One of marketing expert Carlos Beirao da Veiga’s favorite sounds is the jingling of Santa’s sleigh bells. They sound like post-Christmas cash to the business owners who follow his holiday marketing strategies.
A native of Portugal, Carlos Beirao da Veiga has enjoyed a career that includes successful projects in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. But his favorite career experience occurs during the holidays when he gives his clients marketing advice. Whether they seek some reindeer humor for an advertising campaign or are giddily putting a nativity scene in place, Beirao da Veiga imparts wisdom fit for the grandest of holidays.
“A business can capture more seasonal dollars than ever by planning its marketing efforts early, drawing up a plan, and completing it,” Beirao da Veiga says. “The holiday season can achieve your annual revenue goals if you plan appropriately.”
Marketing Expert Carlos Beirao da Veiga Examines the Five Ps of Marketing
The holidays surrounding Christmas represent a boon to many types of businesses. When advising his clients on how best to market their products and services during this potentially lucrative season, marketing expert Carlos Beirao da Veiga tells them to focus on the variables that best suit their strategic marketing plans.
The Five Ps of Marketing is a set of critical marketing elements to position a business. They include product, price, promotion, place, and people.
Beirao da Veiga says, “For the holiday season, business owners should focus on these five to satisfy customers, add value to their business, and differentiate their business from competitors.”
Regarding the first P – product – Beirao da Veiga says pop-up experiences are a fresh way to bring your company’s products to consumers’ attention during the holidays. He suggests producing a pop-up store that allows customers to focus on your product’s uniqueness closely.
For example, if you own a pottery studio in Portugal, have your employees build a pop-up display that includes clay recreations of traditional nativity figures in a Christmas presépio. This display will showcase your products through traditions familiar to older generations and fresh to new ones.
Carlos Beirao da Veiga Gives Advice on Price
Carlos Beirao da Veiga says that price, one of the Five Ps of Marketing, should be strategically tweaked during the holiday season. Limited-time offers are excellent for creating a sense of urgency among holiday shoppers who fear the last-minute crunch. Such offers heighten customers’ sense of urgency when they are already time-strapped.
“The message behind a limited-time offer is the customer will get a guaranteed-to-please gift at a bargain price, as long as the customer buys it now,” Beirao da Veiga says. “Make sure your ad copy and sales promotions reinforce this message.”
Timing Promotions
To capture their share of the massive holiday spending, business owners need to plan holiday promotions to coincide with shoppers’ spending patterns, says Beirao da Veiga. Finding out when most consumers begin their holiday shopping is critical. As consumer spending accelerates after Thanksgiving, one’s marketing efforts should ramp up gradually, and businesses should offer new products or services each week. It is wise to schedule promotions during the last weeks of December when shoppers hit their spending apex.
The Importance of Place
The Five Ps of Marketing include “place,” where a business sells its product or service. Carlos Beirao da Veiga suggests business owners focus on place by appealing to customers’ sentimentality during the holidays.
“The best holiday marketing strategies revive that childhood sense of excitement and nostalgia consumers experience during this season,” Beirao da Veiga says.
Businesses can enhance a place with mood-setters such as holiday decorations and traditional music. In Portugal, companies can honor the tradition of Christmas lights adorning streets by arranging such lights to decorate one’s office or retail space.
Managing People During the Holidays
The people who run your business are the fifth P of marketing. Employees play an imperative role by interacting with customers and supporting your company’s marketing efforts. Carlos Beirao da Veiga advises companies to engage their employees in holiday volunteering, one of the most rewarding activities a team can experience.
A company will enhance its positive brand image and drive sales by focusing on altruism during the holidays, viewed as the season of giving. Employees can get involved in the marketing mix by being generous to others.
“A business should find a cause that aligns with its brand,” Beirao da Veiga says. “If your company sells supplies for enjoying the outdoors, your team can work to improve the local trail system. If you operate a construction business, your team can work with a charity that helps people find affordable housing.”
Before embarking on your holiday marketing plan, ensure your employees believe in what you are trying to achieve. Make sure your marketing efforts ring true with your business and offer your employees multiple levels of involvement.
“Seek input from your team as you put your holiday marketing plans into place,” Beirao da Veiga says. “In my experience, employees understand the company brand intimately and can give managers insight into what points are critical to underscore when celebrating the holidays.”
