Melbourne Cup holiday the perfect platform for start-ups

Start-ups can capitalise on public holidays providing they pick the right one, according to a marketing agency.

With Melbourne Cup celebrations well underway, Pulse Marketing says start-ups can use many techniques to maximise their exposure during such events.

Managing director Lauren Brown says public holidays are an opportunity to make your business more visible to prospective clients.

“The main thing about those types of holidays is that people congregate; people are in certain areas doing certain things,” Brown says.

“The best thing you can do is use it from a start-up business perspective, where you want to be doing activities [in those areas] that are at zero cost.”

“Do any type of ambient activity – things that are entertaining and effective ways of getting a message out there.”

“People don’t want to get brochures or handouts that are just about branding. It’s an opportunity to be doing some offers and some call-to-action that may only be valid for that day.”

Brown says online campaigns are another cost-effective way of promoting a business during a public holiday.

“On Valentine’s Day, they might be looking up different restaurants or ordering flowers, so it’s [about] trying to find those mediums,” Brown says.

“Determine the decision-making that occurs around those holiday periods – you would be wise to position your business in those decision-making locations.”

Brown advises start-ups to send out electronic direct mail rather than email as you can track who receives it and what they’ve clicked through to.

“With an EDM, they need to be clicking through to further information, which you should have on your website,” she says.

Brown says start-ups need to choose appropriate public holidays and plan their campaigns well in advance.

“You’ve got to work out whether it is the right time for you to be advertising. Depending on your product, you do need to be careful [which holidays you target], such as around religious holidays,” she says.

“I think that with any business, small or massive, you need to plan. If you don’t plan, you’re never going to get anything off the ground and if you do it’s not going to be done well. If you’re not going to execute well, do it next year.”