April means that your spring marketing campaigns should be fully in gear and ready to go. There are a few events around this time that you can acknowledge and capitalise on, including clocks going back (technically this is at the end of March but you can still acknowledge more light and the new season itself with spring sales), Easter, and for fun… April Fool’s day.
In this article, we’re going to look at some of the opportunities you have for your marketing in April. And don’t worry, if you’re not confident with what could work with your business, you can always consult with a digital marketing agency for expert advice.
For now though, here’s some tips and ideas to get you started…
April Fools’ Day
A well-done April Fool can be a great way to start the month, get people taking and engaging with your brand. However, you do have to be careful, as it can backfire…
First and foremost, it’s a great way for your brand to show your humour and creativity… if it’s appropriate for your brand of course.
Did you know, the wildly successful mobile video game Pokémon GO started out as a Google prank?
In 2014, Google invited people to use Google Maps to try and find and “catch” Pokémon, hidden in certain locations. This eventually became the basis for a real game, and in 2016 Pokémon Go was released. The game is one of the most successful mobile games, generating billions of dollars and is still played by a large, loyal following 8 years later.
This isn’t even really a “prank”, just something fun, but a good example of what you could achieve with an April Fool experiment.
More Examples of April Fool’s in Marketing:
Many brands will make up fake products to promote on this day, a lot can be obvious but still funny, such as McDonald’s advertising a “McPickle Burger” a burger completely stuffed with pickles.
Here are some general ideas for April Fool’s, used by many companies for fun:
• Product Transformation: Introduce a fictional product or a fictional variation of an existing product (like the McPickle burger above). Create tongue in cheek advertisements/social media posts for the fake promotion.
• Fake Tech Innovations: Create a clearly fake new advancement in technology, something that isn’t plausible in reality. Something that links to your brand, think of examples such as “smell-o-vision”. The more ridiculous the better.
• Collaborations: You could even collaborate with another brand for an April Fool, the more unlikely the collaboration the better. This could benefit both companies.
• Interactive Experiences: Develop an online game (just like the Pokémon example above), or a quiz or something similar. You could make a clearly fake competition with a clearly fake prize.
Beware of the pitfalls of April Fool’s pranks, as they can backfire occasionally. Don’t promise something really good and convincing as this will only make your audience angry, make it funny and silly. You want something that might fool people for a minute before they realise it’s clearly a silly idea.
Don’t make up fake discounts or sales or anything that could be misconstrued as false advertisement.
The goal is to boost engagement with your audience. This in turn could raise awareness of your brand (if your successful April Fool is shared between other users).
Easter Holidays
Easter brings a 4-day weekend of bank holidays and 2 weeks off school for kids. So depending on what you’re selling make sure to take advantage of this. This could mean term time deals, or a weekend sale.
Depending on your services, you could sell easter themed products. If you’re a food business, add things like hot cross buns to the menu, for example.
You could also add an easter egg hunt, even a digital one, to your website. Involving users trying to find hidden objects throughout your web pages. Or do one in person, if you have a physical shop or host events.
Other Events in April
April Fool’s and Easter are probably the biggest events but you also have World Earth Day on the 22nd of April. This day is all about being more eco-friendly, sustainable, and environmentally conscious, so if there’s anything your brand can do, promote, or support in this cause, you should definitely get involved.
There’s also St. George’s Day, England’s patron saint, so if there’s anything relevant you can promote, or have a particularly patriotic audience, then it’s worth exploring a few ideas.
But even a small social post acknowledging these days can beenough.
Final Thoughts
Other than the events listed above, it’s all about spring and the build up to the excitement of summer, and this is especially important to do if your business is based on seasonality, and these are your prime sales times.
Remember, if in doubt, consult with professionals at a marketing agency. They can give you ideas, as well as offer dos and don’ts that are tailored to your specific business.
…and don’t worry, if you’ve just missed any events this year, take this as your sign to be well prepared for next year!
