Not all heroes wear capes. Some are just ordinary blokes who mean the world to their families. With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to pull out all the stops and celebrate all the great dads out there. 

A whopping 45% of consumers chose to purchase Father’s Day gifts online instead of in-store in 2020. This had everything to do with the pandemic, and although things have improved slightly, you can’t neglect your digital presence in 2021. It’s time to jump on the bandwagon and tug on those heartstrings with a Father’s Day campaign that your Dad would be proud of. And maybe you’ll get some good sales in the process! 

Tell a story with emotional marketing 

We all know the power of emotive advertising. Sometimes an advert really hits the spot and makes the brand impossible to forget. Have you ever wondered why that is? 

Long before the written word, human beings were storytellers. It’s in our DNA. That’s why storytelling through emotional marketing has such a long-lasting effect on the brain. When we’re exposed to emotionally driven storytelling, our brain releases high levels of dopamine which has a direct effect on memory retention. Big brands know this. Just take Nike for example – time and again they craft compelling, relevant and emotional ad companies, which is why theirs is the number one sports apparel brand in the world. Using this tactic in your marketing campaigns will improve the chance of your brand being remembered.

So, what’s the moral of the story here? You have to use this to your advantage and win your audience with an emotional 2021 Father’s Day campaign.

Using emotional marketing in your campaign can:

• Help you effectively connect with your audience.
• Build trust and eventually brand loyalty.
• Help your brand be more relatable.
• Encourage sales by giving a sense of purpose to the audience.
• Build relationships with a new market.

Segment your campaign 

Not all dads want the same things, so don’t rely on a one-size-fits-all approach to your Father’s Day campaign. Segment your audience according to their different interests, demographics, buying behaviours and needs.

Take a look at your web analytics and social media insights to make sure you are speaking the right language for each segment. 

Segmentation ideas for a Father’s Day campaign include:

• Previous buyers.
• Demographics.
• Interests.
• Signups.
• Lookalike audiences.
• Abandoned cart audience.
• Similar lists.

When you segment your audience you’ll also need to tailor your campaign messaging to the segment that you’re working with. Use language and imagery they can relate to, and choose products that they are likely to get excited about. By segmenting your audience you can deliver a relevant message that will be better received, increasing your chances of a higher return on investment.

Think outside the box 

We’ve established that there are loads of different dads out there, and why it’s important to segment your audience. We encourage you to avoid campaigns solely focused on old fashioned ideas of masculinity (they’ve been done a thousand times before). For example, take into consideration that June is Gay Pride month and use this knowledge to create a fully inclusive campaign that speaks to same-sex parents. This will show your audience that you are inclusive and potentially open up opportunities in new markets.

Host a giveaway, run a promo or partner up 

There is no better way to build traction around your campaign, increase engagement and grow your following than an irresistible giveaway.

Giveaways and promotions can be used as a lead magnet to grow your audience and increase conversions. Take a look at the numbers – they speak for themselves: 

• 34% of new customers are acquired through giveaways.
• Accounts that host giveaways grow their following 70% faster than those that don’t.
• Giveaways have a 3.7% higher conversion rate compared to other CTA’s.
• 33% of participants are open to receiving information about the brand.
• 94.46% of the audience share the promotion immediately after being exposed to it.
• Of which, 62% of that same audience will share the promotion with a friend.

Sounds good, right? To get your marketing juices flowing, here are some ideas to start thinking about: 

• Giveaways: Lucky draws or enter to win competitions.
• Free shipping: Free shipping for the month of June.
• Discount codes: Use this code and receive 40% off your Father’s Day purchase.
• Bulk offers: Buy three Father’s Day items and receive the cheapest one free.

If you’re looking for more inspiration read our blog on how to run a giveaway or speak to your digital marketing team about the most effective promotion to run for your brand.

Another fantastic way to reach a new audience is through collaboration or partnership with a non-competing business. Pair up with a brand with a similar audience to run a Father’s Day campaign. Teaming up makes your offering more interesting and engaging to the audience as it is something different to what they have previously been exposed to in your content.

From email to “he” mail 

Yes, you read right! No Father’s Day campaign would be complete without a man-tastic email strategy targeted to the favourite dads in your customer’s lives.

Email marketing is not dead and has the best conversion rates and the largest reach of any digital channel. The benefits are endless.

Some of email marketing benefits include:

• Better targeting and segmentation.
• Low-cost.
• Increased lead generation.
• High audience reach.
• Improved brand awareness.
• High ROI with minimal effort.

If you are looking to start a Father’s Day email marketing campaign but don’t feel confident in doing so, read this blog on how to start an email marketing campaign for beginners to get you ahead of the pack.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Create personalised subject lines
• Design fun templates
• Use eye-catching imagery
• Make sure your copy is engaging copy 
• Craft a strong call to action. 

Use eye-catching pop-ups 

Love them or hate them, there is nothing that catches your eye quite like a website pop-up. You can’t miss them! And if they offer value, then they can even delight your website visitors.

Installing and enabling a pop-up plugin on your website during the build-up to the 20th of June 2021 is definitely something to consider. Your pop-up could remind your shoppers to add something to their cart for dad or give them a special discount code when they subscribe.

A little nudge in the right direction can help the audience get inspired by the suggestions you provide which assist in increasing conversions. Don’t be too overbearing though. Make sure your pop-ups are well spaced to avoid the shopper becoming annoyed and navigating away from your website.

Create a Father’s Day gift guide 

Finding the perfect gift for dad can sometimes be challenging and can leave the audience feeling uninspired and with an abandoned cart.

Help provide some inspiration by creating a gift guide with products specifically geared towards Father’s Day. You can sort your gift guide into categories such as your most popular products, hobbies, promotions or interests.

Here are our top tips when creating your gift guide:

• Make sure you have great product images that show off the product well.
• Include descriptions that are optimised for your keywords.
• Make sure your gift guide looks great across all channels and all devices.
• Don’t be afraid to use video content.
• Think about who is buying the gifts for Dad and target them.

Consider creating your gift guides as a blog post. That way you can implement your keyword research in both the copy and the description of your products to improve your organic ranking.

Quick! Create a sense of urgency!  

The countdown to Father’s Day 2021 has begun. Create a sense of urgency around it.

Install countdown timers on your website and use copy that encourages the shopper to make that buying decision quickly.

Here are some copy ideas to create urgency:

• “For a limited time only!”
• “Offer only valid until 15th June 2021.”
• “Only 30 shirts left!”
• “Last chance!”
• “While stocks last.”
• “Quick, act fast!”

Creating a sense of urgency will promote those impulse purchases and increase conversions.

When there are so many other things to do, we know that creating a marketing campaign around a specific day can seem daunting. But with these ideas, you will be on your way to making a Father’s Day campaign that would make all the great dads out there proud. 

Start planning your campaign today to get ahead of the competition! And tag us on social media to let us know how many of the ideas you used from this blog!