Mother’s Day is big business for brands of all kinds. The National Retail Federation reports Americans spent upwards of $170 each on gifts in 2015. That’s the highest amount in over a decade, amounting to more than $21 billion in Mother’s Day spending overall.
We’re already seeing some elaborate marketing campaigns this year. JC Penney is taking Pinterest into the physical realm by erecting Pinterest boards in ten different malls, and enlisting the help of social influencers to blog about the featured styles and trends.
Behr Paint is inviting consumers to visit Color a Memory to celebrate their moms with color. The digital activation allows users to upload photos of their mothers and matches an existing Behr paint color to the colors in the image.
Consumers then have the option of renaming the paint color and incorporating into a custom Mother’s Day e-card, and they can also tag the image with #ColorAMemory to see it featured on the campaign site.
Video is proving to be a popular format for Mother’s Day marketing as well. This year Teleflora launched #OneToughMother, which revolves around a 2-minute short film showcasing the strength it takes to be a mom.
The company is encouraging consumers to share their Mother’s Day stories on social media using the #OneToughMother hashtag, and is leaning on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to promote the campaign.
To be a #mother takes strength, grit and courage. Watch our new tribute to her greatness. #OneToughMother https://t.co/PGD82Irraz
— Teleflora (@Teleflora) April 25, 2016
Within an hour of posting the video to its Facebook page earlier this week, Teleflora had 4,000 Likes, more than 3,000 shares, and 130 overwhelming positive comments.
If, by chance, you have rose aspirations on a carnation budget, don’t despair: you can create a low-cost Mother’s Day campaign while drawing inspiration from these high-profile efforts. The trick is to tap your owned media, generate themed content, and focus on visual marketing.
DIY Video
Is video high on your must-have holiday marketing list? Take a cue from companies like Tile. To demonstrate the value of its product to moms, Tile created three interview-style videos that it’s promoting – along with a Mother’s Day discount – via email.
The working moms featured, one of whom works at Tile, all use the bluetooth tracking device in their everyday lives, and their stories help potential customers visualize how they too might use the product.
Coupling do-it-yourself YouTube videos like these with your opt-in mailing list is an inexpensive way to add relevance to your offering and encourage a purchase.
Embed video:
Custom social content
Using your existing social media accounts is a great way to keep your brand top of mind while consumers are doing their Mother’s Day shopping.
EBay’s Pinterest Mother’s Day board features dozens of gift ideas, as do J.Crew’s and Pottery Barn’s.
Look for ways to repurpose your existing social media content. Louis Vuitton, which is active on Vine, recently repackaged a video created to promote its 2016 Summer Collection by posting it to Twitter with new Mother’s Day messaging.
The #LouisVuiton Summer Collection is the perfect gift for Mom this #MothersDay https://t.co/IZxc0GSAm3 https://t.co/WW0JY0rHxF
— Louis Vuitton US (@LouisVuitton_US) April 25, 2016
Blog Posts
Your blog is another useful and cost-effective tool when it comes to creating Mother’s Day content. Crate and Barrel is using its blog to post Mother’s Day party tips, recipes, and dessert menus. Make the image-rich posts easy to share, showcase your products, and link to your product page where appropriate.
It isn’t too late to promote your brand in the context of Mother’s Day – even if you’re working with a tight budget. Just get a little creative with your digital content, and maximize what you’ve got.