Get Ahead with Marketing in April: Promotion Ideas for your Business

April is the cruellest month, according to poet T.S. Eliot. But we honestly couldn’t tell you why he said that. To us, April makes us want to get outside, have a good time and, yes, spend money!

For the Northern Hemisphere, at least, April sees the world finally beginning to take off its hat and gloves to soak up a little warmth. Invigorated with a little vitamin D, you should see more visitors to your business stepping inside with smiles on their faces and slightly looser pockets. 

But what does this mean? Is this the right time of year to even wonder how best to market your business?

We say, absolutely! 

Not only are there numerous events throughout April and May for you to take advantage of, but as the world emerges from winter, now is the perfect time for you to start hosting events and creating offers! Not only will this encourage your valuable customers to have a good time, but they’ll be sure to tell all their friends about it too!

What events or promotions, you ask? What should I start? Well, let’s start throwing some ideas around, and you can see what works best for you and your business.

Easter: something for everyone

It doesn’t matter whether you run a chip shop or a cabaret. Easter brings fresh opportunities for you and your business. Easter falls early in April this year (although, let’s be honest, we’ve all been salivating over the chocolate eggs on supermarket shelves since New Year’s); anyone not yet running Easter marketing can still see a boost in sales by putting on an event, running an offer, or even just putting out a last-minute social media post to jump on the bunny train. 

So print out some posters and get going ASAP. Some Easter marketing ideas you could consider trying to help boost sales at your business include:

The classic Easter egg hunt

If your business has a garden or large premises you can use, providing children with eggs (very hard-boiled, chocolate, or replicas) to paint, hide, or find can attract families to your store like little else.

Across the world, this weekend will see happy children dashing about under the watchful eyes of parents, creating wonderful memories for child and parent alike. If those memories are attached to your business, you can be sure you’ll see those families return. And no doubt, they’ll be spending while searching for those tiny little eggs.

Change your menu and run some seasonal product lines

Nothing creates that sense of urgency in a customer’s mind more than “Tonight only!”, “While stocks last!” or “Today’s special”. They cannot know if they will get the opportunity to come back later. That’s why holidays such as Easter create organic ways for every business to do something different without being at all disingenuous.

Easter also provides plenty of themes to work around, from bunnies to eggs and chicks, baskets and bonnets and ribbons and crosses. With so much to work with, you’ve every opportunity to branch out and give your customers something different to get excited about. It’s a great way to draw in some extra sales over the weekend. So prepare to be selling your Easter specials like hotcakes (or should we say hot cross buns?).

Competitions!

Easter competitions (beyond egg hunts) come in many shapes and forms. A competition only requires a small prize to inspire interest - a free meal or tasty treat for instance - and a fun idea that makes participating the real attraction. Your competition could be:

• Guess the number of __ (Chocolate eggs? chocolates? bunnies?)
• An Easter quiz (On menus, a trivia night, a website contest)
• An art competition (Drawing, egg painting, basket making)
• Caption contest (Funniest caption, guess the quote)
• Costume contest (best Easter costume or picture)
• Game-based contests (apple[egg]-bobbing and other carnivalesque games)

No matter your business, there’s a contest out there for you. Some contests, such as caption contests, art competitions, or best Easter selfie competitions, allow you to feature entries publicly (with consent!). This is perfect for web-based traders who can create a stronger sense of community by featuring customers on your business’s social media.

Other contests like quizzes and games can create a sense of hilarity and excitement, perfect for hospitality businesses where guests can observe as well as engage, especially outdoors on a sunny day–really putting to bed those dark days of winter!

Charity events

Both as a symbol of spring and a religious holiday, the April/Easter period is an excellent time to think of charitable causes and fun ways to help them. Whether they run alongside other events or as a passing feature, there are all kinds of ways to raise money for charities, improve your business’ image, help customers have fun, and put another event on your calendar.

A sponsored event could make use of your products and services or be entirely unrelated. If it’s for a good cause, no one will bat an eye, even at the wackiest of events. You could try anything from sponsored cycling to dressing up or car-washing to a dance marathon.

The point is a good cause helps put a little extra fun into an event, which is what spring marketing is all about.

Top tip: Remember, using multiple marketing channels will increase the effectiveness of your Easter campaign and should yield greater returns - don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

Awareness months in April

Easter comes early in April, but if you feel like you’ve missed the moment for Easter marketing, there’s no need to fret. Marketing opportunities come thick and fast throughout the year, and there are plenty of other notable events throughout the spring season for you to focus on. Some will be local to you, some national, and others international. All are worth your time.

Here are a few other ideas that can make your social media posts pop, your shop floor flower, or your bar blossom this April:

April is stress awareness

Stress awareness month falls every year, in April across the UK. No matter where you’re based, stress solidarity knows no boundary. You can use this opportunity to:

• Share stories about your experience with stress and how you overcame it
• Sharing resources to help others manage stress
• Products or services you offer that could help customers feel more relaxed

For example, running a yoga session online or on-site could provide a novel way to attract new customers to the store or tighten the bond between your business and your client base. Although stress awareness month might not become your yearly marketing highlight, it’s a great opportunity to run events and make sure you’re doing your best for yourself and your staff.

Global autism awareness and celebrate diversity month

Okay, so maybe stress, autism and diversity aren’t the first things you think about when you look to market your business. But while everyone else is recovering from Easter, even a simple social media post on a trending issue can help gain your business a greater following by showing your awareness and support for greater causes.

As well as stress awareness in the UK, April is also the global month of autism awareness and a month to celebrate diversity. With so much political and public discourse around marginalized groups, taking a moment to celebrate the many different people in your business and community can be a breath of fresh air that everyone enjoys.

Marketing doesn’t always have to stick to the big, mainstream moments. Doing something different at any time of the year can gain you as much attention as your Christmas and Black Friday offers.

Other notable dates throughout April

While April Fools Day has been and gone, there are so many special days throughout the year that will mean a lot to some of your customers, either for personal reasons or as a chance to have a bit of fun. 

For instance, 12th of April is National Grilled Cheese Day in the USA. Across the world, if your business offers catering, your special that day should be a no-brainer!

Just before that, 10th April is Siblings Day in the US, making a chance to share pictures and stories of your beloved brothers and sisters and invite your customers to do the same. 

11th April 2023 is National Pet Day for the US. Hygiene permitting, a bring your pets to work day can liven up your workplace, boosting the morale of your staff and bringing a smile to everyone’s face (as well as inspiring some cutesy noises from the dog and cat lovers. #dogperson).

Here are a few more of the dates for your calendar to keep track of:

April

• Thursday 20th April - Ramadan ends (Global) + Get to Know Your Customers Day (US)

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog about Get to Know Your Customers Day!

• Saturday 22nd April - Earth Day (Global)

Highlight the eco-friendly ways you’re improving your business on your social media.

• Sunday 23rd April - St George’s Day (UK)

Decorate with dragons, serve up traditional English food or a tasting event, and share some English recommendations such as a live music show.

• Tuesday 25th April - Anzac Day (AUS)
• Wednesday 26th April - Administrative Professionals’ Day

Say thanks to your support staff and give them the spotlight.

Want to get ahead for May 2023?

We love being proactive. Here are a few dates you could consider for your business promotions in May:

• Monday 1st May - May Day and Labour Day (UK)
• Thursday 4th May - Star Wars Day (Global)
• Saturday 6th May - Coronation of King Charles III (UK)

Get a royal special or afternoon tea on your menu, or get creative with a ‘royal treatment’ bundle deal.

• Sunday 14th May - Mother’s Day (US and AU)
• Monday 15th to Sunday 21st - Mental Health Awareness Week (UK)
• Sunday 29th May - Memorial Day (US)

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, National Inventors Month, and National Bike Month in the US.

Our list is by no means exhaustive, and there are websites dedicated to documenting national and international celebration and awareness days throughout the year. They can provide excellent inspiration for your social media and great ideas for ways to liven up business and gain much-needed attention. 

Still short on ideas? Take a look at some of our other resources

Here at Epos Now, we spend a lot of time trying to provide our wonderful customers with the tools and tips they need to flourish. Whether you use our services or not, we have dozens of blogs on marketing chock full of advice to help you win new customers and keep them coming back. Just head over to our resources page and hit that marketing tag to learn more about how to market your business.

While you’re there, take a look at our POS systems. Trusted by over 55,000 businesses worldwide, Epos Now's point of sale tills offer the latest hardware and software to help you simplify the way you trade, saving hours you’d spend on business admin and management.