How to Integrate New Year’s Resolutions into Marketing Efforts

People who work in marketing or internet-based jobs are familiar with various ways of keeping seasonal needs in mind while catering to customers. You may have even engaged in some of them at your company.

It’s common to create banner ads that urge people to get an early start with back-to-school shopping, offer discounts on flowers and perfume sets near Mother’s Day or even plan sales that coincide with tax refunds. Seasonal campaigns get results because they meet people’s well-defined needs.

That’s why you shouldn’t overlook a year-end practice that people take part in around the world — setting New Year’s resolutions. Below, we’ll look at several ways to integrate New Year’s resolutions in your marketing efforts.

Cater to Their Decision to Get on a Schedule of Periodic Checkups

The start of a new year is a time when many people reflect on the things they wish they’d done differently over the previous 12 months. Sometimes, individuals realize they shouldn’t have procrastinated with scheduling well-being checkups or put off recommended maintenance appointments for their cars.

In that case, they often say to themselves “This year, I must improve by scheduling ongoing appointments. Then I can be aware of issues before they become severe.” Applegate Dentistry, a dental practice in Kentucky, tapped into that common line of thought by publishing a blog post encouraging viewers to contact the office and get on a schedule of regular dental checkups.

The content outlines the various reasons prevention is so important, then ends with a call to action that urges people to make appointments. You can apply this approach to any service because New Year’s Eve is often a day when people decide to form better habits moving forward, and relevant material from your business could support that plan.

Tap Into the Desire to Make Long-Held Dreams Come True

Many people envision exploring faraway destinations, but realize life gets in the way and going globetrotting isn’t as easy as it seemed. However, after getting fed up with perceived obstacles, some individuals choose to set New Year’s resolutions about finally visiting the places they’ve always wanted to see.

BMI, an airline that operates 400 weekly flights to nearly 50 European destinations, built a New Year’s resolution-themed page on its website that advertised a cheap flight sale and listed potential route options. Well-intentioned individuals often have great ideas, but they need an extra push to turn those aspirations into realities.

BMI’s strategy to offer discounted fares at a time when people are thinking about what the year ahead could bring was a wise move. It removes some of the logistical barriers — the cost of flights, plus choosing a destination and air travel provider — to help people think seriously about bringing their travel dreams to life.

Help People Make Good on Promises to Get in Shape

Statistics associated with the end of 2016 indicate there were more than 57 million Americans with health club memberships. However, a substantial amount of people who use fitness centers join just before or after making New Year’s resolutions — giving you a meaningful window of opportunity.

If you do marketing for a gym or fitness products company, it’s easy to reach out to those individuals by using window graphics that advertise limited-time-only membership deals or banners and flags that encourage people to get motivated about shedding their unwanted holiday pounds by checking out sales on equipment and clothing.

Be Aware of Timekeeping and Scheduling Goals

Improved time management is perhaps one of the most common New Year’s resolutions people set each year. There are various ways you can tailor marketing campaigns to help individuals succeed with time-related aspirations.

If your company offers a digital scheduling or timer app, look at ways to add a New Year’s push notification that encourages users to buy premium offerings. You could use wording such as “Our premium features help you stop wasting time and get closer to your ideals for the new year. Try them today.”

Apple incorporated the start of 2018 into its Apple Watch by showing fireworks across the screens at midnight. It also gave a personalized New Year’s message to the wearer by using his or her name.

The company behind the Day Designer planner also tied New Year’s into its promotional efforts by crafting a helpful blog post about how to set plans for the year ahead. It provided several relatable suggestions for people to try. The last section of the post included a call to action and link that urged readers to go to the Day Designer online store and pick out products that would help them use the tips they just learned every day.

Stay Sensitive to the Difficulty of Breaking Bad Habits

When deciding how to change their lives for the better in the days and months ahead, people frequently come up with resolutions to turn undesirable habits into good ones. For example, they might choose to start smoking cessation programs, seek counseling to deal with emotional eating problems or begin seeing business coaches to stop patterns of never following through with company plans.

Even if your business does not directly market products that relate to changing habits, you can still show an awareness that forming more positive behaviors is not easy. Maybe you sell meditation MP3s or luxury bath products. In those cases, you could appeal to customers with a campaign that asks, “Feeling overwhelmed by the process of creating better habits? Reward yourself for the hard work you’ve done so far with our selection of relaxing products.”

In some cases, you may sell items that could potentially derail someone’s efforts to stop certain ways of acting. However, you can still angle your marketing pitches appropriately. If you offer gourmet chocolates or other tempting treats, you could include content on your website that suggests how adhering to a diet that completely cuts out sweets doesn’t typically work well.

Speak to the fact that treats are usually okay in moderation. Also, mention that people can allow themselves to have goodies occasionally, especially as a reward for all the life-changing efforts they’ve made up to now. You can also mention how occasional nice things strengthen willpower by teaching individuals not to overindulge.

A New Year’s Marketing Resolution
After reading these suggestions and case studies, you should feel well equipped to connect New Year’s resolutions with your marketing campaigns. You’ll be spreading the word about your business or products while also helping customers improve and have their best year yet.