7 Steps to Building a Seasonal Marketing Plan for Your Art Business

Seasonal marketing means marketing that revolves around the seasons and special holidays and events such as Mother’s Day, Easter, Summer, Christmas, or Black Friday type events.

As these events come around there is heightened excitement and online activity, which forms the perfect springboard to support your marketing efforts should this be congruent with your strategic art business plan and goals.

A seasonal marketing plan includes the following aspects: season, themes, colours, holidays, services, and products.

If a seasonal strategy is right for you, planning is the key to being successful.

Here are the 7 steps you need to take to build an effective seasonal marketing plan for your art business

1 Clarity

Clarity of intention and outcome is always the key to success in any endeavour including marketing.

Ask yourself:

• What outcome am I seeking? and state in positive terms – I will achieve…

• What will the outcome look like, sound like and feel like?

• Why do I want this outcome? For what purpose or Intention?

• Where (context) do I want this outcome?

2. Research

Spend some time getting to know what your fellow artists are doing. This will help feed your imagination.

Stay curious and seek out new knowledge. To learn is to grow.

3. Define goals and set targets

Once you have clarity of your intention and outcomes, and an awareness of what others are doing in your marketplace, you need to set your goals and targets appropriate to your desired outcome.

Your goals need to be SMART: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time based.

Ideally you should also set KPI’s: Key performance indicators – quantifiable and financial targets etc.

4. Brainstorm ideas

Every Idea matters

New ideas are very important when developing a marketing plan.

Ask a friend to help you brainstorm

The basic rules of brainstorming are:

• No negative feedback

• Focus on quantity over quality

• Use others’ ideas as launchpads

• Encourage big thinking

Ideas for brainstorming on your own:

• Word association

• Use a prompt such as a pack of cards, image, or a book

• Adopt a free writing approach

5. Create your plan and delivery timeline

A goal without a plan is just a dream

Without a plan you cannot deliver a successful campaign and achieve your desired outcomes.

You need to create a plan that is full of creative and interesting ideas that will stimulate and excite your audience.

It is also important to convert your plan into a delivery timeline.

With a given timeline you can set milestones to ensure you achieve your desired outcome.

6. Define your budget

Creating a budget is very important.

The budget will ensure your devise and plan a campaign that you can deliver, whilst maintaining liquidity in your business

Budgets also help you control extraneous expenses and get an idea about return on investment (ROI).

7. Act

A plan without action remains a dream

Without taking action you will never achieve your desired outcome!

The best day to start was yesterday, the next best day is today.