How to Capitalize on Fun Holidays
Fun holidays present an excellent opportunity for brands to engage with their customers in unique and memorable ways. By strategically leveraging these days, businesses can drive sales, enhance customer loyalty, and even contribute to philanthropic efforts. Here are some effective recommendations on how to capitalize on fun holidays from 5&5’s Loyalty Team, led by Associate VP of Client Operations, Catherine Lacienski.
Engage Guests with Limited-Time Discounts
One of the most effective ways to attract customers on fun holidays is by offering special, limited-time deals or discounts. These promotions can generate excitement and a sense of urgency, prompting customers to make purchases they might have otherwise skipped.
Tactics:
| Surprise & Delight Offers | Spring a surprise discount for customers after they’ve placed an order on the special holiday. Maybe it’s 10% off or a free side on their next purchase – the options are endless and can drive excitement, strengthen loyalty, and encourage repeat orders. You can also tease customers by hinting at post-order ‘freebies’ or added discounts they might receive, encouraging them to participate ahead of the holiday. |
| Bonus Points | Reward customers with bonus points for purchasing on the holiday or for buying specific items. This can drive more sales and increase customer loyalty. |
| Sign-Up Incentives | Encourage new loyalty member sign-ups by offering a stronger bonus offer on the holiday. This will not only help expand your customer database but also enhance the perceived value of your loyalty program. |
| Referral Bonuses | Encourage existing members to refer friends by providing additional bonus offers for successful referrals. |
| Contests | Execute contests for your customers who make purchases on the holiday. Winners can receive discounts, free items or a special reward, such as free items for a month or even a year! |
| Holiday Extended Offers | Attract additional participation with teaser offers leading into a holiday or giving consumers a few more days to capitalize on brand offers. |
Communication Channels:
- Utilize app push notifications, email offers, social media, and in-store promotions to spread the word about your holiday deals & discounts.
- Align with partners and PR outlets to amplify your message. Share holiday deal information with relevant publications, and generate articles and blog posts aimed at driving awareness.
- Launch teaser campaigns in the days leading up to the holiday to create anticipation and maximize participation.
Check out this example of Shipley Donuts for National Donut Day:
Amplify Philanthropic Efforts
Aligning your brand with charitable and philanthropic causes can strengthen your company’s mission, enhance your brand’s reputation in the community, and drive appeal with socially conscious customers. Special holidays are a great way to boost your philanthropic efforts!
Tactics:
| Donation Prompt | Implement a built-in module for charitable donations if your platform supports it. For example, loyalty members could donate their points or rewards to a selected charity, pending supported platform feature availability. |
| Charitable Campaign Series | Organize longer charitable campaigns around major holidays, such as a “25 Days of Giving” which could run between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This extended time period gives customers a longer timeframe to participate while still maintaining a timely and calculated window for the promotion length. |
| Local Charity Collaboration | Collaborate with local charities to host community nights or weekends where a portion of sales is donated back locally. Promote these events through your most successful communication channels to boost community engagement and participation. |
Here’s an example of a philanthropic campaign by Dutch Bros Coffee in partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Create Engagement Opportunities on Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for engaging with your customers and generating user-generated content (UGC). Fun holidays are perfect for launching creative social media campaigns.
Engagement Tactics:
| Challenges and Hashtags | Create simple challenges and unique hashtags to encourage customers to share their sentiments and experiences. This can help brands increase visibility and participation amongst different demographic audiences. |
| Coupon Opportunities | Post unique coupon codes on social media, valid for specific items, to drive participation. |
| Polling | Engage customers with fun polls about their favorite menu items. Offer rewards for the most unique or popular answers to boost social engagement rates and generate a pipeline of ideas for future specials and unique product offerings. |
| Social Media Auto-Replies | Encourage engagement from consumers to connect with your brand to receive promotional codes via auto-replies. |
Raising Cane’s launched a campaign to honor graduates by sending them a special letter and featuring them on social media:
The Advantages of Loyalty Marketing on Fun Holidays
Loyalty Program Acquisition: Special holiday offers can attract new, deal-seeking customers. Requiring loyalty sign-up to access these offers can help grow your customer base.
Keep Existing Loyalty Members Engaged: Regular communication and engaging in value-add activities during holidays can help keep loyalty members active and engaged with your brand
Sales Driver: Encouraging increased participation during and around holidays is an opportunity to drive increased sales as well as move more items off the shelves, encourage consumers to try new items, and improve customer retention.
Increased Media Exposure: These holidays often result in additional media exposure with national and local news outlets featuring lists of brands offering special offers, deals, and events. Participation can often lead to earned media opportunities.
Increased Visibility on Social: Promotions around holidays are more likely to gain awareness on social media due to the trending nature of the content. Jumping on the train can boost your brand’s visibility!
Create Exclusivity:
- Loyalty Member Only Offers and Perks:
- Offer holiday deals exclusively to loyalty members, encouraging others to join.
- Provide early access or extended deals to loyalty members while offering discounts to non-members only on the holiday itself.
- Host special events, offer unique merchandise, or provide members-only menu items to create a sense of exclusivity.
- Customer Appreciation: Send a summary email after the holiday, showcasing the celebration and expressing gratitude to loyalty members. Include the best social posts and approved in-store photos to enhance community feeling.
Popular Food Holidays!
Here are a few “fun” food holidays your brand may want to consider tapping into:
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