Easter and short holiday seasons: a two-week campaign
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
A short holiday season (Easter, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Children’s Day) concentrates purchases in the final days before the occasion and calls for a two-week campaign, not two months. The structure stays the same: have the page or product ready before starting, spend the first week on your own channels (WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Business Profile, email), advertise in the second week, and close by recording who bought so you can reach them next time.
Easter changes dates every year and falls between late March and April (in 2027, it is March 28). Mother’s Day follows a few weeks later, on the second Sunday in May (May 9 in 2027). Anyone who improvised for Easter soon has a chance to apply the plan to a bigger occasion. The next date, Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, is June 12.
What needs to be ready before day 1?
Without exception:
- The offer in one sentence. “Mother’s Day gift set with three products for R$ X, delivery in Rio Preto by the Saturday before Mother’s Day, handwritten card included.” If the offer will not fit into one WhatsApp sentence, it is not ready.
- Somewhere people can buy or order. A website page or an online store product, with a price, delivery time, photo, and button. It cannot be “DM me and I’ll explain.”
- Logistics with a cutoff date. What is the last day you can accept orders for delivery before the occasion? Put it on the page and in every message. Correios and shipping carriers have their own delivery times; for local deliveries, your team has limits.
- A list of people who bought for the previous occasion and agreed to receive offers through WhatsApp or email. This group receives the offer first and converts best. Leave anyone who did not opt in off the list, and include an easy way to stop receiving messages in every message.
How do you divide the 14-day calendar?
| Day | Action | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| D-14 | Page or product goes live. Test the entire purchase process | Website or store |
| D-13 | Message people who bought for the previous occasion and opted in, with the offer in one sentence | WhatsApp broadcast list |
| D-12 to D-10 | Post the offer, including the price and cutoff date | Instagram, Google Business Profile |
| D-9 | Email your opted-in list, if you have one, with an unsubscribe link | |
| D-8 | Second WhatsApp message, only to people who have not replied | |
| D-7 | Start the ad, pointing to the page, with WhatsApp as the conversion | Meta Ads |
| D-7 to D-3 | Reply to messages within 10 minutes during business hours. This is where sales happen | |
| D-3 | Last-call notice with the order cutoff date | All channels |
| D-2 | Pause the ad or switch it to in-store pickup | Meta Ads |
| D-1 | Deliveries and confirmation messages | |
| D+1 | Record who bought, what they bought, and where they came from | CRM or spreadsheet |
The ad runs for just five days: before that, the cost per conversation is high; in the final days, it reaches people who still have not sorted out their gifts. The guide how to use Meta Ads to generate WhatsApp leads explains the setup.
What determines whether the campaign sold?
On D+1, record how many conversations the campaign generated, how many became sales, and where each came from (your own list, Instagram, advertising). Without this, the next occasion starts from scratch again.
The number that matters is cost per sale by channel. In general, a list of previous buyers costs nothing and converts best; advertising costs the most and brings in new people. If you only advertise, you pay for the same customer every time; if you only message your list, you do not grow. Recording where each sale came from is what CRM for small businesses with WhatsApp does, and what turns one occasion’s buyers into the next occasion’s list.
A florist in Rio Preto promoted Easter with an Instagram post on the Thursday before and sold its usual amount. For Mother’s Day, it built a page with three gift sets, sent a D-13 message to the 80 people who had bought for the previous Mother’s Day and opted in to offers, and started advertising only on D-7. The messages brought orders before advertising started, and the ad brought more, at a cost the florist could calculate for the first time.
What to do now
Take the next occasion that matters to your business, count back 14 days, and put D-14 on your calendar. If you are already inside that window and the page is not ready, that is today’s task; message the list the following day. For a calendar that holds up under everyday demands, see a content calendar that survives busy days. If you want your page, WhatsApp, and sales records connected before the occasion, describe your business; the assessment is on us: avilaops.com/jornada or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Is a campaign worthwhile for a minor occasion, such as Friendship Day?
Only if your product has a natural connection to the occasion and you already have a buyer list. Advertising for a minor occasion costs more than it brings in. Messaging your list for a minor occasion takes an hour and can generate sales.
Is a discount required?
No. Ready-made gift sets, gift wrapping, handwritten cards, and delivery on the day often sell better than 10% off because they solve a gift buyer’s problem: time.
Can I reuse the Easter page for Mother’s Day?
The template, yes. The URL, no. Each occasion has its own page and URL, which can stay live year-round and be updated the following year; that builds history with Google. Deleting the page after the occasion throws that history away.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
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