Happy Thanksgiving week from the Creating Results family to yours. May your bellies, hearts and glasses be full this holiday season.
Each Monday, we do a ‘round-up’ of the most engaging mature marketing content, however in the spirit of kicking off the holiday season, we thought we would instead offer some tips on how you can successfully market your products and services that target boomers and beyond this holiday season.
Life gets busier and, dare we say, more crowded during the holiday season. And I’m not just talking about jam-packed shopping center parking lots, longer lines at the store or running from one holiday party to the next. This time of year means a significant impact on the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways we are trying to get in front of our target audiences. We are flooding inboxes and mailboxes and increasingly pushing our promotional content through television, radio and all types of digital advertising channels. But the question remains: which tactics are most effective for reaching the mature consumer during this time of year, and why?
Creating Results’ very own Director of Marketing Strategies, Amanda Combs, and Senior Client Services Director, Beth Mickey, shared some key insights on how to stand out during the holiday season and make the most of your marketing efforts.
- Targeted Display: Timing Is Everything
“For targeted display marketing, we adjust the ad schedule more aggressively leading up to Thanksgiving and then lower our bids during peak shopping weeks to avoid the aggressive retail-crowded ad space on the web. Then we will ramp back up just after Christmas.” - Pay Per Click: Steady Wins the Race
“For Pay Per Click, marketers should continue their original strategies and positioning because these are keyword triggered, so the search intent doesn’t change – search volume may actually increase as families spend holidays with their loved ones.” - Holiday Emails: A MUST
“Holiday emails can be a great way to promote an event you are hosting. Holiday open houses/cocktails and tours are always a good way to boost community traffic during this busy time of year.” - Holiday Cards: Use With Caution
“I typically don’t recommend sending out a holiday card for marketing purposes, it’s more of a feel-good gesture and nurturing tactic. If you have a tight budget (and at the end of the year most clients typically do) opt for a cost-effective holiday card option and put your money towards something that will generate leads.” - Print Advertising: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
“Stay consistent with print placements. Our target market still reads the paper during the holidays, so no need to scale back. However, they will throw away dozens of inserts in the overcrowded paper, so I don’t recommend utilizing those.” - Holiday Direct Mailers: Plan Ahead For Best Return
“If you’re planning on sending out a holiday direct mail you need to make sure you get it in-hand three to four weeks prior to the event or promotion deadline. Holiday incentives and events can be disappointing performers if you’re not creative and standing out from the crowd. And, keep in mind that retailers began promoting holiday deals before Labor Day — so timing needs to be a consideration.”
Final marketing tip: Take advantage of those seasonal family moments with a campaign that targets adult children. These tend to have the greatest impact around the holidays, with adult children being able to observe their parent’s quality of life more closely than at other points throughout the year.
Now that you know some of our secret recipes for marketing to the mature consumer, we’d love to hear what ingredients you would add to the mix. We’d also love to hear what you think will be the biggest marketing trends this holiday season. Share in the comments below!