A new month and a change of season are both good reasons to evaluate your store, your products, and your marketing. Not that you can’t sell Christmas ornaments all year round, but you’ll have an easier time of it if you play into what’s trending this time of year.

Spring colors, flowers and nature, and Mother’s Day are all in the air. Here are a few ways you can boost your sales in the month of May.

Star Wars Day

May 4th (as in May the FOURTH be with you) is Star Wars Day. If you sell fannish goods, this is a great day to up your game on social and offer deals on your products. You can even make a special Star Wars themed promo code for your IndieMade store.

No Star Wars items in your store? How about any item with a galactic theme? Stars, moons, rocket ships?

TOP TIP: Star Wars Day isn’t just about the movies, it’s about the power of friends, hope and what we can accomplish if we work together. So why not take a portion of your sales for May and donate to a good cause?

“In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights out way.” -- Yoda

Mother’s Day

As long as you have a product you can deliver in time, it’s never too late to market to Mother’s Day. Create a handful of social media posts highlighting your best gift ideas. Join fellow artisans for a giveaway on Instagram. Build out Mother’s Day bundles in your store with a bonus greeting card or gift wrap.

TOP TIP: Shout Mother’s Day on your website with eye-catching graphics and text. Buying mom a birthstone necklace may seem like a no-brainer to you, but busy and overwhelmed online shoppers do better when you give them a clear suggestion and a simple path.

Spring

Move your best spring items to the front of your store, especially if they’re items you listed at this time of year in 2018. It’s always best to refresh your listings with new photos, text updates and placement. If you don’t have any spring items, think about which of your current creations could be easily updated with a new color or fabric.

TOP TIP: If you have a lot of spring items, create a temporary category for the season in your navigation sidebar.

Once you have your May plan in place, it’s time to get ahead of the game. Father’s Day, graduation, summer vacations – calendar-based marketing helps you stay relevant, which is especially important if you don’t update your story very often. Calendar-based marketing allows you to take advantage of trending hashtags on social and gives you a good reason to reach out to your past and future customers.

May the marketing force, be with you!