Merry Christmas!!! Advertising
Welcome to the sales… I mean holiday season. A time when joy and laughter reaches our bank accounts. Obama even made it the primary sales season for insurance. Whether you like it or not, Christmas is commercialized and many people make most of their money for the year during the last two months of the year. Have you ever wondered how many people work and save all year just to spend money during this special season for sales? Just thought I’d help you make the most of this magical time of year for profits with a few things to consider in order to make the most of it.
First of all, people are going to buy regardless of whether or not you have great technique, technical skills, are shrewd, cleaver, charismatic or a neophyte. Many are just looking at price tags. That’s why it is more important now than ever to understand the mindset of your customers and prospects because it changes during this time of year.
Most of the year people buy according to their needs and wants. They purchase emotionally based on value, fear of loss, desire for gain, comfort, convenience, obligation, pride of ownership, safety, security, satisfaction of an emotion and so forth. However, during this time of year, while the above is still true, now they are focused on buying for others. They still want their value and their money to stretch as far as it possibly can but instead of pride of ownership, it is pride of buying the best gift for someone. Other concerns include not buying a gift that makes you look stupid. Wondering if they are worthy of such a gift. Deciding on individual or a couple/family gift. How many people are they going to buy for and what they will do for the rest? What is their favorite…? Do they already have one? A general or personal gift? How much to give to charity and which charities? So among all these new perplexities in conflict with their normal buying habits, where do you fit in?
We’ve discussed positioning before where, if you are selling security systems, you would be better off paying the 15% extra to have your advertisement during a movie like Law Abiding Citizen or a TV show where someone breaks into a house and abducts their children, rather than get the 15% discount for advertising at 3:00 am where only drunken partiers and people with no jobs are watching. Positioning during this time of year is more of an attitude. You know the fears and concerns of people buying during this season as discussed above so you need to show that you understand those concerns and how your product/service will relieve some of that burden.
If selling insurance you could mention something along the lines of: Elf states, “We have insurance to assure the gift you buy will be the best gift they will receive this year.” Santa walks in, bops him on the head then says, “We can’t assure it will be the best gift for your child but securing your family’s future will be the best gift for you knowing they will have great Christmases to enjoy for many years to come.” (Yes, if I took some time it would be worded better but you get the point). It is not simply that you gave your ad a Christmas theme but you show you understand one of the concerns they have while spending money during this time of year. Also don’t let it be product centered but let it reflect your understanding of their plight. Remember, this purchase is not for them so they don’t really care what it does, only that it does what whoever they are buying it for wants it to do… and you better have a good return policy just in case it doesn’t.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year for kids and extended work for adults… without pay. Yes we do have the occasional company or organizational party and we do see people acting with greater kindness and care but for the most part, it’s work. Get inside their mind and be where they are when you create your advertising and you will attract more people with greater success than if you are selling the way you do through the rest of the year. And by the way… Merry Christmas!!! :-)
