Making the most of the online Christmas selling window…
With less than 50 days to Christmas, the preparations needed for successful online campaigns are fast becoming the foremost concern for digital marketers all around the world. As half of shoppers now search online before making a purchase at Christmas, it doesn’t take an expert to realise this is when businesses need to capture their online market.
Really, preparation should start from the 1st of January and carry on all year long but Autumn is when the reality kicks in and this is when action should be implemented for PPC, SEO, Content and Social Media campaigns.
Here are Livelink’s five tips for digital marketers and online retailers to help them make the most of capturing markets online during the festive period:
1) Get your content ready early
Now that Google is ranking according to quality of content, the need to plan worthy content for landing pages, PR, emails, articles and even blog posts is essential. Fresh content is a great excuse to let customers know of new product releases or seasonal offers you have on. If you’re struggling with content ideas, what to buy guides, advice on products and winter weather delivery information are always well-received. Note that advice such as ‘Best Christmas present ideas for …’ is regularly searched during the Christmas period so it’s worth creating copy around this theme.
2) Get the timing right
Don’t leave it to the last minute! With the UK’s unpredictable weather you can’t always be certain that deliveries will be on time so make sure you don’t send out your promotions five days before Christmas. “Order now in time for Christmas” is always a good tagline to increase urgency and push sales in time for the big day.
3) Make sure your landing pages are relevant
You could spend days creating the perfect Christmas ads and blog content but if these ads aren’t linked to relevant landing pages then it could all be a waste of time and money. Create landing pages with festive content and include holiday keywords such as “Christmas” and “gifts” to direct customers to what they want. Sending them through to a plain and boring product page may well put them off ordering that product for Christmas.
4) Think about which channels will be most effective
Certain online marketing channels won’t be as effective as others during the holiday season so choosing the most suitable for your customers will really help save on costs. For example, if you are trying to personalise deals for individuals based on profile marketing, then emails could be the most effective as offers can be automated and content tailored to the wants of each recipient.
However, if you’re trying to push a specific product then Google product ads could be much more effective as many people use Google for price and rating comparisons.
Remember to be social. After all, Christmas is a time when family and loved ones get together and there will be more people than ever logging on to Facebook to wish each other a ‘Merry Christmas’ and to upload pictures. According to econsultancy, over 6.8million iOS and Android devices were activated on Christmas Day 2011 so make sure you’re involved in 2012 to capture these potential consumers.
5) Don’t forget about the days after Christmas
According to Experian Hitwise, Boxing Day 2011 was the biggest yet for online retail in the UK and Britons spent 13million hours shopping online on Boxing Day. These staggering results show that this could be even more important than the build up to Christmas and it is essential to make sure you have campaigns in place for these days. Remember, a lot of agencies won’t be in work until after the New Year so these campaigns really do have to be planned in advance. Sales usually start before January now with many shoppers going on a frenzy in the last few days of December. Make sure you have the resources to cope with demand and get those campaigns in place.
If you have any queries relating to these tips, phone the digital marketing team on 0161 870 8194 or email adrianne.tierney@livelinknewmedia.com
