It’s October, and you know what that means – Wal-Mart employees have been hard at work stocking the shelves with Christmas gifts and décor and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” will soon permeate every airwave.
We know, we know. Halloween is still weeks away, let’s just hold off on the Christmas stuff for another month, right?!
Well, if you’re someone that depends on increased sales during the holidays – wrong. Now is actually the perfect time to set your special holiday marketing strategy into motion so you can enjoy big profits before the end of the year. How do you do that without burning your customer out before Thanksgiving? With lifecycle marketing, of course!
What is Lifecycle Marketing?
You probably already use lifecycle marketing in your strategy and don’t even know it. Simply put, it’s the steps you take to influence your customer as they move through each touch point of the buying journey, from initially catching their attention to them eventually becoming a brand advocate. There is no predefined length of time for a lifecycle marketing strategy; they can be as short as a couple of weeks to ones that can last for months or more. Your unique lifecycle marketing strategy should be tailored to make sense for your business and its clientele.
Why Lifecycle Marketing for the Holidays?
Lifecycle marketing and the holiday season go hand in hand because it allows you to build the hype leading up to Christmas, and lets your brand become part of the magic of your customers’ holiday season. It’s definitely a win-win!
Ready to get started? Great! We have some easy tips to help you along the way:
1. Set Up Preview Sales for Your VIPs
Treating your most loyal buyers with special savings and offers before you kick off any widespread campaigns is a great way to make your customers feel the warm and fuzzies while they start crossing names off their Christmas lists. There are a number of ways you can reach your VIPs, but one of our favorite ways is through email marketing. If you have a pretty robust email list, you can segment off customers by their interactions with your emails, purchase history, etc., in order to identify your most valuable customers. You can then send them emails, preferably starting in October and November, with compelling offers that they can’t help but take advantage of.
2. Reach Your Customers Where They’re Always Looking
If you’re not already using texting in your marketing strategy, you may be missing out big time. Research shows that marketing texts have an open rate of about 98%, with around 95% of texts read in the first three minutes after it is received (Marketing Dive).
SMS marketing works great for inspiring quick action in your customers – simply promote a can’t-miss offer with a clear call-to-action and a short timeframe. Bonus points if you utilize personalization in your texts as well.
3. Set Up Abandoned Cart Campaigns
An abandoned cart campaign is great for companies that rely on online sales, but during the holiday season they can be critical in boosting sales and capturing buyers that are on the fence about their purchase. If abandoned cart campaigns are something you are already utilizing in your strategy, increase the frequency and offers, and if they’re something you have yet to do – what are you waiting for?! Research shows that almost 50% of those that were thisclose to making a purchase but backed out at the last minute will follow through with the purchase if they are approached again with it, especially if you offer a discount.
Need some help setting your holiday marketing campaigns into motion? Midwest Marketing, a locally owned marketing agency in Rapid City, SD, has a team of professionals ready to get you results! Contact us today!
