Last week we celebrated National Puppy Day. Passover and Easter are both just a few days away. Not to mention the upcoming occasions of World Health Day, Earth Day and Arbor Day. April is also home to National Grilled Cheese Day, National Jelly Bean Day and a host of other festive occasions. Bottom line: it feels like every day is some type of holiday and, if you spend enough time searching the web, you literally can find an occasion to make each and every day just a little bit more special. Which raises the question, is every holiday a marketing opportunity?
It’s no secret that Black Friday is retail’s big day and that Cyber Monday is e-commerce’s dream day. Consumers love a good post-Christmas clearance sale and vouchers for free chocolates certainly make Valentine’s Day just a little bit sweeter. But what holidays should your company celebrate? I’m not just talking about B2C companies, I’m also talking about B2B companies. Should the restaurant supply chain market to its clients under the auspices of National Cookie Day? Is Arbor Day a great day to talk about linebacker insurance? While there aren’t universal answers to these questions, coming to the right conclusion for your company isn’t difficult. It just requires some careful analysis and a little creative thinking.
Focus on adding value
It only takes a quick scan of one’s inbox to reaffirm that holiday marketing is a popular trend. From discounts and incentives to inventive e-cards, companies know how to leverage holidays to bolster engagement and drive conversion. The challenge is that, with so many companies quick to hop on the holiday marketing bandwagon, it doesn’t take long before a creative concept becomes one more piece of clutter.
To avoid adding to an already noisy climate, be timely and focus on adding value. For example, Arbor Day may be the right time to remind clients and prospects that your company has won accolades for its environmentally-friendly practices. Friday the 13th could be a good time to talk to clients and prospects about common fears and reinforce that a trip to the dentist isn’t anything to worry about. Bottom line: you need a reason and a rationale to drive your message. And, maybe, just maybe, the day after a holiday or the day before, when the climate is less cluttered, is a better time to make your message heard.
Celebrate what’s aligned with your culture
We all know that the decision to do business with a company is often based on more than its services. It’s also about culture and brand values. You want to do business with people whom you can collaborate well with, respect as partners and who have a shared vision. A big piece of that is knowing a company’s culture.
With so many holidays to choose from, you may well find a few that are great opportunities to showcase your culture of collaboration, philanthropy and so on. There may be opportunities to showcase your staff’s community involvement, personal passions and what makes them such an important part of your team. The key is to remain true to your brand. Don’t develop marketing content for a holiday just to be ‘on trend.’ Do it because it’s a ‘right fit’ for your company, can further engage, educate and/or entertain clients and prospects.
And, on that note, have a little fun this April Fools’ Day completing your ‘Marketing Adlibs’ from Co-Communications.
