It’s almost that time of year again. The time where purses become lighter and stores become fuller. It’s a little late in the year to only just be fully developing a Christmas marketing plan, but just in case you haven’t yet strategised your Chrtismas marketing plan, we thought we’d help out a little, it is Christmas after all.
So, what are the key things to consider if you’re still putting the final touches to your digital marketing strategy for the festive shopping season?
Buyer behaviour changes from year to year, meaning online shopping patterns can be unpredictable, so if you’re investing in a Google Ad strategy, start with a strategy based on an analysis of historical seasonal data. With the use of Keyword Planner, you can look back through years of relevant search terms, bids and competition rates. Use this data as a reference point, not as gospel. Don’t be afraid to adapt it as the season goes on in order to produce more optimal results.
Two things to note when it comes to seasonal PPC:
75% of companies agree that email marketing generates good or excellent ROI (https://retro-digital.com). Christmas is a key time to create offers and ‘pulls’ in your email marketing. The fact that your email database have already signed up for your newsletter means they are already an interested party. If you can, try to entice the user to visit your website. Whether that be through special offers, competitions or speciality seasonal products or services.
Retargeting is still one element of digital marketing that is underused by so many. It’s no secret that basket drop offs or bounced visitors can be converted to purchase customers. A lot of the time, a user may have dropped onto your website, placed a few items in the cart and then simply got distracted and left the site, dropping off halfway through the purchase process. Retargeting people, (whether it be on Facebook, Google Search or Google Display Network), who have been on your website is a great way of reminding them about a product they were looking at, or things they were so close to buying.
How often do you update your website? Far too many business owners overlook how important a seasonal or tailored user experience is on their websites. Can you imagine, and I know I can because I have experienced it, landing on a website to shop for Christmas gifts and the website still being Halloween themed! This is a major put off not to mention a bad user experience.
So a little tip if you haven’t already planned it; review your website, identify where you can add some seasonal content, banners, images etc. Maybe you have a specific product line or service that ties in perfectly with the season?
Not that this shouldn’t be done all year round, but especially at Christmas you want as many people interacting with your brand as possible. This means more website users and engaged social traffic. So how do you obtain a higher volume of connection with your target market? Create meaningful, informative and interesting content.
We recommend writing on site content that isn’t just fluff. Create nuggets of gold that add value and resonate well with your consumers. The more that users are drawn to your website, the more they are likely to trust and be exposed to your brand.
And don’t forget to amplify this content. Invest in a social media ad strategy. Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn are tools that can drive huge increases in relevant and targeted web traffic, therefore resulting in more sales or customer connections.
If you need help with any seasonal, or none seasonal digital marketing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for a friendly chat.
