The wheels of business start turning after the summer layoff and that means opportunities for clever email campaigns. By Rob Martin.
The sun is high in the sky. Warm waters lap at your feet and as temperatures soar a thirst-quenching tropical cocktail hits the spot. Work, budgets, deadlines and that office desk seem a world away.
But the fast-moving hands of time mean thoughts must turn to the Autumn when so many companies move through the gears to hit the season with a bang.
Believe it or not, new online campaigns and innovative strategies are often conceived at pool side.
The reality of the business world means that those who are ready to capitalise in September reap the greatest reward.
If you wait until the summer ends to devise that new campaign then prepare to be out-paced by competitors who’ve managed to combine siestas with brain-storming over the summer months.
While a holiday is undoubtedly intrinsic so too is time-management and preparation for the bumper season to come.
You see Autumn has become a signature part of the calendar for launching new email campaigns.
In the US, ‘the Fall’ is seen as a time when the crippling summer temperatures decrease, the leaves turn one hundred shades of orange and trend setters feel more confident wearing their latest fashions in comfortable weather.
Retailers there, both online and land-based, have long since realised the potential of this time of year.
That insight has travelled across the Atlantic and, just like Americans, most of the world yearns for those cosier days when the children are back at school and ‘normality’ returns after the summer break.
Watch as furniture stores promote sofas to cosy-up on as the nights are drawing in, and the drinks industry celebrates ‘harvest time’ – a few years ago one well-known Irish Cider producer used a windfall-strewn orchard as the backdrop to its autumn promotion campaign.
The wheels of business start to move more smoothly once August makes way for September. Just look at any property section and you’ll see more housing stock becoming available and more job vacancies advertised.
And when it comes to online marketing and Public Relations campaigns there’s a greater chance of success following a holiday period than at any other time of year.
Would be consumers have had their Vitamin D fix, they’ve washed off the sand and now they want to shop or plan for their next leisure break.
And Autumn ticks all the boxes.
It’s a particularly busy time in the natural world and there’s so much going on that can be appropriated for a marketing campaign. Coloured leaves, cute animals and birds preparing for winter. A campaign designer has so much to work with.
But seasonal campaigns must also be current. The modern consumer is harder to impress. Campaigns must offer more than just price reductions and celebrity endorsements. And the autumnal campaign which worked a year ago may not hit the same highs this year.
That’s why it’s so important to bring that thinking cap with you on holiday, for a very occasional but productive use.
It can be packed alongside the snorkelling equipment, flippers and sunblock. But whatever you do, don’t leave home without it.