We’re approaching the holiday season. Halloween. Singles Day. Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Christmas. New Year.
And many brands are scrambling…
…because how on Earth do you keep up with all the promotions?
You don’t want to do a “20 percent off” every other week. That cheapens the brand. But there are so many holidays, so many opportunities…
I literally have a client asking me:
“Yen, we are starting BFCM on Nov 1st. We want to ask your opinion on how you’d recommend us to do Singles Day?”
My answer:
“You don’t. We’re already positioning your BFCM as the best deal of the year. Having another Singles Day… right in the middle of a long BFCM promo makes no sense.”
And this is the hard truth most brands do not want.
You don’t have to cash out on every holiday.
You shouldn’t.
Do not turn yourself into a discount store just to grab every flash sale.
To give you an example…
I have a client who sells tea.
Indian teas.
As all my competitors are sending 💩 emails on what tea has to do with Halloween… I sent this:
“So… today’s Halloween, and most brands are gonna share some “Oh, Happy Halloween” with you. BORING!
Let’s face it.
The only spooky tea story that makes sense is…
‘Imagine a world where there is no tea.’
😱😱😱
Now, with that out of the way…
Let’s share a real tea-related story:”
And then I segue into a real tea-related story that actually helps with positioning our product. I’m sharing this with you because:
ONE
You don’t have to “discount” on every holiday.
TWO
You can absolutely make fun of the holiday awareness, stand out, and make it rain — without offering a sale.
TWO-AND-HALF
Don’t be afraid of being different.
Marketing is ABOUT being different.
If you can’t stand out in today’s noisy market, you are irrelevant.
To be continued…
– WYH