Retail marketers have an internal clock that never skips a beat. It starts with New Year's Day, President's Day, Valentine's Day, Spring Break, Easter, Earth Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Graduation Day...the calendar year broken out by a multitude of campaign mile markers. We're at the tail end of the 'Grads and Dads' season right now, and marketers are pounding away at this theme in every conceivable way.As online marketers we have a huge advantage, and therefore an obligation, to consider the audience. We must combine audience knowledge and message distribution capabilities to achieve higher relevancy. Relevancy can acknowledge seasonality, but not necessarily be enslaved by it.
As you think about your upcoming campaigns – Wedding Season, Fourth of July, Back to School, Labor Day – consider how your campaign, creative and offer strategies could be enhanced simply by layering an additional strategic level of audience intelligence and tactically refining your list segmentation, or targeting ads in new ways.
Whether through email or banner ads, the data for targeting based on established personas, demographics or behavior is widely available. Append pre-established personas to your current house email list. Explore legitimate behavior-targeted ad networks and other legitimate targeting options.
If this is new ground for you, it’s worth experimentation. You may not have to alter your creative in significant ways. This is about making sure your “Grads and Dads” pitches – whether for outdoor grilling equipment, tents and outdoor gear, or silk ties – hit the right mark.
