The holiday season is often viewed as a time for marketers and advertisers to take a well-deserved break after the rush of Q4 campaigns. But savvy marketers will view this time as a lucrative opportunity otherwise known as Q5. Also known as the “hidden quarter,” Q5 is the period immediately following Christmas until about mid-January, when people are on vacation or slowly returning back to work. This is the best time to utilize any remaining annual budget while ramping up your Q1 planning.
Now that you know about this hidden opportunity, you might be asking why advertisers should care. Below are a few reasons why knowing about Q5 marketing is important.
- Less Competition – After the holiday season, the marketing landscape is notably less crowded. Most brands exhaust their budgets with major promotions for Black Friday and Christmas during Q4. This type of financial planning leaves those brands with limited budgets for any Q5 activity. Some platforms even seen a 60% decrease in the number of live campaigns after Dec 26th.
- Lower Prices – During Q4, advertising costs can reach some of the highest levels of the year due to Black Friday and Christmas. However, there is a substantial drop after December 26th, and costs stay low until about mid-January. This creates a window for marketers to capitalize on reduced costs to reach a broader audience as a more affordable rate.
- People Still Shopping – It is easy to believe that everyone is done shopping after Santa arrives, but that’s a misconception. During the time period between Christmas and mid-January, people are still shopping. Some want to continue to take advantage of the holiday deals, while others want to purchase items from their wish list that were not delivered. Plus, all of those new gift cards are burning a hole in their wallets. And the amount of returns and exchanges is higher than any other time of year.
- Shoppers Still Active Online – While some of us may be exhausted after the holiday chaos, it is useful to remember that many people are still engaging online during this Q5 period. People are home from work or school and are consuming more content compared to the yearly average. This activity makes Q5 a prime opportunity for advertisers to maintain their digital presence and connect with customers.
VuePlanner’s 3 key strategies for Q5:
- New Year, New Me – After the holidays, most consumers are refocusing on themselves after spending the entire holiday shopping season focused on others. They are looking for purchases and content that align with their New Year’s resolutions, ways to redeem their gift cards, and more. Use these trends to frame your Q5 campaign.
- Capitalize on the Momentum of Your Holiday Campaigns – You’ve already made a buzz with your holiday campaigns. Now is the time to tap into that momentum and retarget those leads with a new campaign. Christmas marketing campaigns that yield excellent results can be repurposed effectively for Q5 marketing. Even more advantageous is leveraging the data insights gained from your Christmas campaigns. If you’ve acquired valuable information about your contacts, such as their styles, preferences, and Christmas wish lists, you can use this data strategically.
- Mobile-Focused Campaign – Christmas Day is the single greatest day for new smartphone activations. And between the time off from work and traveling, people are on their mobile devices during Q5 more than the annual average. This is a great time to tap into a mobile-focused campaign.
In summary, we are putting an end to the misconception that post-Christmas days are a marketing lull. Q5 is powerful and affordable marketing opportunity with distinctive advantages. Seize this window wisely, and you’ll find a wealth of potential waiting to be tapped.
Ready to transform these insights into successful Q5 campaigns? Look no further than VuePlanner’s team of YouTube Marketing Experts. Empower your Q5 marketing strategy with YouTube, engage your audience, and make the most of this calmer yet often overlooked period.