9 CREATIVE EASTER MARKETING IDEAS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN 2016

Given its status as a $15 billion industry, it’s no wonder thousands of businesses compete for consumer dollars during the holiday’s season. Australians annually spend nearly $226 each for Easter-related merchandise; yet these figures are just the tip of the iceberg as many non-Easter-related companies use the holiday as a springboard for other promotions: re-brands, special spring sales, and more. That is to say, you don’t have to sell chocolate bunnies to cash in on Easter. What you do need, however, is a powerful Easter marketing strategy that helps you get noticed and motivates customers to take the next step in the purchasing process. For your inspiration, here are some creative Easter marketing ideas you can use to promote your company this holiday season.

1. SEND AN EASTER EGG DIRECT MAIL POSTCARD

Postcards are perfect for reaching a well-targeted audience with a special offer that audience is likely to respond to. You can print die-cut postcards in the shape of Easter eggs to promote your offer. If you want to drive foot traffic to your location, include a special code on each Easter egg postcard; when customers visit your brick and mortar site, they can enter their code to see if they’ve won a prize.

2. HOST AN ADULT EASTER EGG HUNT

There are plenty of egg hunts to go around for the kids; you can host an adult egg hunt instead. Place plastic Easter eggs throughout your store, each containing a special prize, discount percentage, or funny tip. Place posters or flyers throughout your store reminding customers to keep an eye out for Easter eggs and to bring them to the register to redeem their prizes – and make them only redeemable with a qualifying purchase. Such an event can bring throngs of customers to your retail store in a single afternoon.

3. SPONSOR A KIDS’ EASTER EGG HUNT

See what opportunities exist to sponsor a popular local Easter egg hunt for kids. You can offer to buy the eggs and candy in return for placing your banner in a prominent area as well as getting billing on all promotional materials the egg hunt sends out. You can even set up smaller banners or a trade booth station where you can discuss the benefits of your products and services with parents while their children hunt for eggs.

4. SEND EASTER BASKET BUNDLES

Customers love convenience, and you can make easy sales by bundling several stand-alone items into special Easter gift baskets for kids, parents, spouses, and others. Make shopping easy for your customers and find a way to sell items that don’t move as quickly in one fell swoop.

5. GIVE AWAY EASTER EGG STICKERS

Print a few batches of fun stickers meant to be placed on Easter eggs and give them away to customers this Easter. Your stickers should feature fun Easter themes – chicks, bunnies, pastel colors, and more – as well as your logo. This is a great way to demonstrate customer appreciation while simultaneously increasing brand awareness.

6. FACEBOOK EASTER PHOTO CONTEST

Invite your Facebook fans to submit their favorite Easter photos, then promise a prize to the winning entry. Ask your other fans to vote for the best photo, then give away something really cool to keep fans happy and interested. You’ll also get to promote your products and services along the way.

7. EASTER BUNNY HANDOUTS

Club card flyers are a great way to get patrons into your restaurant or night club. Outfit your street team in bunny costumes to attract attention, then hand out club card flyers to bring customers to your door. Include a time-limited discount coupon as an added incentive to visit your establishment as soon as possible.

8. EASTER SALE STICKERS

Print large stickers that look like bunny tracks, and affix them the floor of your retail store to lead customers to your Easter sales rack (or anywhere else you’d like). Make sure you indicate the destination and your brand on each sticker. This is a cheap, fun way to promote your products that will bring out the kids in your customers.

9. EASTER GRAB BAGS

Do you have a lot of small products that don’t seem to be moving as well as you’d like? Easter represents a great opportunity to sell them. Bundle three or four smaller items in grab bags, staple them shut, then sell them for a low price – just enough to make a profit. Also include an entry form for the chance to win a big prize. When customer purchase a grab bag, they get an entry; after the bags are all sold, you draw the winner.
As you can see, there are many creative ways you can give your Easter marketing efforts a creative and attention-getting spin. When you’re creative with your Easter marketing, you won’t only command customer attention, you can also generate tons of positive PR for your company. You can even ask local newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and bloggers to come out and get photos and footage from your most creative Easter promotions – essentially doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling your exposure for free.