Last month…
Last month in our monthly ‘Marketing To Do’s’ series we recommended that ecommerce business owners stay dialled into their numbers – specifically Checkouts Initiated. If you missed that post and you’d like to use this tactic to help drive revenue for your online store, you’ll find the article here.
This month we’re recommending that you start planning for the big sale periods that come at the end of every year.
That’s right, March is the perfect time to start growing your email list ahead of 2022 Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas promotions.
Why? Because 60% of those who buy from you during those times will be customers who bought from you in Q2 & Q3.
That’s right! Your existing customers are the easiest audience to market to. Which is why it makes sense to grow your list now, so you can leverage the power of email marketing when the acquisition costs sky rocket in November.
In our FREE Ultimate Business Marketing Handbook we’ve given you some list building automations to put in place now so you can grow your email list for any of the big promotions you have planned for later in the year. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some good opportunities for promotions in March. In fact there is a solid list of awareness days, public and regional holidays, and even #hashtagholidays that you can use to engage your audience and get them buying from you at this time of the year
March Promotion Dates
Inside our 2022 Marketing Calendar you’ll find a list of Key Marketing Dates for March.
Here are a few of our favourites:
- March is Women’s History Month #womenshistorymonth
- 5 March – #employeeappreciationday
- 8 March – International Women’s Day
- 14 March – Taranaki Anniversary Day
- 20 March – International Day of Happiness #dayofhappiness
- 31 March – #TransDayOfVisibility
THE TWO BIGGIES
And let’s not forget the two big promotion dates that ecommerce businesses can take advantage of in March:
- 17 March – St Patrick’s Day
- 31 March – End of the Financial Year (New Zealand)
St Patrick’s Day Marketing Ideas for 2022
Pick a Lucky Winner for your Discounts
Make each customer feel like a lucky winner with a range of attractive discounts for anyone shopping in your online store (you don’t have to limit this to Irish/St. Patrick’s Day themed products). Have some fun with this idea by considering how to get your audience to ‘try their luck’ with your promotion. Some ideas are roll the dice, lucky dip or find the pot of gold online scavenger hunt.
Create a Dedicated St Paddy’s Landing Page and Paint it Green
Use this specially created page to advertise relevant product packages, and to link to any custom content you have created for St Patrick’s Day. This is also where you should direct your social media audience to after they respond to your social media posts and ads.
Post Paid and Organic Content on Social Media platforms
Use social media to post updates about the special products you’re selling for St Patrick’s Day and the discounts and promotions you’re running. Pay for Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads to reach a larger audience.
End of Financial Year Sales – New Zealand
31 March 2022 marks the end of the current financial year in New Zealand. Sellers and consumers like this time of year for a sale, which makes it an important promotional date to add to your calendar if your business operates in New Zealand and/or you have customers there.
What we see working well for our clients is to commence your EOFYS promotion 2-3 weeks before the end of the financial year and potentially extend it into April for an additional week.
- Clothing and other items to keep warm in winter
- Decor to make the home cosy during the cooler months
- Comfort food!
- Body treatments to care for dry skin
Of course, some buyers will also be looking to take advantage of tax concessions in their own businesses, which means if you sell office supplies or other items people use for work, you should be maximising the opportunity of EOFYS.
And don’t forget items shoppers buy from you on repeat. If it’s been a few months since your last sale, now is a good time to remind your customers to return to your store.
Let’s work together to get your March marketing ready to roll!
If you would like some help with paid advertising, email marketing, or applying any of the above ideas (or your own) to your website in time for St Patrick’s Day, EOFYS (or any of the other special days you’re building promotions around), our team can help. To get started all you need to do is contact us.
