eCommerce Marketing Tips to Cash-In on Mother’s Day
Mother’s day falls on March 15 this year (in the UK and Ireland), and May 10th (in the United States and Canada). For consumers, it’s a day of last-minute scrambles – one of the busiest days of the year for supermarket chocolate aisles and petrol-station flower stands. But marketers can’t afford to approach such a potential payday in this haphazard manner.
Mother’s Day is one of the biggest gift-buying holidays of the year, so it’s important to go into the run-up prepared.
So what are the best ways to take advantage of this opportunity?
1: Create a Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Mother’s Day is a confusing holiday. The stakes are high – the average spend across the UK is £27, and in the US it’s closer to £100 – and many people don’t want to buy cliched gifts that look like no-one put any thought into them. After they decide what they don’t want, though, many people get stuck figuring out what they do want.
Help them, and they’ll be grateful, and that gratitude will pay off for your brand.
Check out ASDA’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide for some Inspiration (click to expand):
Your guide can focus on your niche, so if your business is in something that’s really mother’s-day appropriate, like sparkling wine, the way ahead seems clear.
The same rules as usual apply: don’t be too sales-y and concentrate on adding value for the reader through your content, though obviously it’s fine to include your own products along with other brands’.
If you operate in a space that’s not very Mother’s-Day friendly at first glance, like renting chainsaws, you can play on the stereotypical macho appeal of your space to recommend that men use your products or services for their mothers. Here is a great example from Australian DIY shop, Bunning’s:
Another idea is to create an ironic campaign that acknowledges how unlikely it is that any mother would want, say, a large spanner for Mother’s Day.
2: Gifts
… from you to your customers. You do love them, right? Then let them know!
To celebrate #MothersDay we’re giving you the chance to win a £125 Selfridges voucher! Retweet for a chance to win! pic.twitter.com/ekuIqeaRg9
— London City Airport (@LondonCityAir) March 6, 2015
If you’re gifting your customers you don’t need to give them physical objects, and the process doesn’t need to be expensive. Your gift can be digital – a humorous Facebook post or a customer service initiative. You can use the opportunity to communicate directly with mothers themselves, or to address the anxieties or sentiments of children in the run-up to the day itself. It’s an opportunity to grow your email list and engage with customers and fans – all great ways to drive sales down the line, as well as right now.
3: Create Your Own Hashtag on Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram
Using hashtags to join an already-building wave of interest is an obvious choice, but what about using your own hashtags?
For the next hour (and every lunchtime this week), tweet us using #YourMum & we’ll endeavour to provide gift (where gift = book) advice. Go!
— Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) March 9, 2015
Give a lovely gift this #MothersDay, bracelet watches and more at http://t.co/CRpaNS4D0w #promomyshop pic.twitter.com/j9konYBe6Y — Bags of Favours (@BagsofFavours) March 8, 2015
Using a hashtag that no other business has already used gives you the opportunity to build your own following for that hashtag.
What’s your #MothersDay plans.? #treatmum to Sunday Lunch or #eveningmeal at the @Pedn_Olva. (eve menu attached) pic.twitter.com/WWYQ6UDpcG
— Pedn Olva Hotel (@Pedn_Olva) March 8, 2015
Cross-promote on other social networks to increase reach and improve engagement.
4: Promote Your Content on a Range of Social Networks
OK, maybe not Google+. But get your content out in a channel-appropriate way across social networks in the weeks before Mother’s Day to make sure you’re taking advantage of the conversations and anticipation that already exist.
It’s important not just to create content, like your gift guide, but to promote it enthusiastically.
5: Mobilize!
Mobile is increasingly vital. Internet use is segueing over to being primarily mobile, with 60% of consumers saying they use their smartphone even when they’re at home. And it’s an ‘action’ channel – 75% of mobile shoppers make a purchase, 50% within the day and 30% within the hour.
If you want access to more traffic that has more purchase intent, mobile is where you need to be. That doesn’t mean you need to launch an app, but it does mean that social or email campaigns that are optimized for mobile will be more successful.
Don’t Forget Email!
On occasions like Mother’s Day, it’s easy to get caught up in social and forget one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal: Email.
3 Rs
You can build a Mother’s Day email shot around the ‘three Rs’ –
- Reminders
- Resources
- Reassurances
Reminder emails
Remind customers that Mother’s Day is coming up fast, or can even be used the same day to remind people to fit in some last-minute shopping.
Resources
Offer helpful tips and advice and guidance – clever audience segmentation and a sense of fun can let you really riff on this one, offering the best gifts under a certain amount, or a guide to buying for your audience’s mothers that references their group identity.
Reassurance
Finally, reassurance emails can help customers feel a little less panicky. You’re sharing their stress and making them feel that it’s OK to be a little nervous or worried. Also remember to reassure your customers that their orders will be with them in good time.
Getting Mother’s Day right can be a great opportunity to connect with your audience, and it isn’t just a sales fiesta for companies that sell traditionally appropriate goods. Approach the holiday with a sense of fun and really communicate with your customers and you can turn it into a payday no matter your niche.
About the author: Kunle Campbell
An ecommerce advisor to ambitious, agile online retailers and funded ecommerce startups seeking exponentially sales growth through scalable customer acquisition, retention, conversion optimisation, product/market fit optimisation and customer referrals.
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eCommerce Marketing Tips to Cash-In on Mother’s Day
Mother’s day falls on March 15 this year (in the UK and Ireland), and May 10th (in the United States and Canada). For consumers, it’s a day of last-minute scrambles – one of the busiest days of the year for supermarket chocolate aisles and petrol-station flower stands. But marketers can’t afford to approach such a potential payday in this haphazard manner.
Mother’s Day is one of the biggest gift-buying holidays of the year, so it’s important to go into the run-up prepared.
So what are the best ways to take advantage of this opportunity?
1: Create a Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Mother’s Day is a confusing holiday. The stakes are high – the average spend across the UK is £27, and in the US it’s closer to £100 – and many people don’t want to buy cliched gifts that look like no-one put any thought into them. After they decide what they don’t want, though, many people get stuck figuring out what they do want.
Help them, and they’ll be grateful, and that gratitude will pay off for your brand.
Check out ASDA’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide for some Inspiration (click to expand):
Your guide can focus on your niche, so if your business is in something that’s really mother’s-day appropriate, like sparkling wine, the way ahead seems clear.
The same rules as usual apply: don’t be too sales-y and concentrate on adding value for the reader through your content, though obviously it’s fine to include your own products along with other brands’.
If you operate in a space that’s not very Mother’s-Day friendly at first glance, like renting chainsaws, you can play on the stereotypical macho appeal of your space to recommend that men use your products or services for their mothers. Here is a great example from Australian DIY shop, Bunning’s:
Another idea is to create an ironic campaign that acknowledges how unlikely it is that any mother would want, say, a large spanner for Mother’s Day.
2: Gifts
… from you to your customers. You do love them, right? Then let them know!
To celebrate #MothersDay we’re giving you the chance to win a £125 Selfridges voucher! Retweet for a chance to win! pic.twitter.com/ekuIqeaRg9
— London City Airport (@LondonCityAir) March 6, 2015
If you’re gifting your customers you don’t need to give them physical objects, and the process doesn’t need to be expensive. Your gift can be digital – a humorous Facebook post or a customer service initiative. You can use the opportunity to communicate directly with mothers themselves, or to address the anxieties or sentiments of children in the run-up to the day itself. It’s an opportunity to grow your email list and engage with customers and fans – all great ways to drive sales down the line, as well as right now.
3: Create Your Own Hashtag on Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram
Using hashtags to join an already-building wave of interest is an obvious choice, but what about using your own hashtags?
For the next hour (and every lunchtime this week), tweet us using #YourMum & we’ll endeavour to provide gift (where gift = book) advice. Go!
— Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) March 9, 2015
Give a lovely gift this #MothersDay, bracelet watches and more at http://t.co/CRpaNS4D0w #promomyshop pic.twitter.com/j9konYBe6Y — Bags of Favours (@BagsofFavours) March 8, 2015
Using a hashtag that no other business has already used gives you the opportunity to build your own following for that hashtag.
What’s your #MothersDay plans.? #treatmum to Sunday Lunch or #eveningmeal at the @Pedn_Olva. (eve menu attached) pic.twitter.com/WWYQ6UDpcG
— Pedn Olva Hotel (@Pedn_Olva) March 8, 2015
Cross-promote on other social networks to increase reach and improve engagement.
4: Promote Your Content on a Range of Social Networks
OK, maybe not Google+. But get your content out in a channel-appropriate way across social networks in the weeks before Mother’s Day to make sure you’re taking advantage of the conversations and anticipation that already exist.
It’s important not just to create content, like your gift guide, but to promote it enthusiastically.
5: Mobilize!
Mobile is increasingly vital. Internet use is segueing over to being primarily mobile, with 60% of consumers saying they use their smartphone even when they’re at home. And it’s an ‘action’ channel – 75% of mobile shoppers make a purchase, 50% within the day and 30% within the hour.
If you want access to more traffic that has more purchase intent, mobile is where you need to be. That doesn’t mean you need to launch an app, but it does mean that social or email campaigns that are optimized for mobile will be more successful.
Don’t Forget Email!
On occasions like Mother’s Day, it’s easy to get caught up in social and forget one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal: Email.
3 Rs
You can build a Mother’s Day email shot around the ‘three Rs’ –
- Reminders
- Resources
- Reassurances
Reminder emails
Remind customers that Mother’s Day is coming up fast, or can even be used the same day to remind people to fit in some last-minute shopping.
Resources
Offer helpful tips and advice and guidance – clever audience segmentation and a sense of fun can let you really riff on this one, offering the best gifts under a certain amount, or a guide to buying for your audience’s mothers that references their group identity.
Reassurance
Finally, reassurance emails can help customers feel a little less panicky. You’re sharing their stress and making them feel that it’s OK to be a little nervous or worried. Also remember to reassure your customers that their orders will be with them in good time.
Getting Mother’s Day right can be a great opportunity to connect with your audience, and it isn’t just a sales fiesta for companies that sell traditionally appropriate goods. Approach the holiday with a sense of fun and really communicate with your customers and you can turn it into a payday no matter your niche.
About the author: Kunle Campbell
An ecommerce advisor to ambitious, agile online retailers and funded ecommerce startups seeking exponentially sales growth through scalable customer acquisition, retention, conversion optimisation, product/market fit optimisation and customer referrals.