It may only be October, but the Christmas period is fast approaching, and for businesses all around the world, now is the time to start preparing for the holiday rush. To make the most of this busy time of year, you will need to come up with a Christmas marketing strategy that you can work on in the following couple of months. Then, when Christmas arrives, you will already be prepared, and, hopefully, will be able to make the most of the holiday season.
So, what can you do to create a foolproof Christmas marketing strategy?
As an eCommerce site, your website is your main asset, so it needs to be well optimised. If you haven’t already given it a responsive design, this is a quick, easy way to ensure that customers accessing your site from mobile devices will be able to purchase what they need.
In any Christmas marketing strategy, it’s also a good idea to create a landing page. Having a specific page for the Christmas period can encourage customers towards a purchase, and also allow you to create new suggested categories, such as “gifts for men” and “gifts for women”. Once you have created this page, you can link future ads to it, ensuring that every customer is met by strong, consistent marketing.
Christmas is a time where people are going to buy gifts for their loved ones, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t look for the best bargains. Most eCommerce sites will host some kind of a discount, whether this is free delivery, daily deals, or a discount for when customers spend a certain amount on their site.
You also want to remember that some customers will be wanting to buy a lot of presents, which is why no Christmas marketing strategy would be complete without a “buy one get one free” or “buy two and get the third free” type of deal. Although this may reduce individual product margins, it encourages customers to do more of their Christmas shopping on your site, which, in the long run, is going to increase profits.
One of the reasons why customers abandon their half-filled, online shopping baskets, is that they cannot be sure of a site’s policies. This is especially true of small businesses; customers won’t know whether they can expect a good quality product, which is why it is important to make sure that you have a well-defined return system, as well as clear delivery details. Let people know how long it will take you to deliver their products, and tell them the latest date that they can order if they want their purchase by Christmas Day.
If you have a review system on your site, where customers are able to write reviews of your products, it is also a good idea to make these clear before the holiday rush. This Christmas marketing strategy will help customers to realise that, even if they had not heard of your site before seeing one of your ads, they will be able to trust in your service.
The ad-creation aspect of your Christmas marketing strategy does not have to differ too much from your usual system. Just make sure that you create clear, targeted ads that are bright and eye-catching. Most ads around this period make use of colour, and although you want your ad to stand out, you don’t want it to look dull in comparison.
You may also want to review your budget for your ads over this period. If you advertise in the right way, you will really be able to boost your profits, so you can afford to spend a little more on the actual ads. This way, you will draw in more customers, make your brand known, and, hopefully, end the year on a high.
Once you have optimised your site and created a few ad campaigns, there is no reason why you can’t start scheduling them. The sooner you begin reaching potential customers, the sooner you will reap the rewards of your Christmas marketing strategy. So, there’s no reason to hold back. Many of your customers will have already started their Christmas shopping, early though it may seem to some. To reach them, start posting your ads and get the word out about your deals.
It is also important to make use of your analytics. This is probably something that you already do, but it is even more important at Christmas, as customer behaviours can change. Make sure that you know which ads work best at which time of the day. Then, when December rolls around, you will know exactly how to target your audience and make the most out of the holidays.
Want to know more about Christmas marketing strategies? Why not get in touch?
EW.