Can you believe it’s already March?!

Seems like just yesterday we were toasting one another while wishing everyone a Happy New Year. And yet here we are, nearing the end of the year’s first quarter. If you’re looking to increase your sales before the month is out, you’re in luck — this is the blog post for you.

March is a festive month. You can’t deny the popularity of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a day where people “claim” Irish heritage, wear green, attend parades, eat corned beef and cabbage, and perhaps even drink a Guinness or two.

According to the National Retail Federation’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Spending Survey, 56% of Americans plan on celebrating this year, and that jumps to 73% in the 18-34 year old demographic. If that age group is part of your target audience, don’t skip this holiday.

We’re not going to focus on how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as we’re pretty sure you’ve got that covered. Instead, we’re exploring St. Paddy’s day marketing tips and ideas to help your business do more business.

This year, consumers are expected to spend a total of $6.16 billion for St. Patrick’s Day, so let’s make sure you get some of that pot of gold.

5 St. Patrick’s Day Marketing Tips and Ideas for Your Website and Business

1 – Dress Yourself and Your Site Appropriately

The most popular way to celebrate St. Patty’s day, by far, is to wear green. In fact, it’s how 79% percent of people surveyed said they’d celebrate this year.

Consider adding some green elements to your website to get into the spirit. You can accomplish this by temporarily updating your color scheme (many website builders offer the ability to toggle between different colors and themes) or adding some St. Paddy’s-centric images to your site.

If you can’t afford to splurge on expensive stock imagery for a seasonal holiday promotion, don’t worry! Check out these free image resources where you’re sure to find what you need. (Bonus: these aren’t just for St. Paddy’s day materials; you can refer to these resources whenever your site needs a refresh.)

Do you have a brick-and-mortar business? Encourage your employees to get in on the St. Paddy’s Day spirit. They can help decorate your store or restaurant with St. Paddy’s Day decorations and wear green to celebrate the festivities.

Make your location a place where someone would want to celebrate the holiday, or if you’re in retail, make it apparent that you sell the holiday-related materials and supplies they need.

2 – Help Your Customers Save Some Green

Saving money feels good. Saving the planet feels better. Help your customers do one, or both, this March.

Encourage your customers to start “thinking green” as a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Consider offering to donate a certain percentage of your profits that day to a “green-friendly” organization, like The Nature Conservancy, or run a promotion on environmentally friendly items, like reusable straws and bags.

In doing so, you’re keeping to a green theme that’s in line with St. Patrick’s Day, and giving your customers a reason to feel good about themselves and the impact they’re making on the environment (and their pocketbook.)

3 – Make the Most of Email Marketing

 Are you using email marketing on your website?

If not, now’s the time. Email helps you stay top-of-mind with your customers and subscribers, and can bring people to your site when they aren’t otherwise thinking of you. 

Make the St. Patrick’s day theme immediately apparent in your customer’s inbox by paying attention to your subject line. Your subject lines should be short and to the point, like “Save some green this St. Patrick’s Day ☘️” or “Feeling lucky? Today’s your day to save. 🌈☘️” Using emojis is a great way to attract attention, but as with everything, don’t overdo it.

Your themed email can include special offers, links to St. Patrick’s day goods for sale, recipes, trivia, and more. Make it worth your reader’s while, but be mindful not to overwhelm them with content. You can include “Read More” links back to your website from your email, thereby bringing them back to your site where they can transact.

Pro-tip: When your email address matches your domain name, it creates trust in the inbox. 

4 – The Luck of the Draw

Who doesn’t like winning?

Incentivize your customers, email subscribers, and social media followers to interact with your business by running a sweepstakes or giveaway.

St. Patrick’s Day lends itself well to sweepstakes and giveaways because we often associate luck with leprechauns and the Emerald Isle. Create a sense of excitement around your business with a giveaway, and leave one lucky winner (or more, depending on how you decide to structure your sweepstakes) feeling sweet on your business.

5 – Be Respectful

Why do we celebrate holidays?

Holidays and days of festivity are commonplace the world over. They’re intended as days to celebrate what’s important to us, and many places take their holidays seriously.

Above all else, when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, be respectful of Irish tradition and culture. A simple example is knowing the difference between a shamrock and four-leaf clover, as only one of them is actually a symbol of Ireland. And make sure to avoid any negative Irish stereotypes in all of your marketing materials.  

Being respectful and mindful of different cultures will help you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day, and will help ensure that your marketing isn’t tone deaf and falling flat.

March is your lucky month.

If you want to see a little extra gold this month, consider joining in on the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations both online and off.

Consumers are poised to spend a record-breaking $6 billion USD this year on St. Patrick’s Day supplies, like clothing and entertaining goods, and celebrations, like going out for food and drink.

How will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? Do you have any marketing ideas for the holiday? We’d love to know, so leave a note in the comments.