Seasonal Marketing - How to Take Advantage and Maintain Customer Loyalty

Article written by Lucy Spooner.

At this time of year, customers are looking for the best deals, and their interest in you will be driven by that; if a competitor is offering them something better, then they’ll naturally gravitate towards it.

In order to keep their interest, you should remember that contrary to popular belief, Christmas sales aren’t the be-all and end-all of the holiday season. If you branch out and make sure your Christmas marketing is done with innovation and creativity, then you’ll be giving yourself a fantastic Christmas present too – customer loyalty that lasts throughout the festive season and beyond.

Reward your customers

Everyone loves getting a gift, and of course, this time of year it’s the season of giving. While a bargain is desirable, there are other ways to reward your customers; why not take the focus away from discounts and try endowed progress?

The concept behind endowed progress is simple – if a customer believes they have already made progress towards a goal, e.g. receiving two free stamps on a loyalty card before they’ve even bought anything, they are more likely to make the required purchases to get the freebie. A free gift given once a certain amount is spent is a great incentive to get more customers buying more from you.

When thinking of ways to reward your loyal customers, consider campaign concepts that fit the festive season and offer something new, that stands out from the rest of your brand. Perhaps a ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ offer, with something new each day, or Christmas gift bundles?

Having a specific Christmas section on your website is always a great way provide something new for consumers to browse with convenience and ease; think differently. Your customers will benefit from rewards and appreciate you making the holidays easier for them, guaranteeing their return in the new year.

Seasonal social media

Whether you have utilise just one channel or all of them, now is the time of year to take advantage of social media. Change your profile pictures and cover photos to fit the season, add your Christmas slogan to the your brand description on your profile, and thank your social media audience for their interactions with you throughout the year – they are, after all, your best brand ambassadors – with offers exclusive to your social media accounts.

Competitions on social media always work well, generating likes, shares, and interest in the competition post that ends up going well beyond the original source. Once customers are aware that you run competitions, they’ll be more likely to visit your page again to see what else they might have a chance of winning, and while they’re there, well, they might as well have a look at what else you’re offering…

When marketing Christmas content on your social media channels, as a general rule there should be an 80/20 split between customer-focused content and self-promotion. However, over the holiday season, this rule can be bent, as long as you don’t end up only posting self-promotional content. Try making your regular style of content more holiday-specific – retrospectives work well at this time of year, as well as Christmas ‘survival tips’!

Location, location, location

For businesses with a physical store location and a mobile app or paid social media advertising, location-based targeting can be a highly effective tool for the holiday season. Potential customers are everywhere, shopping lists in hand, eyes peeled for the best deals, and there are plenty of opportunities for you to take advantage of this.

Location-based targeting allows you to alert customers of special offers, daily deals, and events, when they are within a specific geographic location. By setting a radius of 100-200m, for example, you can target customers when they’re close by, leaving a ‘trail of breadcrumbs’ to encourage more visitors – perhaps a tired shopper in need of a boost could be notified by their favourite coffee shop, while another is stuck trying to find that perfect present only to get a notification from a popular clothing retailer, meaning inspiration strikes at last!

There’s a huge range of possibilities for location-based targeting, but keep in mind that since notifications can only be seen by customers when they’re in close proximity, offers and messages should be current and relevant. That being said, highlighting upcoming events or deals could encourage future visitors, meaning your customers will keep coming back for more.