Business Buzz - Making You Famous

Every year we all look forward to the Holidays. Whether it’s because of the food, fun, or just the occasional reprieve from work, the holidays are generally anticipated by most – and holidays can be a gold mine for your business if you leverage them correctly.  There are many different ways that you can make the most of the holidays, especially ones you didn’t know about! For example, if you are a cupcakery and you aren’t taking advantage of National Cupcake Day (Dec. 15^th) you are missing out on some huge opportunities for your business, and we’re not just talking about giving discounts. There is so much more you can do.

A great example is Krispy Kreme and their “National Talk like a Pirate Day” (Sep. 19^th) celebrations. On this day, anyone willing to embarrass themselves in a full-on pirate outfit can receive a dozen doughnuts for free! Not only does this marketing get them traditional and self-published glory (they have wisely hijacked the hashtag, #TalkLikeAPirate), it is a huge boost for business in the month of September.

Another great example of celebrating lesser Holidays is “National Pancake Day” with IHOP. Although the day changes yearly, it is always a big success for IHOP and the charities that partner up with IHOP for National Pancake Day.

Not only will participating in fun, little Holidays like those we’ve talked about drive more business to your company, but they can also help increase corporate culture and employee relations and can help improve your business’s image; which can all lead to an increase in your bottom line.

Now that you’re ready to take advantage of Holiday related marketing, let’s talk about making the most of these marketing opportunities with three specific public relations strategies:

Traditional media: Traditional Media usually refers to news coverage via broadcast, print or online. It is usually “earned” through some sort of newsworthy event, stunt, collaboration, etc. You cannot pay for this type of coverage. In order to achieve this type of coverage for your holiday marketing strategy, you will need to start early enough in advance to pitch to the desired news source your event or story.

Content: Events are a great way to generate new content yourself and easily share it with your audience. This can include your company blog, social media platforms and your company web site. Blogs are a great way to let your audience know about upcoming events, deals and discounts and news about your company. Social media is an immediate platform to let your followers know any news you want to share. And don’t shy away from asking your consumers to share their own experience via social media. Interesting activities are a big part of what people choose to share with their personal networks. Take advantage of this with custom hashtags, contests, photo backdrops, and your own original ideas. Be sure to re-publish some of the best customer content on your corporate platforms.

Paid media: Paid media usually refers to some type of advertisement, where you pay to get the coverage/attention you want. These are almost always used in Holiday campaigning. Using the Internet, broadcast channels, print or radio, companies will shell out the $$ for an ad, which can pay off big in the end. Remembering a catchy ad or clicking on one while online can lead to more sales. If you are doing a special discount for your Holiday marketing, don’t overlook this outlet.

How early is too early to start planning your holiday marketing strategies? There is no such thing as too early. Look at your calendar well in advance to target holidays that makes sense for your company, including lesser-known celebrations. These days, there is a national “day” for almost everything. Having a well thought-out and executed strategy for National Ice Cream month in July can take just as much planning as a major Holiday strategy. So it’s never too early to start thinking of your strategy.

In case you missed the boat on your Easter Holiday marketing, there are a whole lot more you can make the most of like: National Zoo Lover’s Day, National Siblings Day, National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day and Months like: Date your Mate Month, Aquarium Month, Family Fun Month and more! You can find more “National Days” and “National Months” at http://nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/

If you’d like to find out how we can help you with a creative holiday marketing plan, contact us. We’d love to help!