How To Take Advantage Of The Spring Marketing Season
Just because you don’t sell flowers or organizational products does NOT mean you can’t bring on the spring and use the season to push out some of your best marketing campaigns. Read up (or listen to the show!), because today we’re covering spring marketing ideas to help you flourish this season.
BUT FIRST, you know I have to mention resources I’ve made for you:
A freebie just for you, learn how to Create A Brand Style Guide With Me! You’ll get to see the format I use and a video walk-through of how to make a simple style guide on your own, no design experience needed.
Then, if you need help with any of your spring marketing to-do’s, I have a couple templates in my shop that might just be what you’re looking for: the All-Content Planner Template and the Brand Strategy Framework Template.
By nature, we’re habitual creatures. That’s why every spring, most people are searching for decluttering or cleaning or “new you, fresh look” types of things.
For some businesses, this might come pretty naturally, like if you sell flowers or home decor. But for a lot of others, it might be challenging to figure out how your products or services fit into the theme of spring.
So, we’re going to do a little bit of an idea session today.
I want to run through so many examples and ideas so that you walk away with a fresh perspective and maybe even some action items for your campaigns this spring.
I personally love when you can listen to a podcast or read a blog post and can actually do something with the information when it’s over, so that’s what I want to try to do today.
I’ll start off with my top 2 tips to making your spring campaigns flourish, and then I’ll come at you with some actual examples and ideas.
Here we go!
Tip No. 1: Use The Season To Your Advantage
Think of the things that come around every year, or things that people want to do: clean, organize, declutter and get rid of stuff, change their look (hair, nails, wardrobe), redecorate their home, start a big project, look ahead to spring and summer break, plan days off or vacations, do a detox or try something new with their health or diet, or get outside in the fresh spring air.
There are so many different ways we as people approach the spring season, so think about what your ideal audience might want to accomplish personally or professionally, the to-do’s they need to check off their list, or what they’re looking forward to, and how you can potentially serve them and help them get where they want to go.
For instance, here are some recurring spring-themed ideas you could use to create a campaign around:
- Spring cleaning
- Spring refresh
- Spring sale
- Spring break
- Spring activities: spring sports, getting outside, planting flowers, taking trips
- You could even create a Spring checklist or a Spring guide for pretty much ANYTHING
Think about the typical spring agenda and brainstorm ways to market your brand alongside those in a way that appeals to your ideal audience and makes them think of you during the season.
So that’s tip #1, use the season to your advantage.
Tip No. 2: Be The Solution To Their Spring “Problems”
This is different from just a fun theme or idea. We can all probably figure out a way to throw in the word “spring” to our marketing campaigns.
However, if your ideal audience has a desire or a problem this season, you’ll need to position what you offer as THE solution.
Keep in mind that this could be tangible or intangible. It could be a physical item they need, or it could be a feeling your customer is searching for once the job is done.
Typical spring-related problems that you’ll see are some I’ve already mentioned: cleaning and organizing.
However, if you’re not a mop and or a professional organizer, you might feel like you’re out of luck.
But that’s not true.
First of all, and maybe this is just my hot take: What even is a “spring problem”?
It’s very much made up.
We don’t need to buy 27 bins and tear apart our homes in the name of decluttering every time spring comes along.
We don’t need to redecorate the whole house.
We don’t even need to get our hair done.
These are very much habitual and made-up tasks.
That said, in my opinion, if you get creative, you can make pretty much anything you offer a spring “problem” or desire – you just have to tailor your messaging.
And I will note, just to be clear here, obviously I’m not saying to be deceiving or sketchy about it. I know there are some slimy marketing tactics out there and I don’t advocate for those.
What I am encouraging you to do is to get creative with what you actually offer and brainstorm different ideas that could potentially be fun and engaging campaigns to ultimately SERVE your audience this spring.
If you have a business, you have a brand, and you definitely have products or services or both, of which you obviously want to sell.
There are people that are looking for what you offer, and they are going to spend money somewhere, so why not give them the great thing that YOU have to offer that’s going to solve their problem – and have FUN while you’re at it.
I find it easier to market something when I actually believe in it, and it’s even better when that something has a great marketing campaign behind it.
Okay so my top two tips are:
No. 1: Use The Season To Your Advantage
No. 2: Be The Solution To Their Spring “Problems”
Get Creative!
Now for the most fun part (in my opinion): By the end of this episode, I wanted to send you on your way with some spring themes and ideas you could actually use. Some of these may come off cheesy but just go with me here – they are ideas to help you get the creativity flowing!
I’ve made a bit of a list so I’ll try to run through it all rapid-fire. Here we go:
Manicurist/Pedicurist
If you’re a manicurist or pedicurist, your clients might want new nails after working in their garden or planting flowers this spring. Or, they might need to have them done for the upcoming wedding and shower season. So within your campaign, you could say something like:
- Book an appointment to clean up your nails after working in the garden.
- Did you just organize and redecorate your spaces? You might need some new nails to go with that.
- The most important question is always, “How am I going to do my nails for the party?!”
Jewelry
Let’s say you sell handmade jewelry. The same principles apply: Think about spring themes and ideas, and what could work well with your products, such as:
- Get all the bling you need this wedding season.
- Showers, parties and weddings – whatever your plans this spring, you know you need new bling!
- Organize like a boss in our best sellers.
- Clean like a boss in our spring collection.
Homemade Ice Cream
If you’re an ice cream shop, you could say:
- Spring break is made for ice cream.
- The season is made for deliciousness on a waffle cone.
- The perfect delight to have with all your spring fun!
Hair Stylist
- Update your look this spring with the color trend of your dreams.
- Descutter first, hair second. Or should it be hair first? We won’t judge.
- Your house isn’t the only one that deserves a fresh look this spring. Book your “new hair, don’t care” appointment today!
Local Bakery
- Spring break is made for sweet treats.
- Spring cleaning just tastes better with a pastry.
- Bring the sweetest gift to the shower (aside from the bride or the baby, of course!)
Fitness Instructor/blogger
- Experience leg day, the FUN way, this spring.
- Book with me to get in some quick workouts before spring vacation.
- Learn how to weight lift for weight loss this season!
Chef/cookbook author/food blogger
- Garden party recipes for spring.
- Spring dinner ideas for your busy family.
- Recipes for the perfect shower this spring.
- Spring break travel snacks you NEED to pack!
Home Decor
- Create a gorgeous and cozy home this spring.
- Timeless decor, no matter the season.
- This spring, create an expensive-looking home without the extra expense.
Pet Groomer
- Even fur babies need a new look this spring.
- While you get a fresh ‘do, give your fur baby one, too!
- Give your fur baby a look that was made for spring walks.
It’s worth noting here that these or any other ideas are only worth exploring as long as they fit within your market and ideal audience.
You don’t want to spend a lot of time, energy and dollars on something that’s not even worth it, that your ideal audience won’t care about or won’t get. Just keep that in mind as you’re thinking through your own ideas.
And by the way, these are not fully thought-out campaigns, it would take a bit more work and knowledge of your specific brand to be able to do that on a podcast. The goal here was to spark some ideas so that you could take them and make them what you need for your business.
BONUS, A Trend Idea: Do it like French Girls (the French girl trend)
Okay, now I do have a little bonus idea for you, but it’s based on a very popular trend right now, so it may or may not work for your business. I just wanted to mention it because I’m seeing it everywhere.
The “French Girl” trend.
I have been seeing this trend ALL over the place since the Fall and even more so lately. I don’t know if it’s just appeared since the Fall, or if it’s always been a seasonal thing that comes around every year, but french girl fashion, among other things, is currently trending.
From everything I’ve seen, it is mostly related to fashion, but, even if you don’t sell fashion, just go with me here – because, remember that you can be creative, you don’t have to sell clothes or jewelry to jump on this trend.
AS LONG AS your ideal audience is looking at this trend, and they’re searching for it, and they want what this trend is dishing out, you’re golden to use it.
So the question is, how can you get creative with this trend even if you aren’t in fashion?
How can you creatively spin this to make your products or services appealing to this type of audience? (And again, assuming that your audience cares about this trend in the first place).
I think other business types that might be in alignment with this or make sense with this trend are hair, nails, massage or spa, fitness, home decor, and maybe even cookbooks, bakeries and restaurants depending on what you offer.
For example:
- Nails = Want nails like French girls? Book your appointment today!
- Hair = Get those effortless french girl bangs.
- Spa = Refresh yourself like french girls.
- Fitness = Train like french girls.
- Home Decor = Decorate your home like french girls.
- Bakery or Restaurant = Eat like the French girls.
I’m kind of laughing because it sounds ridiculous when you say them all together like this, but you get the point. Your business might be able to ride the coattails of this trend – or any other trend – depending on your ideal audience, what you offer, and how you can mesh the two.
Random, Maybe Kinda Crazy Ideas
And really that’s the whole point of this post, to throw out random, maybe kind of crazy ideas, to help you to see what could be possible with your marketing this spring, or in any season.
Think of the typical things your ideal audience likes to do, or the problems they typically have around this time of year, and see how you can make that and what you offer fit together and make sense.
And a pro tip here, we have been talking a lot about your ideal audience, but if you don’t know your ideal audience yet, head to episode #11 for a few questions to ask yourself and grab the Brand Strategy Framework Template in the shop.