There’s Christmas in July, and then there’s planning for Christmas in August. The festive season starts months before customers see anything related to it on the sales floor and in your marketing. So, what do we consider when planning that marketing? How do we consider sales goals and the value we offer to those who shop with us?

I came across this short piece from Shop! Association as it relates to marketing fatigue and the Christmas season:

Two thirds of consumers (67%) expect to be wrestling with “marketing fatigue” by Nov. 1, a new survey from customer-led marketing platform Optimove has found. Such fatigue occurs when consumers feel overwhelmed by the volume or repetition of brand messages, leading to reduced engagement and negative perceptions.

The survey results mean “… it will be critical that brands engage with consumers to enhance their relationships – not alienate or overwhelm consumers with irrelevant impersonal messages,”

Irrelevant and impersonal messages … we all know what these look like. We have been known to put these out into the world ourselves! They happen, and they’re OK in the grand scheme of things. However, we can’t default and dwell in the “new arrivals” and “pretty in pink” messages that can plague newsletters, websites, and social media copy. Relevant, yes — you may have something new and pretty in pink to share, but could we dig deeper to connect with your audience? Absolutely.

If your latest arrival creates a sense of calm in the home, paint the picture through words or visuals.

If your best seller evokes joy through vibrant colors, paint the picture through words or visuals.

You get the idea.

Tell us more! Tell us what spoke to you when deciding to bring that product into your store. What was your vision of how people might enjoy the object and how it could add value to their everyday day at home, work, on the go, or at play?

Beyond merchandise, how are you connecting with your customers in-store and online?

Do you know the names of your regulars? Do you respond to their love notes on socials with more than a “thanks!"? Are you getting to know them when they enter the store … or as Danny Meyer shares in his book Setting The Table, are you turning over rocks?

Meyer was inspired to “turn over rocks” after a fly-fishing experience with a guide who showed him the thriving underside of an otherwise unassuming rock. The bottom was full of tiny aquatic insects hatching on the rock, which informed them of the best artificial fly or bait to use in that location. Only by picking up the rock and turning it over could they have made this connection.

“I took a valuable business lesson back home to New York. There’s always a story behind a story if you look for it; and you can augment your success at ‘hooking’ customers by taking the care, time, and interest to look …

… It’s human nature for people to take precisely as much interest in you as they believe you’re taking in them. There’s no stronger way to build relationships than taking a genuine interest in other human beings and allowing them to share their stories. When we take an active interest in the guests at our restaurants, we create a sense of community and a feeling of “shared ownership.”

Shared ownership develops when guests talk about a restaurant as if it’s theirs. They can’t wait to share it with friends, and what they’re really sharing, beyond the culinary experience, is the experience of feeling important and loved. That sense of affiliation, invariably leading to repeat business, a necessity for any company’s long-term survival.

And it all starts by turning over the rocks.

I’m constantly reminding our staff members to initiate a relationship with our guests whenever it’s appropriate.

I love that because we get to paint pictures and turn over rocks, every day in our stores.

We get to take curiosity and connection to new levels across product knowledge and one-on-one conversations.

We get to create our community one post and in-store engagement at a time.

The beauty is that once we’ve built a community, marketing for and during the Christmas season is already taken care of.

Stay OPEN,

AMM

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