The holiday season is here. That means we are about to see a flurry of activity from companies and brands promoting their products and services. Whether you are a fan of this period or not, there is no denying it has become the mainstay time of the year for increased purchases. If you’re a small business owner looking to compete but don’t like the overabundance of advertising, read on. I’ll be explaining some ethical seasonal marketing that is beneficial to both you and your clients.
What is Ethical Marketing?
I’ve talked extensively about ethical marketing on the blog, including what ethical marketing is and how to develop an ethical marketing strategy. The main principles around ethical marketing come from two angles. Make ethical business decisions in-house and promote your services using ethical tactics and campaigns.
Ethical business decisions include:
- Treating workers, suppliers and customers fairly and with dignity.
- Considering the environmental, social and political impact of your products and services.
- Taking actions to ensure your business limits harm to the planet and people.
Ethical tactics and techniques include:
- Promoting, supporting and adhering to specific ethical causes. This could be environmental, inclusivity, workers’ rights, upholding the law or any other principles for the betterment of the world.
- Sticking to ethical marketing practices. These include avoiding manipulation tactics, being transparent about your company, avoiding woke or greenwashing in campaigns and creating campaigns that are inclusive.
See the ethical marketing category on the blog to learn more about ethical marketing.
Ethical Marketing for the Holiday Season
To develop an ethical marketing strategy for the holiday season it’s important to keep in mind the above principles. Seasonal marketing should be pursued in the same way as campaigns year-round; with planning, strategy and quality execution.
Planning & Strategy
All great marketing campaigns start with thorough planning. You must understand your end goal if you are to achieve it. Simply saying you’d like more sales is not sufficient. You need to understand what you want, when you will achieve it and how you will do this. I consistently promote the SMART goals method because it helps businesses clearly define their objectives. Planning and strategy should start as early as possible. Producing a clear checklist of how you will reach your SMART goals will help you stay motivated and allow you to perform your campaigns seamlessly.
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Clear Timings
The build-up to Christmas can be a stressful time because the days soon fly by. For those promoting presents or products in general, providing clear information about delivery and sale events is vital. Ensuring you promote your last order dates as early as possible is just one of the things you can do to make this task easier for consumers. By displaying your last order/delivery dates as early as November, you’ll give customers the incentive to order earlier rather than rush last minute. For custom or bespoke products, this is even more important.
At the same time, I encourage companies to avoid using timing as a marketing tactic. Countdown timers create undue stress through feelings of anxiety and a false sense of urgency. They’re designed to make people make hasty decisions instead of allowing them the time to decide if it’s the right purchase for them. If you want to produce an ethical Christmas campaign, don’t employ timers to rush your audience into making a purchase. Provide the correct information in a neutral way and show your audience the value of your offering instead.
Promotion of Quality Products and Services
Overconsumption is a big issue in the UK and Christmas is the ultimate season for this. While all businesses are keen to make consistent money, don’t make it to the detriment of the planet. Not only should you endeavour to produce goods which are better for the world but they should only be promoted to those who want and need them. By focusing your strategy on your target audience you will save your business time and money, creating valuable interactions and sales with people who are completely invested in your brand. There are some amazing ethical marketing examples where businesses have boosted their profits without compromising on their products or offering.
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Improving The Experience For Your Customers
One of the best ways you can improve sales while also sticking to your ethical values is through improved user experience. As we’ve said, time is particularly finite during the last two months of the year for all of us. Here are some of the ways you can make shopping easier for your customers. All of which can be promoted on social media, through PPC campaigns and email newsletters in the run-up to Christmas.
- Make information clear. Review, and rewrite if needed, your production descriptions, delivery pages and your FAQs. Don’t leave questions unanswered, give as much detail as possible so customers can make a decision.
- Review your checkout process. The faster the better but ensure that information and input fields are clear and accessible. Many purchase decisions fail at this final hurdle. Talk to a UX designer and your web developer to optimise the checkout pages of your site.
- Offer gift wrap. One less thing to worry about for your customer. Plus, by using recycled or low impact wrapping, businesses can offset the damage of the plastic glitter wrap sold directly to consumers.
Developing an Ethical Seasonal Marketing Strategy
If you would like help to develop a seasonal marketing strategy that stays true to your ethical principles and provides long-term growth for your business, get in touch. My marketing services are built on sustainable marketing practices that will provide value for years to come. Check out my content and SEO services to find out more, or contact me today for a chat about your goals.