seasonal-campaign

name	seasonal-campaign
description	Plans seasonal and holiday marketing campaigns with timelines, creative themes, and channel strategies. Use this skill when a user needs to plan a campaign around a holiday, seasonal event, back-to-school period, or any time-bound buying moment for their e-commerce or service business.
allowed-tools	Read Write Edit

Seasonal Campaign

When to Use This Skill

• User wants to plan a holiday or seasonal marketing campaign
• User needs a timeline for a time-bound promotional event
• User is preparing for Black Friday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or similar
• User wants to capitalize on a seasonal buying moment
• User needs creative themes and messaging for a seasonal push
• User asks about campaign calendars for upcoming holidays

Core Principle

SEASONAL CAMPAIGNS WORK BACKWARD FROM THE BUYING MOMENT — START WITH THE PURCHASE DATE AND REVERSE-ENGINEER EVERY DEADLINE.

Workflow

Phase 1: Define the Campaign Window

1. Identify the seasonal moment and its buying timeline:

   • Impulse holidays (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day): buyers purchase 1-7 days before
   • Planning holidays (Christmas, Back to School): buyers start 3-6 weeks early
   • Event-driven (Black Friday, Prime Day): buyers browse weeks before, purchase day-of
   • Seasonal shifts (Spring, Summer): gradual, no hard deadline

2. Set the campaign calendar:

   • Teaser phase: build anticipation (2-3 weeks before)
   • Launch phase: reveal the offer (1 week before to day-of)
   • Urgency phase: last chance, countdown (final 48-72 hours)
   • Post-event phase: follow-up, thank you, extended offer (1-3 days after)

Phase 2: Develop the Creative Theme

3. Choose a campaign theme that connects the season to the brand:

   • The theme is NOT the holiday itself — it is the brand's angle on the holiday
   • Connect to an emotion or desire the season amplifies
   • Create a campaign name and tagline that work across all channels

4. Define the visual direction:

   • Color palette additions or seasonal shifts
   • Photography/graphic style adjustments
   • Typography or design element changes
   • Social media template modifications

Phase 3: Plan the Channel Strategy

5. Map content to each channel with specific deliverables:

Channel	Teaser Phase	Launch Phase	Urgency Phase	Post-Event
Email	Hint/save the date	Main offer reveal	Countdown/last call	Thank you + recap
Instagram	Story teasers, countdown sticker	Feed post + Stories + Reel	Story countdown, DM reminders	UGC reshare, results
Website	Banner update, landing page prep	Hero image swap, sale page live	Countdown timer, low stock badges	Sale ended page, next event teaser
Paid Ads	Awareness ads, retargeting warmup	Conversion ads with offer	Retargeting cart abandoners	Lookalike audiences from buyers
SMS	Opt-in for early access	Exclusive early link	Final 2 hours alert	Thank you, exclusive post-sale

6. Write the key messages for each phase:
   • Teaser: curiosity-driven, no details
   • Launch: clear offer, simple CTA
   • Urgency: deadline + social proof + scarcity
   • Post-event: gratitude + bridge to next engagement

Phase 4: Build the Timeline

7. Create a reverse-engineered timeline with hard deadlines:

   • Content creation deadlines
   • Design asset deadlines
   • Email sequence scheduling dates
   • Ad campaign launch dates
   • Inventory/fulfillment preparation
   • Website updates go-live dates

8. Identify dependencies and go/no-go gates:

   • Creative assets must be approved before ad scheduling
   • Inventory must be confirmed before sale page goes live
   • Email list must be segmented before first send
   • Landing page must be tested before paid traffic starts

Phase 5: Set Success Metrics

9. Define measurable goals:
   • Revenue target for the campaign period
   • Email open/click rates by phase
   • Conversion rate on the sale/landing page
   • New customer vs. returning customer split
   • Average order value during campaign vs. baseline
   • Ad spend and ROAS target

Example 1: Mother's Day Campaign for a Gift Box Company

Input: "I sell curated gift boxes. Mother's Day is coming up and I want to plan a full campaign."

Output:

Mother's Day Campaign: "She Deserves the Pause"

Campaign Window: April 21 – May 12 (Mother's Day = May 11) Theme: Giving mom permission to pause — not another obligation, but a moment of rest Tagline: "Give her the one thing she never gives herself — a pause."

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Timeline

Date	Phase	Action	Owner
Apr 7	Pre-work	Finalize gift box offerings (3 tiers: $45, $75, $120)	Product
Apr 10	Pre-work	Photography complete — lifestyle shots of all 3 boxes	Creative
Apr 14	Pre-work	Landing page built and tested	Web
Apr 14	Pre-work	Email sequences written and scheduled	Marketing
Apr 16	Pre-work	Ad creatives approved and uploaded	Ads
Apr 21	Teaser	Instagram Story: "Something special is coming for the moms in your life"	Social
Apr 22	Teaser	Email 1: "Mark your calendar — Mother's Day drops in 3 days"	Email
Apr 23	Teaser	SMS to VIP list: "Want early access? Reply YES"	SMS
Apr 25	Launch	Email 2: Full reveal with all 3 box tiers, hero images, CTA	Email
Apr 25	Launch	Instagram carousel: each box tier with contents visible	Social
Apr 25	Launch	Landing page goes live, site banner updated	Web
Apr 25	Launch	Paid ads begin — conversion campaigns on IG and Facebook	Ads
May 1	Mid-campaign	Email 3: Customer testimonial from last year + "Still deciding? Here's our bestseller"	Email
May 3	Mid-campaign	Instagram Reel: unboxing video of the $75 box	Social
May 6	Urgency	Email 4: "5 days left for guaranteed delivery by Mother's Day"	Email
May 8	Urgency	SMS: "Last call — order by midnight for Mom's Day delivery"	SMS
May 8	Urgency	Instagram Story: countdown sticker + "selling fast"	Social
May 9	Urgency	Email 5: "Final hours — shipping cutoff is tonight at 11:59 PM"	Email

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Key Messages

Teaser email subject lines:

• "Something special is coming for May 11"
• "The moms in your life will thank you"

Launch email:

This Mother's Day, skip the flowers that die in 3 days.

Give her The Pause Box — a curated collection of self-care essentials she'll actually use. Hand-poured candle, loose leaf tea, linen eye mask, and a handwritten note from you.

Three sizes. One guarantee: she'll love it.

[Shop The Pause Collection]

Urgency email:

Orders placed after May 9 at 11:59 PM ET won't arrive by Mother's Day.

127 boxes shipped this week. The Luxe tier ($120) is down to 14 remaining.

[Order Now — Guaranteed Delivery]

Last-minute email:

Missed the shipping cutoff? We've got you.

Send a digital gift card in 60 seconds. She chooses her own box, and it arrives whenever she wants it. Sometimes the best gift is letting her pick.

[Send a Digital Gift Card — $45 / $75 / $120]

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Success Metrics

• Revenue target: $18,000 (250 boxes)
• Email open rate: 35%+ (campaign average)
• Landing page conversion: 4.5%
• Cart abandonment recovery: 12%
• ROAS on paid ads: 4:1 minimum

Example 2: Black Friday Campaign for an Online Course Creator

Input: "I sell online courses and coaching. I want to do a Black Friday sale but I don't want to feel sleazy about it."

Output:

Black Friday Campaign: "Invest in Yourself Friday"

Campaign Window: November 17 – December 2 (Black Friday = November 28) Theme: This isn't a doorbuster — it's the one time per year the investment in yourself costs less Tagline: "The best deal this Friday isn't a TV. It's you."

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Offer Structure

• Flagship course ("Scale to Six"): $497 → $297 (40% off)
• Course bundle (Scale to Six + Content Machine): $794 → $397 (50% off)
• Coaching upgrade: Add 2 coaching calls to any purchase for $150 (normally $400)
• No flash sales, no hourly drops — one clear offer, one clear window

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Timeline

Date	Phase	Action
Nov 3	Pre-work	Write all email copy (7 emails)
Nov 7	Pre-work	Record 2-minute video explaining the offer and why
Nov 10	Pre-work	Build sale landing page with countdown timer
Nov 14	Pre-work	Schedule all emails, prep social content
Nov 17	Teaser	Email 1: "I do this once a year. Here's why." (story-driven, no offer details)
Nov 19	Teaser	Instagram post: "Something's coming November 28. Save the date."
Nov 21	Teaser	Email 2: "What my students accomplished this year" (results, no pitch)
Nov 24	Early access	Email 3: VIP early access link (subscribers only, 48 hours early)
Nov 24	Early access	SMS to subscribers: "Your early access is live"
Nov 28	Launch	Email 4: "Invest in Yourself Friday is live" — full offer, video embed, CTA
Nov 28	Launch	Instagram: carousel with offer breakdown + student results
Nov 28	Launch	Sale page goes live publicly
Nov 29	Social proof	Email 5: "73 people enrolled yesterday — here's what they said"
Nov 30	Urgency	Email 6: "48 hours left — then the price goes back up"
Dec 1	Final push	Email 7: "Last call — midnight tonight"
Dec 1	Final push	Instagram Stories: countdown, DM "DEAL" for direct link
Dec 2	Close	Sale page converts to waitlist. Price returns to full.
Dec 3	Post-event	Email 8: "Thank you — welcome to the community" (to buyers only)

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Key Messages

Teaser email (Nov 17):

I don't do sales. You know this about me.

But once a year, I drop the price on my programs because I remember what it felt like to want to invest in myself and hesitate because of the cost.

November 28. That's all I'll say for now.

Launch email (Nov 28):

Today only happens once a year.

"Scale to Six" is $297 (normally $497). The full bundle with "Content Machine" is $397 (normally $794). And if you want 1:1 coaching, you can add 2 calls for $150 instead of the usual $400.

I'm not going to manufacture urgency. The sale ends December 1 at midnight. The price goes back up. That's it.

412 students have taken this course. Their average revenue increase in 90 days is $14,200. I'd love for you to be next.

[Enroll Now — $297]

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Success Metrics

• Revenue target: $30,000 (100 enrollments across tiers)
• Email open rate: 40%+ for launch email
• Landing page conversion: 8%
• VIP early access conversion: 15%
• Refund rate: under 3%

Recovery and Fallback

• If the user does not know their seasonal moment, suggest the next upcoming holiday within 6-8 weeks and plan for that
• If the user has no email list, focus the campaign on organic social + one paid ad funnel to a landing page
• If the user cannot offer discounts, position the campaign around exclusive bundles, bonus content, or limited-edition items instead
• If the timeline is too tight (less than 2 weeks), cut the teaser phase and go straight to launch + urgency
• After 3 failed attempts to define the offer, stop and say: "Let's start with your bestselling product and a simple percentage discount. We can get creative on the next campaign."

Constraints

• NEVER include specific dates that will become outdated — use relative timing (e.g., "6 weeks before the holiday")
• NEVER plan more than 8 emails in a single campaign — audience fatigue kills conversion
• Every campaign must include a post-event phase — the sale ending is not the end
• Urgency must be REAL — actual shipping cutoffs, actual inventory limits, actual price increases
• Always include a "missed the deadline" fallback (gift cards, digital delivery, waitlist)
• Minimum campaign structure: teaser (2 touchpoints), launch (2), urgency (2), post-event (1)
• All timelines must work backward from the buying moment, not forward from today