Come February each year, the winter blues are in full swing and people are dreaming of warmer temperatures. What better way to feed their excitement than by giving your marketing some spring cleaning?

When it comes to seasonal marketing, discounts and special offers aren’t anything new. It’s important to acknowledge the sentiments that spring embodies, like hopefulness, rejuvenation, wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and cleanliness. Leveraging these overarching themes will help guide your spring marketing to success.

In this article, we touch on helpful tips to help you garner attention from customers this spring season.

1. Mark your Calendar with Important Dates

The spring season brings a number of widely celebrated holidays, as well as some more niche holidays. Mark your content calendars for these springtime holidays:

• St. Patrick’s Day: March 17

• First Day of Spring: March 19

• April Fool’s Day: April 1

• Easter: April 12

• Earth Day: April 22

• Cinco de Mayo: May 5

• Mother’s Day: May 10

• Memorial Day: May 25

Some holidays, like April Fool’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo, present opportunities to show your fun side through content marketing. Others lend themselves to gaining you actual profits. 

Think about it: everyone with a mother will be looking for a gift for Mother’s Day. Moreover, many people eagerly anticipate Easter — and the chocolate, candy, and festive foods that come with it. But even businesses that don’t fit into the typical Easter market can take advantage of the holiday. Take Ikea, for instance, who introduced their flat pack chocolate Easter bunny with instructions on how to build the 3D chocolate bunny. The campaign gained serious traction on social media for its humorous creativity, driving up IKEA’s sales around the Easter holiday.

2. Celebrate Hashtag Holidays and Unofficial Holidays

Often overlooked, these lesser-known holidays offer the potential to expand your social reach and harness newfound creativity. Because they’re quirky and less frequently used, they present great opportunities to cut through the clutter of go-to spring marketing concepts.

Take note of some of the hashtag holidays that fall in the spring:

• #NoDirtyDishesDay

• #StressAwarenessMonth

• #SmallBusinessWeek

• #EqualPayDay

• #AdoptAShelterPetDay

• #Maythe4thBeWithYou

Finally, don’t forget about other unofficial holidays and seasonal events that occur this time of year:

• March Madness

• Tax Season/Tax Day

• Spring Cleaning 

3. Launch Spring Sales

Who says big shopping sales are reserved for the holiday season? Spring brings the opportunity to rid yourself of inventory from the previous season or year — and launching some irresistible offers is one of the best ways to do so. For years, Home Depot has gained massive success with their highly anticipated spring sale.

The home improvement retailer puts on an event they call Spring Black Friday — a 10-day mega sale offering discounts on everything from stainless steel cookware sets to patio furniture to garden essentials. This promotion annually launches at the beginning of spring, offering deals that jumpstart spring cleaning. Other retailers, including Lowe’s and Target, now host Spring Black Friday sales as well.

4. Go Green

Eco-friendly businesses are growing at a rapid rate, and connecting to your environmentally-conscious consumers is more important than ever. With Earth Day falling smack-dab in the middle of spring, and observances like World Water Day taking place throughout the season, brands have unique opportunities to show their eco-friendly values.

Some brands have leveraged these days to show their commitment to nature and sustainability. Home Depot celebrated National Plant a Flower Day and simultaneously marketed their gardening products. And as part of Stella Artois’ long-standing partnership with Water.org, the brand launched a campaign it called “Pour it Forward.” With every Stella purchased, the brand donated to Water.org to help provide those in need with access to clean water.

5. Embrace Experiential Marketing

To build excitement for springtime and Easter, Dunkin’ joined forces with another powerful force in the sugary snacks industry: Peeps. The joint marketing campaign brought a selection of limited-time items to Dunkin’s menu, including marshmallow-flavored coffee and a PEEPS donut topped with a yellow chick.

The partnership’s efforts didn’t stop there. From April 2 to April 4, the Dunkin’ customer coffee car traveled alongside the Peepsmobile, starting from the hometown of Peeps in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and heading toward Dunkin’s birthplace of Quincy, Massachusetts. They stopped in six cities on their route, giving away springtime menu items to 250 lucky customers.

This experiential campaign allowed the brands to develop relationships through in-person interactions, as well as drum up some excitement on social media as fans followed the vehicles' journey online.

Ready to Plan your Spring Marketing?

The first day of spring is right around the corner, and it’s never too early to start thinking about how you can excite consumers for the season. By tapping into the positive feelings surrounding spring, showing commitment to environmental initiatives, and cultivating relationships with consumers, you’ll be set for success this spring season.