Ah, here we are again. December and the silly season are looming and we’re holding our breath for a well earned break. And whilst we may assume that because we are slowly winding down for the year, that surely our content marketing should as well? That makes sense doesn’t it? Why spend money on advertising and marketing when everyone is on holidays?
Let us convince you otherwise. The ‘always on’ approach to marketing suggests ditching the traditional ‘campaign’ style marketing of print media. Think businesses who publish a monthly or quarterly magazine advertisement followed by long periods of radio silence. What you should be doing, is embracing a constant approach. Just because it’s the Christmas holidays doesn’t mean you stop advertising. Think about it. Jump on your smartphone and witness the constant stream of digital content, regardless of the season. During the holidays, your audience often has more time to engage and explore content. We tend to use this time to search more inquisitively, researching products, trends, services and businesses for future purchases. And this is the missed opportunity of those who wind down their marketing over the break. So, we’re here to give you four good reasons why your marketing should take an ‘always on’ approach — even during the silly season!
1. Your audience is always on, why aren’t you?
Now more than ever, your audience has access to more information than ever before. Gone are the days where you leave the office and work stays behind. Studies conducted by researchers at LinkedIn suggest that users seem to conduct more research for their business outside of work hours than during them. And, one of the key reasons for this is the instant and easy to digital information via our phones. With the rise and dominance of smartphones and social media, it’s harder than ever to separate our working and personal lives. The ease of accessibility allows digital content to be constantly consumed — during your daily commute, over your mid-morning coffee and in between meetings.
Another key reason is simply based on competition. In today’s world, the hustle never stops and those that take too much time off are likely to fall behind. The rise of small business and self-employment means owners never really take a break — they’re constantly looking for their next idea, sale or content — even during the holidays.
2. Consistency is key
When it comes to content, consistency is key for brand recognition and staying top of mind. As a general rule of thumb, B2B buyers can take more than four weeks to make a purchase decision. Yep, that long. Consistent and persistent content marketing ensures you’re always staying top of mind. What you want to be doing is nurturing those potential buyers, keeping them engaged until they’re ready to make a purchase. The ‘always on’ marketing approach is one of the best proven techniques for keeping your leads warmer for longer.
What does this look like? If you have Google Ads running, make sure they remain on throughout the break. If necessary, lower your budget, but ensure they remain on. And, if your competition decides to turn theirs off, who’s in a better position? You can also use this time to redirect your budget towards a generic brand awareness campaign on social media over the Christmas period, that focuses on keeping your business top of mind for clients and letting them know when you will reopen for business in the new year.
3. Get the upper hand on your competition
As we mentioned before, if you stop your content marketing and advertising across the holiday period, you create that dreaded blank space, which will generally be filled by your competitor. If your competitors continue to advertise throughout the holiday season, you may find it harder (and more expensive) to claw back your share in the market, come the new year.
For those in the retail and e-commerce industry, ramping up your marketing efforts coming into the holidays is one of the best ways to potentially boost sales and brand presence. Between Black Friday, in late November, Boxing Day after Christmas and New Year, customers are constantly on the look out for enticing sales, discounts and gifts for the holidays. Going dark during the busiest retail shopping period of the year is dangerous. Use this period of increased traffic to go hard. Push your business out to the masses through a combination of organic and paid marketing strategies, such as social media, Google ads and email marketing.
4. Save your dollars in the long run
As mentioned earlier, using the ‘always on’ approach to your content marketing is one of the best ways to keep your leads warm, making it cheaper to attract new audiences over time. The trick is to work with the ebbs and flows of the year. Map out key industry dates, plan ahead and build a marketing calendar. Having a clear digital strategy in place will help you allocate your budget accordingly and save money in the long run. You can adjust your keywords and social media content to reflect the time of year and target specific audiences.
Don’t go silent this silly season
Use this break to have fun. Experiment with your content marketing and brand voice. See what resonates with your audience and gains higher rates of engagement. Repurpose content from throughout the year if your budget is tight, or be smart with your advertising spend – go for the warmer leads that are more likely to convert. But whatever you do, don’t stop. If your business needs help with their holiday marketing strategy, or you’re looking for expert marketing advice for 2021, get in touch with us.
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