This is the last official day of winter. Tomorrow is the first day of spring! Anytime there is a change of seasons, it impacts people’s moods, but especially when winter ends and spring weather begins to warm things up. It changes buying patterns. The winter-to-spring pattern goes something like this: warmer days and sunshine make people happier, happy people are more apt to make a purchase than sad people, the marketplace has more dollars available, so the opportunity for sales are greater than they were just a couple of weeks ago.

How does that impact your marketing? It has to be working right now. With people ready to spend money, you cannot afford to be sitting on your laurels during this season. What should you be marketing about your brand during this change of seasons? Is it any different than how you market your brand in other seasons of the year? It might be. As I mentioned, people are happier in the spring. Not only are they putting the cold-weather months behind them, but they are also exposed to more sunshine. Physiologically, that means your body is getting more Vitamin D and your brain is producing more serotonin, the happy hormone that helps you get restful sleep, digest your food better and lifts your spirits. Your marketing needs to ride along the happy trail. Tell consumers how your brand can help them feel good.

Take a look at a couple of items that sell very well this time of year. The first one is car sales. Think about the ads you see for cars this time of year. Are they focused on utilitarian aspects of the automobile, such as gas mileage and the length of the warranty, or are they focused on having fun driving the car? Auto marketing this time of year is filled with images of smiling people heading off to some adventurous location in that car. It works! More cars are sold in the spring than at any other time of the year. The second example is weight loss programs, particularly those targeted to women. Why would losing weight be a happy thought? It is a means to happiness, because what we wear and how we look wearing those clothes impacts our mood. The start of spring means that the bulky winter clothing is getting put away and being replaced with lighter, smaller and more form-fitting clothes. To ensure all of you fits into the tighter space and still looks good when you get there, weight loss might be needed. Spring is diet time. Warm weather signals it.

You may not be selling cars or weight-loss programs, but there are ways to attach your brand to the rising happiness that comes with spring. Look for ways to make a positive emotional statement about your brand through your marketing. Take a look at the images you use in your marketing. Examine the words you use to sell your brand. Keep them short and full of sunshine. Positivity sells this time of year. People are drawn to it. Happy spring! Use it to your marketing advantage.