Holiday marketing throughout the year offers e-merchants lots of opportunities to increase brand awareness and product sales. While some businesses devote the bulk of their marketing efforts to certain periods like Christmas, it’s advantageous to include other holidays in your marketing strategy as well to reach as many consumers as possible and boost your visibility.
Consider St. Patrick’s Day, for example. Observed every year on March 17th, the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland, this holiday is celebrated by a variety of countries around the world.
If you’re interested in launching your own marketing campaigns for this much-beloved Irish holiday but don’t know where to begin, you’re in luck. We've compiled a long list of ideas to inspire your strategy!
15 Lucky marketing ideas for St. Patrick’s Day
1. Add some St. Patrick’s Day flair to your homepage
Similar to the way the owner of a brick-and-mortar shop might decorate their storefront for different holidays, why not give your ecommerce site a temporary makeover to help get shoppers into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day?
You don’t even need to change up your entire website—even just sprucing up your homepage’s design will ensure that your visitors take note of your celebratory side. Extra splashes of green, leprechauns, shamrocks, an Irish flag… the addition of tasteful elements that evoke thoughts of Ireland are sure to make your customers smile!
2. Hold a giveaway on social media
It’s no secret that social media users love contests and giveaways. After all, who doesn’t enjoy winning a free prize? This St. Patrick’s Day, consider holding a giveaway on one or all of your brand’s social networks to boost engagement, widen your audience, and thank your followers for their loyalty. When brainstorming what type of giveaway to create, keep in mind that it can be as simple or as elaborate as you like!
For example, you might just create a post announcing the giveaway and request that people like the post, follow your account, and tag a friend in the comments to participate. Another option could be to ask users to share pics of themselves wearing green, using your products, etc. and give a prize, such as a free product or other special offer, to the best (or most creative) entry.
Giveaway by @farmacybeauty
3. Use themed hashtags
Speaking of social media, another way to incorporate platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. into your marketing strategy for March 17th is to use themed hashtags. Adding hashtags that tie into St. Patrick’s Day can assist in bringing awareness to your contest or promotion, announcing a new product, or simply showing your recognition of the holiday.
Feel free to get in touch with your creative side when crafting a hashtag. Tasteful puns; wordplay; mentions of green, luck, or the Emerald Isle—it’s all up to you. In addition, if you can find a way to add your brand name or products into the hashtag, even better!
Don’t know where to begin? Consider using an online tool like https://best-hashtags.com/ to help you get started.
4. Show how you commemorate St. Patrick’s Day
Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your ecommerce business and post content that shows how you and/or your team are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. You might, for example, dress up in festive green outfits, attend a parade, or prepare a delicious meal featuring your favorite Irish dishes.
Regardless if you run your online store on your own or if you have a bunch of people working with you, this marketing idea is the perfect way to show off your personality and let shoppers into your world. Note that pets are a big hit with people in general, so if you have a cat, dog, or other animal companion, don’t hesitate to include them in your behind-the-scenes content as well!
5. Launch a St. Patrick’s Day collection
Depending on the type of products your online store offers, St. Patrick’s Day may be the perfect time to make new items available. Whether you launch a complete collection of goods related to the holiday or create a single limited-edition item, play on the sense of urgency to entice shoppers to make a purchase.
Even if you don’t have any products that are directly tied to the holiday, you can still use this as an opportunity to promote specific goods in your catalog. For instance, you could highlight any green products you sell, as in green-colored items or those that are sustainable and better for the environment. Another way to commemorate the celebration on your ecommerce site is to give special attention to any products you sell that are made by Irish brands.
Limited-edition St. Patrick’s Day shoes by Brooks Running
6. Spruce up your email subject lines
Want a surefire way to boost the open rate for your email newsletters? Include a great subject line!
Help your St. Patrick’s Day emails to stand out in a slew of messages in your subscribers inboxes by crafting clever subject lines inspired by the holiday. In addition, ensure that your subject lines for your messages are clear and concise. It’s also crucial that they pique the recipient’s curiosity and make them want to open up your email to read more.
Regardless of whether you want to announce an exciting offer, showcase a special collection, or simply wish your subscribers a happy holiday, the inclusion of a stellar subject line is key. This is true for any email campaigns you launch throughout the year, whether you’re looking for Valentine’s Day marketing ideas, April Fools’ Day marketing ideas, etc. Also note that witty puns and fun emojis are additional elements that can make your emails all the more enticing!
7. Write St. Patrick’s Day content for your blog
Looking for tips on how to drive traffic to your website? Writing high-quality articles for your blog on a regular basis is essential to a well-rounded SEO strategy that’ll allow you to improve your brand’s visibility and boost your rankings on Google.
Why not use St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to create some fresh content for your blog? You could share a bit of history or fun facts concerning the holiday or Irish culture, for instance. Another approach is to find a way to tie your niche directly into your post to make it all the more relevant to your target market.
Say that you sell backpacks on your online store. You might write an article all about the top places to go hiking in Ireland or make a list of must-have products from your site to take on a hiking trip to the Emerald Isle.
8. Promote your business with paid ads on social media
For today’s brands, cultivating a presence on social media is, in most cases, mandatory to achieving success in online sales. According to Statista, the number of people using social media around the world in 2022 was approximately 4.59 billion, and this figure is expected to only increase in the future.
To take full advantage of the opportunity to connect with your audience and expand your reach via social networks when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, you may want to invest in paid ads in addition to creating organic content. Design ads revolving around the celebration on your favorite social media platform or platforms and watch your brand awareness skyrocket!
9. Include a gift in customers’ orders
Including a small gift in orders (or those over a certain dollar amount) placed on March 17th is a great way to delight your customers and strengthen brand loyalty. With this type of campaign, you can opt to make your freebie an existing product from your catalog or something inspired by the holiday. Either way, it shows shoppers that you appreciate their purchases and encourages them to return for future purchases.
If you’re looking to stay on theme with the celebration, there are plenty of ideas for gifts that won’t break the bank: stickers, chocolate coins, green items, etc.
10. Offer a special discount
Making your customers feel like they’ve found a pot of gold doesn’t have to be complicated!
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, simply offer shoppers a special discount to enjoy when making a purchase from your website. Whether it’s a promotion involving your entire product catalog or a specific item, buyers are sure to appreciate the extra savings.
What’s more, it’s easy to stay on theme with this marketing idea by offering, for instance, a 17% sitewide discount or a discount code like “SHAMROCK,” “LUCKY,” etc.
St. Patrick’s Day discount offered by Sivana
11. Share your favorite recipes
Food is an important part of many celebrations, and St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. If you’ve got any sort of culinary skills, take the opportunity to reveal your best Ireland-inspired recipes.
Do you have a tasty traditional Irish dish that you make annually for the March holiday? Or perhaps you’ve invented a delicious St. Patrick’s Day cocktail that the people in your target market might love?
Sweet or savory, recipes can be great aids for connecting with your followers on social media. They’re easy to share and can assist your customers who may be lacking inspiration as to what to prepare for their own St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
12. Introduce an eco-friendly initiative
It’s no secret that the color green is associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Play up the “green” aspect by introducing a new eco-friendly initiative for your business and tell your customers all about it!
For example, you could start offering a slower, less-expensive shipping option on your website that would reduce carbon emissions or begin using recyclable or biodegradable packaging materials for shoppers’ orders.
Announce your green campaign on your online store and spread the word via your different social networks to ensure that as many people know about it as possible. Keep in mind, though, that in order to appeal to eco-responsible shoppers and have your marketing efforts viewed as being authentic, it’s important to use eco-friendly practices all year round.
13. Organize a live event
Live events are popular with shoppers, as they allow them to see the human(s) behind their favorite brands. This in turn can strengthen the connection they feel with a company and encourage them to return time and time again for future purchases.
Organizing a live event for St. Patrick’s Day is a wonderful way to check in with your customers and celebrate the holiday with them. Depending on your business and audience, you might, for instance, set up a live Q&A session, discuss a special promotion, host an Irish trivia event, or take your followers with you as you attend a local parade.
14. Make a donation to an environmental organization
Today’s online shoppers have a plethora of choices available to them in terms of ecommerce site options. This means that they can afford to be choosier than ever with where they opt to buy goods and services on the internet, and a growing number of them are prioritizing brands who share their values.
If sustainability is one of your brand’s core values, consider making a donation to an environmental organization this St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you plan to donate all or a percentage of the profits you earn on March 17th, be sure to announce your campaign ahead of the holiday to boost sales and awareness of your chosen organization.
15. Turn your logo green
Stand out from the competition and demonstrate your St. Patrick’s Day spirit by turning your logo green on March 17th. Besides creating a green version of your logo, you might also include special additions in the design, such as a leprechaun, shamrocks, pot of gold, etc.
Once you have your new logo ready to go, consider placing it not just on your ecommerce site but also on your various social network profiles.
Google’s temporary logo for St. Patrick’s Day 2021
Prioritize cultural sensitivity in your campaigns
As you can see, there is no shortage of ways to promote your ecommerce business and connect with consumers for St. Patrick’s Day!
That being said, it’s quite possible that not all the ideas in this article will be applicable for your brand. Just like when you’re doing your campaign brainstorming for other times of the year, such as for Christmas marketing, always consider what makes the most sense for your unique business and your target market.
In addition, remember that while St. Patrick’s Day is a lovely time to celebrate and have fun, it’s still very much a cultural holiday. This means that prioritizing cultural sensitivity in your campaigns is essential. Stay away from negative stereotypes concerning Ireland and Irish culture to avoid alienating your current and potential customers alike and damaging your brand’s reputation.
No matter what you sell, sharing tasteful, creative content is sure to bring lots of good fortune when it comes to boosting site traffic and sales!
