April 10, 2019 by Amanda Pearl | Project Manager
Move aside Winter – Spring is taking over! The weather is finally starting to warm up and the sun is setting later and later. It’s time to box away the puffer coats and turtlenecks and break out the sundresses and favorite pair of sandals.
Season changes are a perfect opportunity to refresh and renew. What is your company currently doing to take advantage of this energetic and inspiring time of year?
If your digital marketing efforts could use a little “spring cleaning” – here are some quick tips:
1. Engaging Color Palettes
Ditch the cooler winter color tones and bring your campaigns to life with bright and vivid colors.
From soft pastels to vibrant and bold, spring foliage is in full bloom and there are endless color inspirations all around you. Use the pops of color to demand your audience’s attention at every interaction with your brand: Instagram and Facebook posts and ads, display ads, website banners, email campaigns, direct mailers, etc. Find fun color inspo here!
2. Plan for the Holidays
Spring is full of fun and significant holidays that your brand should participate in.
- Mother’s Day
- Easter
- Memorial Day
- April Fool’s Day
- Earth Day
- International Women’s Day
- Patrick’s Day
- Cinco De Mayo
- Father’s Day
Above is a list, to name a few. Whether it’s an enticing sale, spirited digital campaign, or heartfelt social post, it pays off to acknowledge these holidays and use them to your leverage while showcasing your company’s core values and morals. Be sure to be timely with campaigns and allow your fans ample time to interact with your efforts.
3. Themed-Contests
Fans love to get involved (and not to mention free stuff!). Create fun Spring themed contests on social media that are sure to excite your customer base as well as increase your visibility and overall brand awareness – win, win!
There are a plethora of engaging contest ideas:
- Have fans share what their favorite spring activities are
- Spring photo contests
- Scavenger hunts
- Holiday contests (see holiday ideas in #2)
Encourage fans to share, comment, like, or tag a friend for easy organic reach results. Get creative with your contests and reward your fans for their loyalty.
4. Go Green
With Earth Day right around the corner, it is a great time to get involved in your local communities and encourage your customers to do the same.
Research shows that 84% of Millennials consider it their duty to make a positive difference through their lifestyle. 61% are concerned about the state of the world and feel personally responsible to improve it.
These statics prove the importance of your brand joining in and doing your part– not to mention you’ll feel great doing it!
Here are some ideas:
- Hold a company volunteer day and build team morale (don’t forget to snap a picture for the Facebook page).
- Sponsor a clean-up day at your local park and invite your email lists.
- Hold a food drive at your store/office and offer a discount to anyone who donates.
There are so many great ways to get involved – do it!
Not only is contributing to your local community great for internal company morale, it is a great way to show your customers you’re more than a business, you are an advocate for your local community and environment. Take pride in what you do and you will gain loyal customers for life.
5. Play Ball!
Let’s be serious, you can’t talk about Spring without talking about sports. And people LOVE sports. You have NHL playoffs, March Madness, America’s favorite pass-time (Let’s go Phillies!), and high school and youth sports kicking it into full gear.
Creating content and campaigns around your local professional and youth programs can be great exposure for your brand.
Here are some fun ideas:
- Find a local school or program that resonates with your business and sponsor them for a season.
- Create targeted Snapchat filters around professional sports stadiums in your area.
- Post fun interactive sports posts that ask for audience participation.
- Offer a simple promotion every time your local team wins or scores. This will keep you on your audiences mind every single game.
There are so many great ways to tie your brand in with the sports of the season – get to it.
National Ice Cream Day Snapchat Filter at Cleveland Indians Stadium
6. Feel the Music
With warmer weather comes the outdoor concerts and festivals. This is a great time to put on your dancing shoes (not literally, or literally if you’re feeling it) and get in on the action. Here in Wilmington Delaware, we look forward to the Ladybug Festival hosted by the wonderful Gable Music Ventures group as well as the DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival and People’s Festival.
There are also some major national festivals happening this season. Some include:
- Coachella (Indio, California)
- Bonnaroo (Great Stage Park, Tennessee)
- Firefly (Dover, Delaware)
- South by Southwest (Austin, Texas)
- Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Even if your business is not geographically near these events, you can still jump in on the fun and grow your brand awareness.
Here are some fun ideas:
- Sponsor an event
- Setup a booth at your local festival and showcase your product to the happy festival goers.
- Create targeted Snapchat filters around events
- Buy tickets to an event and offer the tickets as a prize for a social media contest
Coachella Snapchat Filter
7. Do Your Own Spring Cleaning
After the craziness of the holiday season, Spring is an opportune time to take a step back and take a fresh look into your digital efforts.
Have you taken the time to review and update your website in the last month? Is there a product with outdated packaging lingering on the product page, or worse, a new product that hasn’t been added? A new team member that hasn’t been added to the Team page? Take this time to make sure your website is up to date and up to par with your competitors. We know some super cool Nerds who would be happy to help with this. Yes, please.
Been running the same display ads all winter? Even if your campaign focus or promotion isn’t changing, take this time to add a pop of color (see #1 above) and revamp the creative to revitalize your campaign.
Have you recently changed your business location, hours, or phone number? Customers rely on the information on your Google My Business Listing, social pages, and website to know how and when to get in touch with you. Make sure any recent changes to your company have been updated on all marketing materials and digital platforms. You would be surprised how easy it is to overlook tiny but immensely crucial details.
Been slacking on your email marketing campaigns? Noticing higher than usual inactive rates? Give your subscribers an incentive to become active again with a special deal or discount. Show them what they’ve been missing! This will boost your open and click rates while simultaneously reconnecting with those subscribers who haven’t shown interest in a while.
Website traffic and visibility struggling? Get your team on board on creating new keyword focused content and blogs for your website. Focus on your new Spring products or top services to get the organic ranking where you want it.
Taking the time to make sure all of your digital marketing ducks are in a row will create a clear mission for your team and an easy buying process for your consumers.
Now it’s time to Spring into action. Need help with any of the information above? Let us help you. Happy Spring Cleaning!
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