It is officially 31 days until spring arrives, that is, the "official” start of spring, when the vernal equinox happens. Where I live, that does not necessarily mean the weather will be warmer on March 20 at 12:30 a.m. EST when the sun crosses the earth’s equator. But I can hope, because right now, it’s just cold outside and I could use the pick-me-up that a warm spring day would bring. Birds would sing to greet each morning. Trees would burst forth in leaf. Tulips would bloom and everything would smell so much better. I sit in anticipation of an early spring.

If you are a pessimist, you might try to quash my enthusiasm for spring by reminding me that spring also brings a lot of instability in the form of severe weather. Tornados, lightning strikes, floods and all kinds of pestilence is associated with spring weather. You might try to tell me that spring has been oversold. One day it’s sunny, the next it is cloudy and cold. I will tell you that I will take whatever spring has to offer as long as there is the possibility that I will see the sun shine both before and after I get off work. I am ready for longer days and shorter nights. So I will count down the days until the vernal equinox brings the sun to tan my hide after a long winter.

Where does all of this fit into marketing? Let’s talk about marketing mood. Did you know that you can do all of the right things to market to your customers, but if you do them at the wrong time, your efforts won’t convert into sales. It’s like trying to sell swimwear in the middle of the coldest days of winter. Likewise, they don’t sell fur-lined coats in July. There are times when your target market will be ready to buy and other times when they will be in hibernation. When we are developing marketing plans, we try to predict these "selling seasons” and market to them accordingly.

Now you may not be selling a seasonal product or service in your business. Even though this may be so, there are typically times when customers are more inclined to buy than others. If you are good at reading your customers, you will know when is a good time to market to them and when is not. And when there is a change of seasons – especially in the spring – people begin to feel better. The environment is coming to life. When people are cheering up, there comes a marketing opportunity.

If you think I am blowing smoke up your skirt, take a look at what is happening around you this spring. When are most new automobiles sold, when the weather is getting warmer or when it is getting colder? What is the biggest season for home sales? Spring. Two of the biggest purchases anyone makes are cars and homes. Spring is prime time for these sales to happen. Why? Marketing mood!

So don’t miss the opportunity that spring brings each year. While you’re counting down the days until spring officially gets here with me, make some marketing plans. The mood is about to change!

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Photo by Anita Martinz from Klagenfurt, Austria - Colorful spring garden.