这个假期的供应链可能会很慢，但营销人员却不能掉以轻心。以下是营销人员如何在供应和运输复杂的情况下迅速行动，保持消费者的关注度。
Marketers must always be agile in their holiday campaign planning, as they juggle consumer demand with their brand’s ability to fulfill orders. Though this balancing act has become even more difficult amid global supply chain disruptions. Low product inventory and uncertain shipping timelines have put limits on which products marketers can promote, since consumers don’t want to be advertised a product that is sold out or that they can’t get in time for the holidays.
节假日对于许多品牌来说都至关重要，因为消费者热衷于购物。营销人员最不愿意做的事情就是为了迎合购物者的期望而暂停或撤下广告，从而失去话语权。那么，营销人员和广告商应该如何在库存低或运输受限的情况下为即将到来的几周制定营销计划呢？
注重长期品牌建设而非短期销售
虽然营销人员通常应在整个购物过程中培养客户和潜在客户，但在供应链趋于稳定之前，专注于能长期确保消费者业务的品牌建设工作可以减轻一些库存压力。对于在大流行病期间优先考虑快速销售的营销活动的品牌来说，这可能是一种节奏上的改变。但对于面临库存压力的品牌来说，吸引新的潜在客户并保持他们的参与度，直到库存得到补充，对于锁定未来的销售渠道非常重要。此外，在供应不足的情况下继续执行以转化为导向的策略，有可能会使客户流失，当他们发现广告中的产品无法购买时，就会失去对品牌的信任。
Emphasizing upper-funnel activities not only buys brands time until inventory levels resume, it widens the brand’s audience. This strategy can also make lower-funnel activations more effective in the future, as those strategies will then be applied to a greater volume of consumers. As evidence, a recent Nielsen study of the personal electronics industry found that the ROI on a brand’s incremental spend would be 78% higher than the baseline if the brand took a long-term approach. By contrast, the ROI would be 8% lower than the baseline if the brand pursued short-term driven opportunities.
转而采用长期方法并不一定要做出巨大的改变。例如，营销人员可以将旨在提供即时投资回报率的活动换成能显示延迟回报的活动；一个例子是将 "立即购买 "的行动号召按钮换成 "注册等待名单 "按钮。通过将客户添加到电子邮件数据库，营销人员可以在抢手产品恢复库存时自动提供最新信息，并让客户随时了解未来的促销活动。在此期间，消费者仍会被上层渠道的努力所吸引，从现有库存中购物，从而产生销售额，直到供应链趋于稳定。
Even if there is a slight chance that all inventory is delayed, brands should continue advertising to stay top of mind for customers. In response to the prevalence of choice and access—U.S. consumers say that 12.1% of their online purchases involve a brand they had not purchased before—brands don’t want to lose future business by spurning any customers with false promises this season.
灵活地将媒体购买与库存相匹配
许多品牌都加大了节日营销的投入，增加了本地电视广告等活动，以在家过节的人们为目标。然而，在供应链受到干扰的情况下，像这样的大手笔投放可能会对营销人员不利。如果库存不足，品牌不可能轻易撤下电视或杂志广告，考虑到这些广告背后的花费，他们也不愿意这样做。
为了避免这种情况，营销人员必须选择那些在产品售罄时能更灵活地编辑或删除广告的媒体渠道。例如，如果一个品牌知道有可能无法在圣诞节前将产品送到消费者手中，那么他们就应该优先考虑在自有渠道上开展营销活动，或者将媒体购买放在社交媒体上，因为在社交媒体上更容易在飞行途中更改或停止营销活动，而不是放在传统平台上。
小品牌应抓住时机
随着大公司在供应方面陷入困境，小品牌（可能拥有库存）有机会介入并抢占大竞争对手的市场份额。随着大品牌减少广告投放，或继续推广与库存不符的广告，这可能会让客户感到失望，因此小企业应加倍投放广告，以触及他们的消费者群体。
By identifying the seasons’ most sought after products and showing how their own products deliver on consumers’ wishes, marketers can redirect shoppers’ attention to their business. Over one-10th of consumers’ online purchases involve a new brand, so how can marketers make those purchases their brand? Then, once marketers make that initial connection with new buyers, they can apply their remaining tactics to sustain the relationship and encourage sales over time.
不过，营销人员不应急于投放广告。他们应该根据数据驱动的洞察力做出购买决策，例如目标客户在什么时间聚集在哪些平台上。利用数字前瞻性媒体规划工具，营销人员既能获得购物模式和媒体行为等受众洞察，又能获得有关整体媒体格局的竞争情报，从而掌握必要的知识，实现差异化并推动优化。
节假日经常会考验供应链的实力和耐力，然而，大流行病的影响使问题变得更加复杂。供应链的中断会削弱品牌的许多力量，但营销人员可以通过转移购物者的注意力和鼓励长期参与来减轻负担。营销人员可以通过灵活掌握广告内容、时间和地点，减轻消费者的挫败感，进而锁定未来数月的业务。
This article originally appeared on Destination CRM.
