The first few months of the year often mean slower spend for advertisers. After the rush of the holiday season, most companies take a break. Many want to level-set and see a complete picture of the previous year before ramping up all their efforts. Plus, customers aren’t spending as much as the prior months. Everyone enjoys the break.
Of course, the result is many companies need to play catch-up for the rest of the year. To make up for the slow months, campaigns running for the remainder of the year need to overperform. We think there’s a different way. In fact, customers that continue to spend on campaigns during the first quarter of the year can reach their business goals much easier. Here’s why:
Find New Audiences to Convert In Later Months
Every marketer knows that before they can make conversions at the bottom of the funnel, they have to constantly find new potential customers. They also know it can be an expensive endeavor. Without real-world behaviors that confirm a person’s intent to purchase, companies can often overspend on audience segments that won’t move through the funnel.
In the first quarter of the year, when competition is lower, companies test different audience segments to identify their most valuable potential customers. They can also test which steps in the customer journey lead to real business results, like in-store visits, and which don’t. All these learnings will make the rest of the year efficient and effective.
Reach Customers without Regular Competition
Similarly, with fewer companies spending on ads, the price of reaching reliable customers goes down. Existing customers are more likely to visit a store or make a purchase than a brand new customer. As such, the ROAS on retargeting campaigns in the early months of the year improves.
It also might be the right time to test new audiences that your company has hesitated to invest in. Without the normal competition, campaigns won’t require as much of the budget, making it easier to justify expanding to new people or new channels. All the data about what works, on which channels and for who will make the rest of your year much easier.
Build Brand Affinity and Trust
Advertisers often assume that the first quarter is a bad time to spend on campaigns because customers usually want to save after the holidays. Instead of pushing campaigns that encourage people to purchase, invest in awareness campaigns across multiple ad channels.
Use the time of limited spending to remind existing customers why they trust your products or services. Introduce yourself to new customers by showing up on their trusted media channels or during their favorite content programs. Early investments in brand affinity and trust will pay off tremendously by the time March and April come around.
Leverage Location-Based Targeting for Local Customers
Finally, campaigns that target local customers at the beginning of the year can set a great tone for the year. Customers want to know that they are valued and remembered. They want a personalized customer experience. Advertisers can offer just that when ad spend slows.
Reach out to customers that visited a single store more than normal during the holiday season with a limited time offer. Send personalized recommendations for their next visit based on what they’ve purchased in the past. Or just send a gift of gratitude they can use on their next visit. Anything that speaks to their real-world behaviors will prove that your company appreciates them as a customer. That will always lead to better results throughout the year.
Kick of 2025 with GroundTruth
If you want to learn more about how to accomplish all of these strategies, and drive real business results, contact us today. We can help get you in front of your most valuable customers now and throughout 2025.
