Breakthrough the sales season: Develop a comprehensive marketing plan

In the minds of customers, a sales season doesn't just begin on the "opening day." Consumers often prepare mentally weeks beforehand, even searching for deals after the event ends. Therefore, brands aiming for breakthrough sales during this season need a comprehensive communication strategy that covers the period before, during, and after the event to maintain reach, maximize effectiveness, and create a seamless experience for buyers.

With an end-to-end communication plan, businesses can not only attract attention with creative content but also elevate the customer experience, nurture long-term relationships, and drive sustainable revenue.

In this article, we will share how to build a communication plan for each stage of a major sales event, along with strategies to increase brand awareness, boost sales, and retain loyal customers.

1. Attention-grabbing phase: Leading the trend and stealing the spotlight (4 weeks before the event)

The key to the preparation phase is capturing customer attention . During this stage, specifically the four weeks before the event , brands need to inform customers about upcoming sales, including product promotions, combos, coupons, free shipping, etc. The brand's consistent presence at this time will create a strong impression in the customer's mind and increase its competitiveness against other brands.

Suggested strategy:

During periods when consumers are actively seeking deals, brands that know how to establish a strong presence have a significant advantage in inspiring and influencing purchasing decisions. One effective approach is to implement a full-funnel marketing strategy, in which online video channels play a particularly important role. In fact, 63% of shoppers in Singapore frequently watch product reviews or recommendations before making online purchases during promotions, and over 85% of YouTube users in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines claim to find many unexpected shopping ideas through the platform. Therefore, a video-based campaign not only helps brands target the right customer group but also delivers optimal cost efficiency. To assess effectiveness, businesses can apply Brand Lift Studies to measure changes in awareness or re-viewing intentions.

Increase your online presence.

Simultaneously, monitoring internet search trends is also an indispensable strategy, as search engines remain a crucial touchpoint in the customer's discovery and shopping inspiration journey in the Asia-Pacific region. Solutions like broad match keywords can take a business's search campaign to the next level, allowing access to a wider audience beyond just exact queries. The effectiveness of this feature is maximized when combined with Smart Bidding , optimizing budgets based on business objectives.

Furthermore, highlighting products with the potential to become trends is also a useful way to attract attention. Businesses can leverage best-seller reports and demand forecasts to identify standout items, and then strategically introduce them in promotional programs and on their online platforms.

2. Consideration and Decision-Making Phase: Conversion Optimization (1–2 weeks before the event)

Approximately one to two weeks before a sale event is typically when customers begin considering, comparing, and making lists of products they will purchase on the official sale day. This is also a time when excitement is high, and brands need to take full advantage of this to increase their reach and convert potential customers.

A crucial first step is using the Performance Planner , which helps businesses seize seasonal marketing opportunities and adjust advertising budgets accordingly. Through this tool, you can predict the impact of different spending levels on conversion rates in your Google Ads performance report. Experts also suggest that, right before an event, many people tend to add products to their cart but don't complete the purchase. Therefore, adjusting your spending target downwards to expand reach during this period can be more effective.

Performance Max helps increase conversion rates and sales performance.

During the time consumers are researching and comparing products across multiple channels – from websites and apps to e-commerce platforms and physical stores – brands can leverage Google's automated solutions to reach customers with clear purchasing intentions anywhere, while optimizing seasonal sales opportunities. For example, Performance Max allows businesses to reach their target audience through a single campaign, automatically displayed across Google's entire advertising ecosystem, including YouTube, Search, and Gmail. In some markets, Google even supports brands in promoting store locations on Google Maps, Search, YouTube, and the Display Network, directly driving customers to the point of sale.

For consumers who prefer shopping via apps, businesses can implement app campaigns to attract new users or encourage existing customers to return. To boost orders on e-commerce platforms like Shopee, brands can participate in Google Ads Retail Partnerships, thereby more effectively reaching high-demand shoppers directly on the retail partner platform.

3. Nurturing Phase: Building a Long-Term Relationship

After major sales events, shopping demand may temporarily cool down, but other peak seasons continue throughout the year. Therefore, maintaining and nurturing long-term relationships with customers will help brands stay present in consumers' minds.

Instead of focusing on just a few major promotions, brands can integrate recurring discount campaigns into their communication strategies to maintain customer interest year-round. This approach not only motivates consumers to continue following the brand, but also ensures you're present at the right time when they actively search for promotions. The experience in Indonesia shows that as soon as the search trend for "11.11 sales" peaked, consumers quickly shifted their attention to "12.12 sales" or "Black Friday," demonstrating the enduring appeal of seasonal sales.

Maintain strong relationships with potential customers.

By being present at every stage of the promotional cycle and maintaining consistent engagement with customers, businesses have a greater chance of becoming the preferred choice whenever they are ready to shop.

Through the above content, we hope you have gained a clearer understanding of how to build a comprehensive communication plan from A to Z, helping to enhance the effectiveness of advertising during the year-end sales season. You can also learn more about new consumer trends, secrets to optimizing advertising to make it stand out, and how to create a seamless online shopping experience for customers in the following articles.

4. Conclusion

The above article focuses on methods for building effective communication strategies for businesses during sales seasons. We believe that through this article, you will find valuable knowledge to help increase brand awareness and boost sales significantly during the year-end period.

If you want to save time, optimize costs, and quickly achieve results with your Google Marketing campaigns, contact S1N's team of experts immediately via Hotline 0985 345 394 for a free consultation tailored to your business needs.