Tiny buds appear, blossoms grow, and new leaves fan out before turning golden, red, and brown and finally falling to the ground, leaving the trees bare but still growing.
The same happens in business as in nature - throughout the year you’ll see highs and lows and periods of plateau as the seasons change and your customers' needs change with it.
Unlike many other aspects of digital marketing, seasonality is something we can plan for and work into your digital marketing strategy. Incorporating seasonality into your marketing strategy enables you to make the most of your business’ natural highs and lows to make the most of the opportunities that each season presents.
Here’s what to look for and how to develop a digital strategy that works with the seasons.
Not every industry will follow the same seasons with the same highs and lows. Identifying your industry’s high and low points in the year can guide both new and established businesses to maximise opportunities as they come.
“Consumer buying patterns change dramatically depending on seasons. Just look at sporting stores, with the change of stock from snowboarding in winter to surfing in summer, or consumer heating needs changing from air conditioning in summer to heat pumps in winter.”
Josh Sexton, Sprocket Digital
Google Trends is a useful tool here, to track interest in a search phrase or keyword over time. For example, you can see when people are searching “roof repair” throughout the year - what month is most popular? Is there a secondary time of year people take on renovations?
Once you know the general industry trends, it’s time to dig into the individualities of your business.
From your analytics platform, generate a report showing traffic and sales over a year-long or multi-year period. You’ll notice immediately some high and low periods, and some sharp spikes and dips. Look at as many years as you have data, to create the most accurate picture.
Does anything there surprise you? Perhaps you knew that November was always a busy month, but did you realise that March comes a close second? What are your most popular products or services throughout the year, and how much does it change? What is happening in people’s lives at each high and low point on your report that could influence their buying behavior?
Armed with this information, business owners can deliver better marketing plans to target their customers with relevant, timely offers according to their needs.
But what if your business is within its first year, and you don’t have that information?
“If your business is too young to have data, you can make assumptions based on common sense. Then, if new data suggests you're wrong, adapt your strategy to fit with new learnings.”
Josh Sexton, Sprocket Digital
If you’ve run a PPC ad campaign before, you’ll know that the price you pay per click can change according to demand.
Around high season, competition rises and costs follow suit, leading to a more expensive campaign than at other times of year.
With the high and low seasons factored into your digital marketing strategy and budget, you can be confident that you’ll remain in sight on your prospects’ screens while still generating a solid return on investment
Conversely, the low season also offers opportunities for a different level of online exposure that can help with broader goals such as increased brand awareness and customer retention.
“For businesses that are far more active in one season vs another, it is important for them to retain a base level of marketing in the off season. A presence is still needed for maximising brand awareness, customer retention, and low margin sales - it’s better to make sales at a lower profit margin than none at all.”
Josh Sexton, Sprocket Digital
When you’re figuring out how to maximise your opportunities and budget across the seasons, it can help to have a partner in your corner who’s done it all before.
Sprocket Digital has the experience and skill to develop a customised digital marketing strategy that factors in your natural highs and lows throughout the year.
“We have a huge amount of experience in virtually every industry, and know how to best navigate seasonal trends to maximise business revenue.”
Josh Sexton, Sprocket Digital
The biggest change to incorporate for each season typically comes in the form of new creative, to either promote changing products/services or sell existing products/services at a discount.
We can help to tailor your marketing creative and strategy to your customers’ seasonal needs, and continue growing your business year-round.
With well over one hundred 5-star Google reviews, its safe to say we are the real deal. Client relationships and demonstratable results are our priority. If you'd like to know more, we'll even let you talk to some real clients.
