TL;DR
Seasonal marketing involves creating products, promotions or campaigns around particular events and times of year, such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day or Black Friday.
It can help businesses benefit from increased consumer interest, attract new customers, strengthen loyalty and increase sales. However, seasonal campaigns can also create higher costs, additional pressure on internal resources, greater competition and the risk of being left with products that are difficult to sell once the event has passed.
To make seasonal marketing work:
- Research what competitors have done previously.
- Adapt existing products or services where possible.
- Plan campaigns well in advance.
- Avoid neglecting everyday business operations.
- Market to existing customers and subscribers.
- Encourage useful user-generated content.
Seasonal marketing works best when it complements your wider marketing strategy rather than replacing it.
Seasonal marketing is when a business plans its promotions, content or products around specific times of year, events or occasions that already have people’s attention, such as Christmas, Black Friday, Easter or summer holidays. It works because customer interest, behaviour and buying habits often shift during these periods, giving brands a chance to be more relevant and timely. When it is done well, seasonal marketing can increase visibility, engagement and sales. When it is done poorly, it can feel forced, mistimed or costly. In this guide, we’ll look at the pros, the cons and a few practical tips for making it work.
Why does seasonal marketing work?
For these specific times of year (let’s use Black Friday as an example) there is an increased excitement amongst the public. As the lead-up to these events happen, people are looking for a variety of gifts to purchase for friends, family and colleagues. Originating in the US, the benefits for businesses were clearly seen amongst the UK audience, and this has become a yearly event that’s widespread across the nation.
It may be a case of the chicken and the egg. There is increased excitement, therefore businesses increase their marketing to cater to the desires of consumers. Or businesses increase their marketing, targetting these specific periods, and therefore excitement increases. Halloween seasonal marketing is one of the clearest examples of how brands can tap into cultural moments to drive action.
Pros of seasonal marketing
With raised excitement and interest in this specific period, consumers are looking for products and services that cater to their needs. This could be anything from a sparkly Christmas hat, a big discount on a Black Friday product or a gory costume for their upcoming Halloween party. The wants/needs of the consumer are much more narrowed down, meaning that if your product fits within this seasonal need you have a great marketing opportunity.
You have the option to make alterations to the products and services you already have, or create completely new products, in order to fit the current trends. With this raised interest, you have the ability to increase brand awareness, gain customers and market your various other products and services to the new purchases. Maintaining loyalty by providing the goods that your customers are looking for means an increase in sales, as you have already built a relationship.
Cons of seasonal marketing
Having a successful seasonal marketing campaign often means a larger overhead cost. If you are outsourcing your items, it’s likely at a smaller scale than for your permanent products, again equalling a higher cost. Whilst typically this comes with reward, you do run the risk of having leftover products that weren’t able to sell. We all know the power of evergreen content, and this applies for services and products too; things that hold their value and aren’t so niche or time-restricted. That means you are far less restricted on your ability to market them.
Seasonal marketing, on top of the operations you are currently running, means that your resources are either limited, or you have to draw away from your current workload in order to dedicate time to this. Instead of your staff focusing on the general running of the business, this now has to be split amongst an even greater number of tasks.
One of the biggest difficulties is the amount of competition there is. The majority of businesses are getting involved with the trends in some way; increasing their advertising, giving greater deals and creating eye-catching visuals. Therefore, standing out amongst so many other businesses, who have the same goal as you, is difficult to achieve.
Seasonal marketing tips
Competitor research is incredibly useful to help you stand out; looking at their previous behaviours and campaigns to gain insight into what they may be coming out with for the next event. Utilise your current services. For example, if you are a cleaner, offering a “Christmas Clean Up” at a discounted price. This could be as simple as clever wording that puts a spin on your everyday work. For physical products, offering a discount, or changing packaging, instead of completely new products is a way to save money and minimise risks of unsold inventory.
Planning in advance means you can spread your resources more consciously. If you know in advance that you want to take part in five seasonal marketing campaigns a year, plan that into your yearly overview to ensure you aren’t spreading your team too thin. Something important is that seasonal marketing doesn’t mean completely disregarding the rest of your business and operations. This should keep running as normal to ensure any current or repeat customers aren’t ignored for the sake of new campaigns and interest.
Appeal to your customers: those who are subscribed to your email list, follow you on social media, visit your shop, etc. As you have already developed a relationship with these customers, this is far easier than trying to beat-out competition. User-generated content is also highly beneficial, as it means less creation is needed from the business side, as well as increasing trust, as 92% of consumers prefer reviews and recommendations from existing customers.
Our 6 top tips summed up
- Competitor research
- Utilise your current services
- Plan your campaigns in advance
- Don’t disregard your existing business operations
- Appeal to your subscribers and current customers
- Take advantage of user-generated content
Frequently asked questions
What is seasonal marketing?
Seasonal marketing is the promotion of products, services or campaigns around a particular time of year, event or occasion. Examples include Christmas offers, Black Friday discounts, Valentine’s Day products and Halloween campaigns.
Why does seasonal marketing work?
Seasonal marketing works because people often have more specific needs and increased interest around certain events. A relevant product, service or promotion can therefore attract attention while customers are already considering seasonal purchases.
What are some examples of seasonal marketing?
Examples include Christmas gift ranges, Black Friday discounts, Valentine’s Day packages, Easter promotions and Halloween products. Service businesses can also adapt their messaging, such as offering a seasonal cleaning package or event-related service.
What are the benefits of seasonal marketing?
Seasonal marketing can increase brand awareness, attract new customers, encourage repeat purchases and generate additional sales. It can also provide a timely reason to promote products or services that customers may already be considering.
What are the disadvantages of seasonal marketing?
Seasonal campaigns can cost more to produce, create pressure on your team and place you in direct competition with many other businesses. Product-based campaigns may also leave you with unsold stock once the season has ended.
How early should you plan a seasonal marketing campaign?
Plan as early as your campaign requires. Allow enough time for research, creative work, stock preparation, content production and promotion. Adding seasonal campaigns to your annual marketing plan can prevent them from becoming a last-minute rush.
Can service businesses use seasonal marketing?
Yes. Service businesses can adapt existing services to suit a particular event without creating something entirely new. This may involve seasonal packaging, messaging, offers or limited-time bundles.
How can businesses reduce the risks of seasonal marketing?
Use existing products or services where possible, test demand before investing heavily and avoid ordering more stock than you are likely to sell. Planning ahead also makes it easier to manage budgets and staff resources.
What is the difference between seasonal and evergreen marketing?
Seasonal marketing is linked to a limited period, event or occasion. Evergreen marketing remains relevant throughout the year. A strong strategy can use seasonal campaigns to capture timely interest while maintaining evergreen activity in the background.
Should seasonal marketing target existing or new customers?
It can target both, but existing customers and subscribers are often easier to reach because they already know the business. Seasonal campaigns can reward their loyalty while also attracting new customers through timely offers and engaging content.
How can seasonal campaigns stand out from competitors?
Review previous competitor campaigns, identify what has already been done and look for a more relevant or distinctive approach. Strong positioning, recognisable branding and a genuine understanding of the audience are usually more effective than simply offering the biggest discount.
How should you measure seasonal marketing performance?
Measure the campaign against its original purpose. Relevant metrics may include sales, revenue, enquiries, website traffic, email engagement, social interactions, new customers, repeat purchases and the amount of seasonal stock left over.
Ready to plan beyond the next seasonal spike?
Seasonal campaigns work best when they complement your year-round marketing rather than replacing it.
Discover how the 70-20-10 content marketing system can help you balance dependable evergreen content, timely seasonal campaigns and space to test new ideas – without overwhelming your team.
