In This Blog:
Last year, we talked about how to run successful Chinese New Year promotions. And just like that, another Lunar New Year celebration is upon us. This time, a sixth of the world’s population will be welcoming the Year of the Water Tiger.
In case you’re not familiar with Chinese New Year (CNY), here are some facts to bring you up to speed:
- CNY celebrations last 15 days, making it the biggest (and longest) holiday in China.
- It’s also referred to as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival.
- Each year represents an animal from the Chinese Zodiac within a 12-year cycle.
With a population of 1.4 billion, China is one of the largest markets in the world. In fact, its consumer market is expected to reach a value of a whopping $8.4 billion this year.
Can you imagine getting even just a tiny share of this?
It’s no wonder then that global luxury brands, among others, often compete to launch the best CNY marketing campaigns. Some were successful, while others made a huge faux pas.
However, you don’t have to be a luxury brand (or even of Chinese heritage) to celebrate or take advantage of this holiday. Chinese culture is everywhere in the world. Heck, it’s the third largest migrant population in Australia – and this market is rife with promise for any SME that wants to expand their customer base this time of the year.
Here are six simple marketing campaigns you can choose from:
CNY-themed Product Sets
CNY is arguably the most important celebration for Chinese families. For many migrants around the world, this holiday offers them a taste of home and carries a cultural significance that allows them to celebrate the holiday not just for a day. Not two. But a week or more!
To make their celebration more special, you can offer themed products and gift sets. For example, if you’re in the food business, you can redesign your packaging just for the occasion. Otherwise, you can also create limited-edition items inspired by the holiday itself or by the current Chinese zodiac, which right now is the Water Tiger.
Designing these products might take a while, so it helps to have a talented remote graphic designer on your team. And if they happen to be of Chinese descent (just like so many in the Philippines are *wink*wink*), so much the better.
Virtual Red Envelopes
Chinese New Year won’t be complete without its famous red envelopes. Known as “lai see”, these envelopes are exchanged with friends and families and it usually contains cash. Hence, it’s always exciting to receive (or give) them away at this time.
Make use of this red envelope concept as a way to send gift cards and coupons virtually. Whether you offer a product or service, you can allow your customers to send or share discounts to their loved ones via your own virtual red envelopes.
For example, every customer that purchases from your store can get a virtual red envelope containing gift vouchers. Talk about a new way of celebrating the lunar new year!
Mystery Offers and Bundles
The Chinese are big on luck and good fortune, especially during CNY. Incorporating this into your Lunar New Year campaigns (that’s another phrase used interchangeably with CNY, by the way) won’t just be fun, it can also generate considerable buzz, especially on social media.
For instance, you can play guessing games through your Facebook account. Here, you can ask trivia questions, such as fun facts about CNY. The followers who can guess the right answers first would receive discounts on selected items.
To make things more exciting, you can even ask them to share your post and tag their friends to increase their chances of winning gift bundles for the entire group!
Informative Facts
Speaking of social media, you can also use your Facebook and Instagram pages to post relevant, timely content.
Topics like “Where To Find The Best Dumplings In Sydney” are always a good idea. You can also churn out content about how to prepare for CNY, how to create DIY decors, and traditional best wishes to write on a virtual greeting card.
Sure, these ideas may not be directly related to your products. However, they are a great way to build emotional connections with your audience, which may have positive impacts long term. Lastly, good quality content spares you the risk of implementing careless marketing campaigns which can go horribly wrong – or end up alienating your target audience.
Story Telling
Speaking of customer engagement, nothing beats asking your followers to share their own stories.
Using your social media accounts, ask your followers what they love most about CNY celebrations. If you want, you can offer prizes for the best answers. This could also encourage others to share theirs.
Special celebrations like Chinese New Year often stir up precious memories. And if you’re a migrant in a far away country like Australia, wouldn’t you notice a brand that helps you reminisce?
Contest and Giveaways
As with Christmas, CNY is a great opportunity for brands to give away freebies to entice potential customers to try their goods or services. Hosting a contest also happens to be an easy way to reach your target audience and potential clients.
You can be as creative as you want, while staying culturally relevant. Think tiger-themed designs, catchy titles, or big-time prizes. Whatever rewards or mechanics you come up with, make sure that they drive traffic into your website and social media accounts.
Celebrating Chinese New Year is a great way to expand your customer base, especially if you do it right. If you’re unsure about how to start, you don’t have to do it on your own.
Remote Staff has been around for the last 15 years and counting, helping Australian SMEs and entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses faster and more sustainably. By providing talented and skilled remote workers from the Philippines, we help you make the most out of every opportunity- regardless of which holiday presents it.
Call us today or schedule a call back so we can get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
