Digital marketing is affected by seasonal trends; there are many advantages – and a few disadvantages – to following seasonal advertising trends. It’s important to understand why seasonality matters and how to manage your digital marketing accordingly in order to make seasonal marketing work for you.
Seasonal Advertising: To Do or Not to Do?
Seasonal marketing can be a lot of fun. It provides an opportunity to get creative with your digital advertising and messaging. Don’t be afraid to depart from the norm and do something different to stand out! Whether you're advertising based on the seasons themselves, or specific (well-known or more esoteric) holidays, following seasonal trends can produce great results. Yet is it really the most effective way to market your agency, brand, or product? We explore further below.
Advantages of Seasonal Marketing
- Seasonal advertising lends itself well to scarcity marketing. Promoting limited-time deals capitalizes on the innate fear that most consumers have of missing an exclusive opportunity. The right ads can encourage audiences to make a purchase.
- Keeping up with seasonal marketing trends can show consumers that you're staying abreast of their needs. Audiences’ needs and wants are in a constant state of flux—what they gravitate towards in summer, may look different than in winter, for example. Thus, seasonal marketing lets potential customers know that your business isn’t stale or stagnant, but rather, always evolving from season-to-season.
Depending on performance, some seasonal ads may be recycled year-over-year. Make small tweaks to the messaging to A/B test year-over-year if needed; see what resonates with your audience and ditch the rest. Recirculating or repurposing winning ads is a cost-effective way to remain competitive.
Disadvantages of Seasonal Marketing
- There's a significant amount of competition in the seasonal ad space. It’s challenging for smaller agencies and creative shops to face larger competition as it is, but this is particularly true for seasonal advertising.
- Seasonal marketing promotes seasonal business. A well-executed campaign should display powerful, relevant messaging and ultimately, drive sales. Avoid relying too heavily on seasonal marketing—be strategic and have a plan to fill in all marketing voids for other periods of the year too.
How to Manage Seasonal Messaging
There are a number of ways to make seasonal advertising trends work for you:
Plan ahead. Marketing efforts should start a few weeks before the season or holiday actually hits. Materials and media need to be ready to launch just as consumers begin to make their own plans and preparations.
- Promote during seasons that apply to your niche. Not every season or holiday is applicable to every brand or product — make sure your agency’s seasonal messaging fits with the products, services, goals, and overall mission of what’s being promoted.
- Take social media marketing to the next level. Tag relevant influencers on social media and share their content on your platforms when it makes sense. Build relationships with influencers that are more likely to promote your content during the seasons that contribute the most growth.
- Analyze previous seasonal advertising campaigns. Track all seasonal marketing efforts and review metrics after the campaign ends to determine what worked — and what didn't. Refresh your seasonal messaging accordingly, to create more targeted and effective assets down the road.
- Create multiple types of media assets. Avoid pigeonholing your efforts to one kind of media. Instead, consider how your business may be able to integrate seasonal advertising across multiple channels and platforms in order to have the widest reach.
Let Centro Help
Managing multiple media assets can be challenging — especially when you're making an effort to keep up with seasonal advertising trends. Basis' technology platform centralizes, organizes, and automates digital media across programmatic, direct, search, and social channels. We empower agencies to control their digital business, optimize advertising intelligence, and drive team performance by advocating for the thoughtful integration of digital buying. Contact us today to learn more.
