No Luck Required: 7 Tips for Marketing on St. Patrick’s Day

cThere are plenty of marketing opportunities to take advantage of this St. Patrick’s Day and several promotional ideas that you can implement to promote this day in your store. This includes sharing St. Patrick’s Day facts on social media or conducting an engaging event at your bar or restaurant.

People swarm markets for Irish food, buy Irish-themed clothing and celebrate with friends, which gives you a golden opportunity to draw their attention towards your business. Marketing for St. Patrick’s day can help you achieve long-term business goals, provided you follow the right marketing strategies.

Stick to the Theme

Put all your green merchandise on display in the holiday section of your store so that customers can find everything they need in one place. Offer items that people are most likely to buy for this holiday, such as:

• Party Supplies and Snacks
• Housewares
• Themed jewelry
• Clothing and costumes
• Greeting cards

Keep your target audience in mind and sell items they would most likely be interested in. If you deal in craft supplies, put DIY decorations on display. Use a window display  on display atop green table covers to draw the attention of passersby. If you own a restaurant, add a green drink or another St. Patrick’s Day themed item to the menu. Create a product that buyers cannot get from other businesses.

Organize an Event

If your business is situated in a central shopping center, collaborate with neighboring businesses to host a mini-festival that offers entertainment, food, shopping, and crafts. Such events help local vendors sell their exclusively-themed merchandise to a large crowd conveniently. 

You can also acquire sponsors from local businesses that don’t offer festival-related products. With the hype of this occasion, several business owners would get publicity by being associated with other businesses.

Storytelling Contest

Your customers will love to have a platform where they can share myths and legends with others. Test the creativity of your social media followers by asking them to make up their own tales about the holiday. Check out these prompts for some inspiration:

• Why do leprechauns wear green?
• How can you catch a leprechaun?
• How did the first four-leaf clover come into existence?
• Create an alternate origin story for St. Patrick!

Contests like these can create endless possibilities. All you need to do is establish rules and people will get engaged.

Take it to Social Media

Have your staff wear green outfits, take pictures of them, and post it on your business’s social media. You can also change up your profile and cover images exclusively for St. Paddy’s Day. Ask your followers to tag their friends in exchange for offers and discounts.

Have your customer base share their St. Patrick’s Day traditions, stories, or any other excerpts through a specific hashtag on Twitter or Instagram. If you are on Pinterest, pin images of holiday-themed recipes, party plans, cartoons, and more as St. Patrick’s Day approaches.

Patrick’s Basket

One of the best ways to entice customers on St. Patrick’s Day is to create a basket packed with themed goodies. Include green baked goods, classic Irish foods, or holiday costume items, like a leprechaun hat and bowtie. 

You can also include visually appealing novelty items, such as liqueur or green schnapps, peppermint popcorn, and green tea fudge. People are attracted to limited time products and wouldn’t mind paying a slightly higher price. Depending on your audience, you can target children, adults, or both. 

Sales and Exclusive Offers

With the holiday around the corner, people look for discounts and exclusive bundle offers. You can offer gift certificates, which people can purchase from you before the day arrives. You can also offer a discount to customers on all St. Paddy’s Day-themed items. 

Another strategy is offering discounts to people dressed up in green or any outfit that goes with St. Patrick’s Day. Host a contest for customers to win prizes based on St. Patrick’s Day. There are many things you can do to offer sales and discounts that go with the theme of the holiday  advertised on banner stands.

Fundraisers

Support a social cause this St. Patrick’s Day by partnering with a charity organization to gather donations from like-minded people. You can acquire donations online or in your retail store and send a positive message to your target audience about your ideals. 

Leverage online marketing ideas, such as social media content posting, email marketing, targeted ad placement, and more, to increase donations by advertising to the target audience. Always have an end goal for occasions like these to ensure optimum brand promotion. Conjure up long-term strategies to gain new customers and keep loyal ones. 

As St. Patrick’s Day emerges around the corner, it is time for small businesses to monetize the occasion and bring in more footfall into their store. Implementing a smart and comprehensive marketing strategy will help you ride the festive wave into a stronger, more profitable business and make an impression in your customers’ minds.