Post-Holiday Blues: Off-Season Marketing Ideas

Every year it seems that as soon as February 15th hits, consumers release a collective sigh of relief as the marketing off-season marketing begins. And why not? From about the 15th of August to the 15th of February (that’s six months!), they are bombarded with holiday sales notifications.

Department stores display giant banners promoting their latest and most attractive sales. Companies they are subscribed to send an endless string of promotional holiday emails and discounts. Some eCommerce companies even text the user reminding them that black Friday is around the corner and coming up.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day are some of the bigger holidays promoted during this six-month festive period. Depending on your beliefs and traditions, there may be even more holidays to celebrate during this six-month period, and that doesn’t include birthdays!

However, a collective sigh of relief for consumers often tends to be a tightening of the belt for business owners. After all, many consumers just spent six months spending money, so convincing them to buy more products and services could prove to be a difficult task. Here are two major off-season marketing ideas to break the post-holiday blues.

Complimentary Products or Services

Complimentary products or services are things that enhance the main product or service it was created for and are great ways to do some off-season marketing. For example, a customer doesn’t need a drink and fries to go with their burger; they could eat the burger just fine without them. However, they make a great combination, which is why they are often sold together.

The same goes for smartphones and screen protectors. Focusing on communicating the benefits and enhanced experiences of complementary products and services are something every business should be doing every post-holiday season.

If you feel your business doesn’t have complementary services to offer, broaden the horizon a bit. Adjacent services and products can also enhance the experience of another product. For example, a clothes e-commerce store can target people who received jewelry for valentine’s day or Christmas. They don’t necessarily need to offer other types of jewelry or gem cleaning services. Clothes complement jewelry well, even if they are in completely different target demographic groups!

Return Sale Offers

At the end of every holiday season, not every company or business clears out its shelves. Many end up with leftover stock. For those who offer services, a slower business period usually follows. If you had an influx of business during the holiday season, it means that consumers found value in your business. They probably still do but just need an extra incentive to come back to it; that's where an off-season marketing plan comes in.

Offering a sale or special to recent customers can help them take a second look at your business and may even drive them back for another purchase. To do this more effectively, try collecting an e-mail from them the first time they make a purchase. That way, the special deal for recent customers can go directly into their inboxes. This email should highlight the amount or percentage off the customer is getting and a sample of products or services it applies to. That way, the process from awareness to purchase can be quick and easy for them.

The end of the holiday season doesn’t have to mean the permanent end of a stream of sales until the next holiday season rolls around. These two strategies are ones that major companies and corporations follow once February 15th hits. How many times have you received an email about a “Holiday Clearance Sale” or a “New Year’s Deal Offer” that expires in late February? If you are having trouble getting a post-holiday season campaign running, contact us! We market for companies year-round and strive to get results for our clients, no matter the season.

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