Don’t have a Q4 strategy?
Don’t worry, In Current Creative has mapped one out for you.
Every marketer is already talking about BFCM—and let’s be honest, the anticipation might be stressing you out. It's typical to start BFCM planning during Q2 and Q3, but not every business has the capacity or structure to support these extensive preparations.
Midway through 2024, In Current Creative has developed a digital marketing strategy for small business owners to keep their clients engaged and prepare for the year's end. The latter months often see an escalation in advertising costs and fierce competition for prime ad placements, particularly as the holiday season approaches. Our team is ready to offer expert advice on leveraging your end-of-year budget to its fullest potential.
Read on to discover how we can help you navigate these challenges and effectively maximize your reach with our strategic approach.
A Strategic Two-Pronged Approach for BFCM:
As we approach September, small business owners typically have a few months to generate meaningful traction that can be leveraged for sales in Q4 for BFCM. Here’s our dual strategy to maximize this critical period:
1. Leverage Video for Engagement: Utilize the dynamic power of video by launching a Facebook campaign that showcases your business. This approach isn’t just about views; it’s about creating engagement that translates into top-notch reviews and high interaction rates.
2. Transform Views into Conversions: The real magic happens when these views are turned into opportunities. By converting viewers into a retargeting audience, you can deploy strategic ads aimed at this warm group. These ads are designed to inspire action, whether signing up for a service or purchasing.
Instead of focusing solely on direct conversions, this period is ideal for warming up a cold audience across your most effective social channels. Consider utilizing existing video content from platforms like Instagram. This not only maximizes your current assets but also prepares viewers to become active participants in your sales process as the holiday season peaks. This approach effectively nurtures potential customers by first introducing them to the value of your services through engaging content and then guiding them through a thoughtfully targeted retargeting campaign. It’s a strategic, nuanced method to enhance customer engagement and boost conversions during the competitive Q4 season.
Why This Strategy Works for Small Businesses: What we love about this approach is its sensitivity to the budget constraints typical of small businesses. It recognizes that spending large sums on advertising like major corporations isn't feasible or efficient for smaller players. Rather than mimicking the advertising giants, this strategy allows business owners to invest modest amounts in ad spend over a few months. This builds an audience more engaged and likely to convert rather than attempting to sell directly to a cold market, especially for BFCM. Think of it as capitalizing on low-hanging fruit—smart, strategic, and considerate of your resources.
Adapting for B2B Brands: Preparing for BFCM with Strategic Content Downloads
Now, adapting this strategy for B2B companies involves shifting the focus from video view campaigns to generating actionable content downloads—transforming this not just into a lead generation strategy but an opportunity to cultivate a substantial mailing list of engaged, informed prospects well before the holiday rush.
During Q3, prioritize strategic content creation aimed at educating and engaging your target audience. Focus on producing materials like whitepapers, industry reports, and webinars that not only serve as educational tools but also as mechanisms for capturing contact details. Employ SEO strategies to identify topics actively searched by your audience, ensuring that the content is both relevant and in high demand.
As you gather email contacts from these downloads, segment them based on engagement levels and specific interests. This segmentation enables you to tailor your email marketing strategies more effectively as BFCM approaches. Enhance your offerings with:
Whitepapers and E-Books: Deliver comprehensive insights and actionable solutions, positioning your brand as a thought leader.
Case Studies: Showcase successful client stories that underscore the effectiveness of your solutions, addressing the direct needs of your prospects.
Webinars: Provide a platform for real-time engagement, allowing you to directly interact with your audience, answer their questions, and build rapport.
Checklists: Supply practical, step-by-step guides that assist potential clients in navigating complex industry challenges.
One-Page Summaries: Quickly communicate key benefits or features of your services, ideal for prospects who prefer concise information.
Exclusive Video Content: Offer free access to video tutorials or webinars that highlight your expertise in a dynamic format.
2025 Trends Reports: Provide foresight into industry trends, helping businesses plan their strategies effectively for the upcoming year.
This diversified approach not only accommodates the unique B2B sales cycle but also enhances your brand’s credibility and authority. By nurturing leads with customized email campaigns into Q4, you prepare them for conversion into loyal customers.
Furthermore, this strategy leverages educational content to keep your company top of mind for these warmed-up contacts when they are ready to make purchasing decisions, extending the impact of your efforts into Q1 of the following year and setting the stage for continued engagement and sales.
Not bad, right? This adaptable and effective strategy can support the goals of your small business or startup for years to come. Connect with In Current Creative today to discover how we can implement this strategy in the remaining months of the year! We excel at leveraging free, educational resources along with precise email marketing to gently guide cold audiences towards conversion. Your success is our success—let's make the rest of this year truly count!