaway. Generally, these promotions ask for followers to comment, tag a friend, and reshare on their personal page for a chance to win.
Take Advantage of Smaller Holidays
Yes, Halloween and Christmas are widely celebrated holidays in the West, but what about Earth Day? Or April Fools Day? Throughout the year, there are plenty of smaller-scale observances to use for seasonal promotion content. For Earth Day, you can give back to the world by encouraging customers to make a purchase on April 22nd so that a portion of the proceeds goes towards an environmentally conscious organization. April Fools Day is a time to let loose and show your brand personality. Run a contest encouraging people to share their funniest holiday exploits or post an absurd “new product” and ask customers to comment name suggestions.
Host Season Specific Contests
Do you have a funny picture that needs a caption? Have you developed a new seasonal product that you are looking to get customer feedback on? Hosting contests throughout the year increases audience engagement on your social media platforms while also providing user-generated content for promotions. For example, think of a fun photo contest to host on Instagram and encourage your followers to share their submissions, use a corresponding hashtag, and tag their friends for a chance to win.
