Analysis and forecasting is key for seasonal marketing

The saying goes: ‘make hay whilst the sun shines’ but should seasonal businesses consider marketing throughout the year – come rain or shine?

According to Sharon Stevens-Cash, co-founder and director of Gravity Digital which celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year, detailed analysis and trend forecasting can lead to a sizeable return on investments for businesses who have traditionally focused their marketing spend on peak sales periods.

Take, for instance, our client Taylormade garden machinery in Staffordshire, who specialise in new and used equipment for landscaping and gardening professionals and garden lovers alike, backed by strong after sales support and servicing.

Taylormade and its competitors have tended to focus their sales and marketing activity on the spring, summer and autumn months – effectively hibernating in winter.

Having designed a new website with SEO and backed by a Google Ads campaign, the team here at Gravity analysed market forecasts and identified the potential for increasing sales of ride-on mowers, which are a key part of the company’s product portfolio.

With a clear understanding of seasonal trends, we then went on to segment Taylormade’s key target audiences in recognition that different demographic groups have varying preferences and therefore respond differently depending on the time of year.

Armed with all the research and information, we developed an Adwords campaign in November/December and the initial spend of £100 quickly resulted in £500 of sales. Having proved to be an impressive return on investment, a further campaign translated into £4,000 sales.

The design and ongoing management of the website and Google Ad campaign had a clear focus on maximising the customer experience which elevated Taylormade towards the top of the search engine rankings and boosted traffic to the website.

The introduction of an email newsletter to a focused database of current and previous customers continues to keep the company at the forefront of their minds ahead of the busy spring and summer periods.

Sharon explained: “In the era of big data, we have access to an abundance of information that can be invaluable in making informed and personalised decisions year round, leading to higher conversion rates and customer perception.

“Google Ads are a particularly valuable digital marketing tool but it is important to think creatively to ensure meaningful ROI.

“Opting for an obvious choice, such as ‘lawnmowers’ would have largely attracted domestic customers looking ahead to the first spring cut.

“Our team therefore delved into competitor activity and emerging trends and identified that ride-on mowers were a significant and growing ‘out of season’ purchase so we focused on this specific product type.

“By doing our homework and having the research and statistics to back up our recommendation, we have been able to generate lucrative sales for the client and prove to them that even a seasonal business should be investing in digital marketing throughout the year.

“We are confident that the investment ‘out of season’ will also build Taylormade’s brand awareness throughout the year so we will be closely monitoring consumer activity in the more traditional spring and summer months to evaluate further returns in the medium and longer terms.”