You’ve probably heard of the phrase ‘digital nomad’. It essentially refers to people who work and travel around the world, living and breathing digital marketing. Since the world of e-commerce is constantly changing to keep up with the latest trends and fads, it can be quite hard to ensure that you’re always marketing in line with the times. For that reason, it’s important to keep track of the major holidays and events that can have an effect on your marketing strategy.

The holidays and events in 2021 that will affect e-commerce marketers include:

New Year’s Day

The first day of the year is always a good day to take stock of the previous year and set goals for the new year. Many e-commerce businesses will be reviewing their strategy and planning new marketing campaigns to run in the next 12 months. These campaigns should reflect the company’s goals and offer customers a unique brand experience. There are no fixed rules as to what your marketing strategy should be for New Year’s Day, but you can bet that it will be an important day for your business.

Chinese New Year

Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year is one of the five biggest annual festivals globally. It is a great opportunity to market products tied to Chinese culture like food, drink, and fashion. Most merchants take the opportunity to up-sale during Chinese New Year to make sure they get some of the business. This is a great chance to get some cultural marketing done and show customers your respect for the Chinese culture.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is associated with love and affection, which makes it the perfect day to promote love and romance for your products. Many e-commerce businesses will be running special campaigns on Valentine’s Day, either by discounting products or giving out free gifts for customers. While a good effort, these campaigns can be rather unproductive if they don’t match the rest of your marketing strategy. Make sure that your Valentine’s Day marketing plans fit with your larger business goals and have a clear message that will engage consumers.

International Women’s Day

Also known as the Women’s Day or the ‘Day Without a Name’, this is one of the biggest annual events dedicated to women. Since the beginning of the year, women have been organising marches to promote their brand’s products and services. These marches typically take place in large cities, inspiring creativity and productivity in local businesses which usually get the chance to promote their products during the celebrations.

Earth Day

Also known as the International Day of Climate Change, this is a day where people focus on the environment and what they can do to reduce their impact on it. It is one of the most popular annual events on social media, with people tweeting and sharing ways to help save the planet. Since 2019, Earth Day has been on a Friday, making it a great opportunity to target younger audiences who are more likely to shop online on that day. If you’re looking for ways to improve your productivity, consider running a special Earth Day sale to reduce your carbon footprint and promote ethical and sustainable buying.

Christmas

Though Christmas is typically associated with celebrations and gifts, it has become a highly commercialized event in recent years. Since the turn of the century, the Christmas market in Germany has become one of the biggest and most popular in Europe. As a result, many businesses will be running special campaigns to promote their products during the Christmas season. Make sure to keep in mind the following tips when planning your Christmas marketing strategy:

Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Imagination

Though modern technology has made it much easier to track online sales, it has also made it much more difficult to get customers to think of your products. With so many options available online, it is essential that your product stands out from the crowd. One of the best ways to do this is through creativity and innovation, which your business can implement through different marketing campaigns. One of the simplest yet most effective methods is to use your imagination. When a customer imagines themselves using your product and enjoying the services or benefits it provides, you can bet that they will buy it.

Include The Whole Familly

To make sure that your product is appealing to the widest audience possible, it is important to include the whole family in the marketing campaign. Though grandparents and adults will likely have the same opinions about your product as teenagers and children, they may have very different experiences. For example, grandparents may not want to admit that they spend a lot of time on social media, while teenagers may value the platform as a necessary tool for their growth. In addition to the fact that children and teenagers are more likely to purchase products associated with the culture, they can also be the target audience for a specific campaign.

Take Advantage Of Emerging Platforms

Though many people are still using Facebook to connect with family and friends, businesses and marketers must now reckon with a world that has moved on to the use of TikTok and other similar platforms. Since these platforms are relatively new, they don’t have the same user base that other networks like Facebook do. This means that your product probably isn’t going to be viewed by as many people on these platforms as it is on other networks. However, this also presents an opportunity to get in front of an audience that would have never heard of your brand.

Be Genuine

When used correctly, social media can be an incredible tool for marketing. By being genuine and open about your brand, you will build a greater connection with your followers and make them more receptive to your offers. Always be authentic and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. A publicist once told me that everyone on social media is supposed to be ‘their best self’, which I think is really insulting. Why should we always have to pretend to be something we’re not to get a reaction on social media? That’s inherently dishonest, and it makes me wonder what these social media users really want. Why can’t they just be honest and open? It would make everything a lot simpler, and it would actually make the world a better place. If I can’t have my own social media account and am forced to use others, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. I don’t even know who I’m supposed to be promoting, because I don’t know the person behind the profile.

Use Analytics To Your Advantage

Though it is important to make sure that you’re connecting with your audience and gaining their interest, it’s also important to track the results of your marketing efforts. To do this, you can use analytics tools, which will track all of the websites and social media accounts that your customers come back to, as well as which promotions drive the most business.

The Biggest Event Of The Year

As already stated, Chinese New Year is one of the biggest events of the year. However, it doesn’t only affect the Chinese community, but everyone in the world. Though the occasion is mainly about family and friends visiting and sharing New Year’s Day celebrations with each other, it has become a highly commercial event. This is mainly due to the explosion of online shopping in China, which made it much easier to buy items online for delivery or pick up later. For that reason, it’s a great event to market your products.

Product Awareness

Product awareness refers to a customer’s familiarity with your product, its uses, and how to buy it. As an e-commerce entrepreneur, you’ll be aware that customers don’t always know how to buy the products you sell. Even when they know exactly what they want, they sometimes have a hard time figuring out how to make the purchase. Why? Because they’re not always familiar with the various options available or how to choose the right one for them.

You can do your business a great favor by incorporating product awareness into your marketing plan. Create ‘how to’ videos using your product and giving customers step-by-step instructions on how to use it. You can also host a phone call where a customer can ask you any technical question and you’ll provide them with the answers. This will help establish you as a thought leader in your field and make them more receptive to your offers.

In summary, the 2021 calendar is going to be a busy one for e-commerce marketers. Keep on top of the trends by regularly reading the news, checking social media, and visiting places like Reddit. These platforms are where the community of marketers hang out and share information about new products, technologies, and the ever-changing world of e-commerce. The next twelve months are going to be especially eventful for e-commerce, so make sure that you’re prepared for the new challenges that come with it.