Peak sales season is approaching and this is when your best offers should be front and center. Since there is a limited window of time to reach the consumer, during this busy season, it is not a time for weak offers.

A key component of marketing to remember is that advertising is only one of many factors that affect sales. Other elements include pricing, offers, product features, and reactions by competitors. Each of these components must work together, especially during the peak sales season.

A review of the previous year’s trends will assist in modeling your advertising plan. Did you get a spike at the beginning of your campaign last year? If so, then advertise a few weeks earlier or use your best offer to bring in the calls. Reviewing trends during the current season is imperative as you can still affect change by adding or reducing advertising. Daily newspapers have quick turnaround for on page advertising and if you notice a high response relating to specific issues of the paper, you can capitalize on this information.

Your peak season is the one opportunity of the year to bring in the bulk of your new customers and there is no room for underperforming programs. Base your offers on past performance to gauge the effectiveness and timeliness of the offers. Tracking is a key factor in planning advertising and has to be in place to monitor media programs and offers. Without tracking, next year’s planning will not be based on performance. Analysis of the media programs’ performance is also another way to eliminate any wasteful spending.

During your peak season, utilize a diverse group of media channels to get your offers out to as many consumers as possible. Diversifying your media plan will increase your brand awareness while expanding your base by hitting new customers. Newspapers, local coupon magazines, local co-op envelopes, shoppers, and saturation mailers are some of the main print media vehicles in the marketplace. Use past results to choose the programs that have performed well and possibly incorporate new programs based on your incoming leads.

Smart planning will lead to a successful spring. Take advantage of your peak season and use the media available for you to maximize your response and increase earnings during this important time.