How to differentiate your seasonal marketing campaign in 2020
When it comes to defining your brand, it’s easy to get caught up in images: the logo, the font size of the text, the images you want to represent for your business…
But define how you are going to talk to your customers is also essential.
You may have the most beautiful, fast, and well-stocked website in your industry, but if you don’t have a powerful brand voice, you won’t have the impact you want, resulting in disappointing sales.
The voice is the personality of your brand, and it is always the same. Your tone is what you change depending on the context.
This is how I remember it:
Your personality remains the same (voice), but you express yourself differently (tone) in different situations. For example, your tone may change when you are having a drink with friends vs. Meeting with your financial adviser.
So when you’re designing your seasonal marketing campaign, you want to keep your brand voice consistent, even if your tone changes in some cases.
Infusing your pitch with a bit of holiday cheer, urgency, and excitement can be a great way to encourage your audience to do their holiday shopping with you.
Here are some of the benefits of defining your brand voice:
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It makes your business instantly recognizable.
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It allows you to authentically connect with customers to build relationships vs. just by hitting them over the head with a sales copy.
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It helps you deliver consistent messages, whether you’re writing an email or a video script.
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It attracts your target audience and keeps them engaged.
With consumers receiving thousands of marketing messages during the holidays, it’s important to consider your voice to differentiate your seasonal marketing campaign.
According to some recent statistics, around 45% of Canadians plan to spend less on Christmas shopping in 2020 than the year before, so it will be even more of a challenge to grab their attention.
Step 1: Have you defined your brand voice?
The most important thing to do when choosing your voice is to make it relevant to your customers.
It’s not about the way you like to write or speak, think about who uses your product or service.
You want to speak to your target audience and create an emotional connection to what you offer.
Step Two – Look back to see what worked and what didn’t.
It’s almost impossible to succeed in the future if you don’t know what worked in the past.
If you previously ran a seasonal marketing campaign, were there certain slogans or advertisements that your target audience responded to favorably? Is there data I can refer to from last year to make decisions this year?
While repurposing what has worked in the past can be an efficient and effective technique, consider ways you can update any existing creative.
Update the images or content so your loyal customers don’t see the same things from last year!
READ: Brand marketing during the coronavirus: what you need to know
Brands are much more than just a visual representation, slogan, jingle, or website; and it’s not just something only the “big guys” should pay attention to.
Your brand represents the total experience of working with you. From the colors of your website to your core values and the customer service you provide, every touchpoint someone has with you shapes and helps define your message, whether your impression is favorable or not.
It’s time to take another look at how we’ve positioned our brand.
Read more on our website.
Step Three: Tap into people’s emotions in relevant ways.
There’s a reason you see so many of those overly sweet TV and digital commercials featuring cute kids and puppies: they work!
If you can connect with your customers authentically while stirring up their emotions, you can increase awareness and engagement.
Here’s a commercial Canadian Tire did last year, tugging at your heartstrings while bringing up a truly Canadian winter pastime: sledding!
It’s important to consider how you’re representing your brand’s voice and imagery right now.
Many people will be staying at home this year, avoiding visits with family and friends due to COVID-19. Consumers are stressed, exhausted and uncertain about the future.
Think of ways to be sensitive and use empathic marketing techniques to really connect with your target audience and avoid offending anyone.
Always own the voice of your brand.
There is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the use of words like “Christmas” in a seasonal marketing campaign. Other companies stay away from the use of traditional images such as Christmas trees or nativity scenes.
I’m not saying that you should or shouldn’t censor what you say, but this decision is related to the values of your company. Think about what you want your small business to stand for and how you want to be perceived by your customers, and then stand behind it.
Whether your brand voice is friendly and approachable, businesslike and professional, or fun and silly, using these tactics can help you reduce the noise and create a memorable and meaningful seasonal marketing campaign.
What kind of campaign do you want to run this year?
For the success of your business,
Suzanne
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