Businesses Should Start Their Online Marketing Now for the Holiday Season
Do not wait until December to start implementing your holiday online marketing strategy. In fact, you should start now. The fall months are the perfect time to start your online marketing to build momentum leading into the holiday shopping season.
Regardless of your industry if your company isn’t using social media to boost sales then you are missing out. Consumers often use social media for purchasing decisions based on photos, captions, and hashtags, so if your social media is getting traffic you can be certain your website will receive traffic as well. In addition, social media isn’t called social for no reason – many happy customers will often share products or services they’ve enjoyed. If your product(s) or services are mentioned on social media you can expect that there will be an increase in your company’s trust, visibility, and influx of new customers. Now don’t go assigning your part-time receptionist or packing assistant the role of social media manager, unless you don’t mind looking unprofessional. Your social media reputation is vital for continuous growth. A professional social media manager isn’t a luxury reserved for larger companies, it is a must for businesses of all sizes, especially smaller businesses who have yet built a name for themselves.
Add some new product descriptions
A problem that most companies have is that their product descriptions are stale, boring, and unappealing. The company that gives value to their customers, provides helpful information, and makes purchasing decisions easier is the company that will have higher revenues. You cannot solely rely on product photos to sell. Consumers want more than just images- they want the whole experience. So, before you list that red sweater as “Red Sweater” available in sizes S-XL – okay, what about the sweater that makes it stand out and why should anyone purchase it? If your product descriptions are lacking that oomph and keywords, then it’s time to add life to them just in time for the holiday shopping season!
Forbes recently reported as many as 40 percent of Americans start their holiday shopping well before Halloween. With the holidays only weeks away, now is time to optimize your website in order to get higher rankings in search engines. Do not wait until a week before Cyber Monday to begin your search engine optimization because timing is of the essence and like the saying goes “The early bird gets the worm” proves true to both traditional brick and mortars and online businesses. Big retailers are always in competition with other big retailers and if you are a small business or ecommerce than you are not only competing with big retailers, but you are in competition with thousands of other small businesses. If you want consumers to find you in an already oversaturated market then you need to start getting your search engine optimization on.
If you want immediate marketing results, then using paid ads should be part of your holiday marketing strategy. You can easily get targeted PPC online marketing through AdWords. Your ad will be visible online when a person does a search for similar products or services you offer. The catch is that in order for them to be redirected to your website they have to click on your ad. The key is to create an appealing ad with a catchy caption and text that will attract buyers. A professionally created ad through AdWords will help you get more traffic, more leads, and more sales. While some find AdWords a little costlier, your ad will be viewed by a larger audience and you only pay each time your ad gets clicked on.
People tend to shop very fast during the holiday season. Most consumers like to avoid the crowds and the stress that often comes with Christmas shopping. Many would rather do their spending online due to the convenience of online shopping. These types of shoppers are too busy balancing both their professional and personal life that spending hours shopping is just a waste of time to them. Incorporating a call to action on your social media posts, business blog, and landing pages will boost conversions drastically. Your goal is to get a potential customer to become a paying customer by offering CTAs. Common CTAs are: Buy Now, Add to Cart, Read More, or Share Now. Placement of CTAs are important and shouldn’t be plastered just anywhere, in fact your CTAs should be placed strategically in order to receive the maximum attention and engagement. When done properly, CTAs are a powerful sales booster.
Consumer spending habits fluctuate all the time. The marketing strategy used two years ago may not be as effective for the current year. In order to get the best ROI in your holiday marketing you need to do market research. You need to understand your target market by having a better understanding of their spending habits based on data and statistics. Having a full understanding of what customers want will then allow you to offer specific products, prices, and services based on their wants and needs. Continuous market research will be helpful in long-term business growth and brand development. If you want customers to find you and get to know your business then you first need to take the initiative to know who they are.
For help with your holiday online marketing, contact: [email protected]
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