After years of observation, we’ve noticed a tendency among some outdoor retailers to simply apply a festive filter to their marketing plan for the holidays and be done with it. If they only took the time to create an innovative holiday promotion that worked a little harder, more consumers would pay attention and more product would move off the shelves during this critical selling period.
Summer is planning time, so here are our six recommendations for getting the most out of your holiday marketing promotion this year. We’ll use a program we created for Maui Jim Sunglasses as our example.
Holiday or not, every promotion should support and expand on your brand. In the case of Maui Jim, premium sunglasses don’t come cheap. Every touch has to support quality and advanced lens technology, indirectly reinforcing the idea of a worthwhile investment in high-quality sunwear. The benefit is all about the view (tied to quality and technology), so that has to be front and center. The brand’s Hawaiian roots are key to differentiation, so that has to come across as well. The attitude: easy-going and fun loving.
It’s the holidays — if you want turn it up to 11 and get shoppers really stoked, come up with a sweepstakes that ties to your promotion. Want to increase sales during your busy holiday season? They already own a pair or two of your sunglasses? Then, dial up the sunglasses they love as the perfect gift for someone special — complete with a gift guide to simplify the choice. They’ve never tried your sunglasses before? Then give them an incentive to try and buy their first pair: go beyond the boilerplate product details and give them the chance to win a catered luau and sunglasses for 12.
Consumers are a moving target. Simply putting up a poster in a store isn’t enough these days. Sure, send emails and direct mail. But also intercept them where they are: in store, online, reading a magazine, on Facebook and Twitter, etc. Capture their attention, plus build awareness and generate buzz at the same time. Be brief and consistent across touches, and drive them toward deeper information.
We probably don’t have to say it again but we will: being an active presence in your fans’ and followers’ network of social friends lets them know the latest from a company they raised their hand for. Give them compelling ways to participate, add to the conversation or just learn more. Every company has a Facebook page and Twitter feed these days. The question is will you be using yours to its fullest this holiday?
You’ve done the hard work, now let your customers carry some of the load. Create a promotion that can be easily shared by customers, fans and followers, and you’ll build awareness among a whole new audience.
This has to go a step further than in-store displays. You’ll need those, sure. But if you want to sell more don’t forget the store sales team. Give them a reason to sell more — this Maui Jim promotion included a separate luau grand prize for top-selling sales clerks and stores.
Also make it easy for stores to get the message out to customers: providing an email template and a direct mail postcard does a lot to spread the word.
Thinking about holidays yourself? Talk to us about ways to make your seasonal sales promotion all the merrier.
