Seasonal Marketing 101: The Official Guide

Thinking of embracing seasonal marketing campaigns this year? Look no further! In our official seasonal marketing guide, we’re diving into the world of captivating campaigns that connect with customers during those special yearly moments. From back-to-school excitement to winter holiday cheer, we’ll break down everything you need to know to flesh out a successful seasonal strategy. And with GroundTruth by your side, you’ll have all the tools you need to make a lasting impact and achieve real business results. Let’s make your next seasonal advertising campaign one to remember!

What Is Seasonal Marketing?

First things first: what exactly is seasonal marketing? Seasonal marketing involves tailoring your marketing campaigns to align with specific seasons, holidays, or events. Think of it as tuning into the rhythm of the year and infusing your promotions with a dash of seasonal zest. It allows your brand to capitalize on the unique characteristics and consumer behaviors associated with different celebrations of the year.

Krispy Kreme celebrates the holidays with customers by offering a limited-time “Day of the Dozens” promotion

Examples of seasonal marketing include campaigns centered around holidays like Easter, Labor Day, World Compliment Day, and more. So, whether you’re decking the halls for Christmas, feeling the love on Valentine’s Day, or embracing the cozy vibes of winter, seasonal marketing lets you ride the wave of excitement and create buzz around your products or services.

Marketers, need holiday campaign support for this upcoming holiday season? Check out our latest retail strategy guide.

How Do Seasonal Marketing Campaigns Work?

So, how does seasonality in marketing work? It’s all about leveraging the inherent interest and purchasing behaviors of your desired consumer that arise during specific seasonal moments! Because of the adaptable nature of this marketing campaign approach, different businesses can benefit from seasonal advertising, whether they are retail, hospitality, travel, or service-oriented. These seasonal marketing plans are often effective because they tap into customers’ heightened awareness and desires during these periods.

The Pros and Cons of Seasonal Marketing

Before you cannonball into the seasonal marketing pool, let’s take a minute to weigh the potential pros and cons that lay ahead.

On the upside, a strong seasonal advertising plan allows your brand to ride the momentum of consumer interests and purchasing habits during a specific occasion, ultimately generating real business results. Seasonal advertising can also tap into customers’ emotions during different seasons, creating a stronger connection between your brand and your market. On top of that, a seasonal twist to a great campaign can capture attention, differentiate your brand, and create a memorable impression on your dream shopper.

On the downside, even the greatest seasonal marketing campaign has a short-lived impact. That means once the holiday or event is over, consumer interest will likely drop. Since many businesses jump on the seasonal marketing bandwagon, your campaign may find itself in a crowded snow globe of holiday promotions, leaving your work almost indistinguishable from the others. Finally, just like any other marketing campaign, crafting an effective seasonal marketing plan requires time, effort, and resources.

How To Create An Effective Seasonal Marketing Strategy

Looking to sleigh your seasonal advertising campaign, marketers? To craft an awesome seasonal marketing campaign, we have a few tips to help make your strategy merrier. First, get close to your calendar and get ahead of the game. Creating trendy and compelling content can be costly and demanding, so make sure you have plenty of time to plan your approach, allocate your budget, and execute your campaign. Second, identifying real business goals, target audiences, and key messaging for each campaign is crucial.

Depending on your desired seasonal moment, your campaign could be facing market saturation, so finding unique angles and creative tactics can help your campaign cut through the clutter. Finally, because of the short-term nature of seasonal campaigns, it’s important to consider the long-term sustainability of your marketing efforts beyond the seasonal period.

While creating short-term campaigns, consider leveraging the Cost-Per-Visit (CPV) advertising model that measures and charges marketers based on the actual store visits generated by their short-term ad campaigns. With CPV, you pay only for observed visits (these visits are actual people walking into stores, not just probabilistic visits) which helps you accurately measure campaign performance.

Seasonal Marketing Campaign Case Study

Let’s see the magic of a top-notch seasonal marketing campaign in action! Quick service restaurants (QSRs) often bake up dedicated National Pizza Day campaigns to drive consumers to their storefront. Even though our data shows foot traffic to pizza shops were actually 13% below the average on National Pizza Day (2023), IHOP created a seasonal campaign that took a bite out of the competition.

IHOP partnered with DoorDash during the National Pizza Day holiday to offer pancake pizzas

In 2019, IHOP collaborated with DoorDash to release the Pancizza, a limited-time pizza-sized pancake. The seasonal advertising campaign gained 779 million impressions and increased online orders by over 35%. As you can see, a crafty campaign, paired with strong promotional efforts, can help your brand grab their slice of market share pie!