Halloween and the importance of promotions calendars

With Halloween just around the corner, many manufacturers have limited edition promotional goods on shelves. Whether they tie into the pumpkin spice craze or simply the spooky spirit of the season, holidays give brands liberty to get creative in their marketing and labeling efforts. However, the calendar year has a way of flying by that can leave many missed opportunities if decision makers aren’t proactive about how they schedule their promotions. 

This is why a production calendar is essential for anyone in the wine, coffee, food or specialty goods marketplace. Most enterprises already use this tool and fall into a weekly, monthly or quarterly flow of production and delivery. However, in that document it’s important to estimate lead time for promotional materials like Halloween candy, Christmas branding and other time-sensitive promotions. 

“Name each promotion or event,” writes Heidi Cohen, a marketing strategist. “Consider the timing of the event as well as your overall pricing to maximize profitability. For example, you don’t want to reduce prices at the beginning of a season. Instead you can give your best customers a sneak peak.”

She also suggests determining an appropriate calendar cycle, monitoring competitors’ strategies, analyzing past performance and choosing promotions that speak to your company’s unique brand voice.

One of the best ways to reduce lead time for any item on your agenda is by purchasing a custom label printer. When your business has the in-house ability to print a limited run of the labels it needs, reliance on third parties, shipping and delivery is eliminated. This means that when an opportunity arises, your team can act quickly to capitalize on a holiday, event, company update or change in manufacturing practices.