This time around every year, apart from the bonus holidays that we get during the month, you’ll also realise just how the crowds and traffic tend to disappear in the city; the roads get quieter than the usual, and for some of us, we get to plan our journey to work slightly later during the day.
And how can we miss out the fireworks that many of us enjoyed the nights before?
But all of these are only possible during the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
How to attract customers to your business?
For those who are celebrating, the festival only gets better with family reunions, and receiving or handing out red packets, as this also marks the dawn of a new zodiac year.
However, as the celebration gets more creative and competitive every year, it’s no longer just about keeping traditions alive; many businesses are throwing in their best marketing ideas to gauge consumers’ attention and increase sales during this lively season.
If you did not properly plan out your marketing strategies with these Chinese New Year marketing ideas, perhaps there’s still time for you to try them out!
Provide useful content and be interactive
While everyone gets busy with the preparation, don’t forget to also create useful content for your users.
According to research, Chinese New Year topics start to accelerate 5 weeks before the actual day in Google search results.
For instances, you can offer tutorials, how-tos and guides on your website or social media pages to educate users, increase your branding awareness and also improving your overall SEO performance of your website.
Or, if you want to be creative, go ahead with Chinese New Year social media campaigns with interactive contents such as creating a #Hashtag campaign to get users to share their Chinese New Year customs and experiences.
Don’t forget to leverage on social media platforms such as Facebook Live, Insta-stories, and InstaLive to connect with your followers.
After all, spreading joy is all part of the celebration to usher in the New Year.
So go ahead and share it with everyone, either through pictures, videos, or even going live on Facebook or Instagram.
Create heart-warming videos
Back in 2017, there were a total of 130,000,000 minutes of Chinese New Year-related content viewed in Malaysia and that’s equivalent to 90,000 days’ worth of content! Imagine how popular and significant content can be for everyone.
In fact, there has been a year-on-year increase of 250% in content generation since last year.
The trend is basically driven by the fact that video content, in particular, brings out emotions in people that carry a sense of togetherness, hope, and family values.
Don’t be afraid to tap into people’s emotions and if you are able to find the soft spot in your audience, your content will be most likely on its way to going viral.
Story-telling videos are also a great way to produce impact as it shows to be 20 times more memorable than normal videos.
And pssttt…we have a secret for you, studies show that the watch time on YouTube in Malaysia is slightly stronger in the evening, with the golden hour being from 5 pm to 9 pm, so don’t say iPay88 didn’t give you “Ong” ah!
Tradition with a twist
As the “Ang Pau” (Red packets) giving tradition still continues, bear in mind that technology is also catching up with this humble practice.
For some, consumers are experimenting with this trend by using their smartphones to send electronic or QR-generated ang pau.
Coupled with the support of banks and apps, they have also provided similar platforms for users to send their ang paus virtually to one another, indulging them in the excitement as a motivation towards the cashless payment in a cashless society.
This way, it also helps to strengthen the bond as friends or family who are away from home also get to soak into the spirit of giving and receiving.
On top of that, Malaysians are also spending 9% more in the Lunar New Year than any other month, driving retail and online stores to provide discounts via electronic ang pau vouchers or even handing out QR-generated collaterals on their retail stores to gain attraction and popularity.
Play with numbers
Numbers can mean little to some but it holds so much meaning to the Chinese, especially during the Chinese New Year.
The prime example is number 4 should be best avoided as its pronunciation means “death” in Chinese.
7 is also considered a taboo to some as well as its pronunciation in Chinese is similar to the pronunciation of the word “gone” (?qu).
However, numbers such as 2, 6, and 8 are favoured as they each carry significant positive meaning.
- 2 is considered a good number as “all good things come in a pair”.
- 6 is pronounced as “liu” which also means smooth flowing for the receiver’s businesses, studies, etc.
- 8 is the most popular of all in Chinese, its pronunciation of “ba” reflects the meaning to make a “fortune” or “wealth”.
So, do avoid using the number 4 and adjust your product pricing into more prosperous numbers, especially with 8 in it.
Who knows? You might be more “Ong” and your customers might be more “Huat”!
Limited edition products
Releasing special and limited edition products or bundling the product to commemorate the Chinese New Year is one of the best strategies to leave a print on your customers’ minds.
These products are usually presented in colours such as gold and red, or incorporated with the zodiac animal of the year.
Popular Chinese phrases or characters representing prosperity, wealth, and good luck are also favoured on such items.
These strategies are able to build a sense of excitement and exclusivity for customers to buy them, especially during Chinese New Year as they can convey the theme of it.
Conclusion
Alright, we’ve come to an end to this auspicious post! Those are the overall tips of what our “Feng Shui” masters whispered to us on how to attract customers to your business.
We hope this article has helped you clear the clouds and given you some insights to execute your Chinese New Year campaign.
For more updates related to industry news and insights, remember to read our blog. iPay88 would like to wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai!
May everyone is blessed with an abundance of good luck and good health this new year.
