We’ll share five suggestions for the best ways to shout your holiday cheer from the rooftops and bring some extra sales down your chimney this year!
1. Don’t ‘rush’ the holiday rush
Yes, we all know you want to get a jump on your competitors’ holiday campaigns. But the early bird doesn’t always get the worm in ecommerce marketing. Example: If you’re running back-to-school and Christmas campaigns simultaneously, you’re doing it wrong. Starting your holiday push too soon can alienate customers who aren’t in the holiday shopping mindset. Compare previous seasons’ campaign performance for clicks, likes, and conversions against your order data to decide if your customers are early birds or last-minute hunters.
2. Resist the urge to go crazy
As with posting too soon, posting too frequently on social media will get your brand pages unliked. If your sales are time-sensitive, indicate that clearly in the post or added graphics – and try to limit posting socially to 1-2 times per day, if possible, on Facebook and Instagram and once per hour on Twitter. Remember, it’s not necessarily the frequency that will guarantee a spot on users’ Facebook feeds, but the engagement that the post generates – so share stuff that elicits responses from your fans.
3. Give them a reason to come back
It’s more cost-effective to retain an existing customer than to lure in a new one (and easier to do, too), so give holiday purchasers a reason to come back post-holiday. Whether it’s a package insert that offers a discount in the new year, a survey that earns them a ‘free-with-next-purchase’ gift upon completion, or a fun subscription offering, provide those who spend their holiday dollars with you an incentive to revisit you (and possibly treat themselves next time!).
4. Get your search marketing straight
In addition to your standard SEO protocol, consider adding holiday-inspired keywords to your metadata, Adwords campaigns, and product descriptions. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to find out what seasonal terms buyers use to search for your product mix, then incorporate them where appropriate. You’d be surprised how different the results returned can be for ‘holiday sweater’ vs. ‘Christmas sweater,’ too!
5. Don’t be afraid to make Clark Griswold proud
Does the holiday season fill your marketing campaigns with cheer? If not, it should! Go out of your way to be a complete cornball (if that matches up with your brand voice, that is): send customers Elf Yourself videos of your staff, change your contact center’s on-hold music to the Porky Pig rendition of ‘Blue Christmas,’ or tell hilariously bad holiday jokes on your social media accounts. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box on ways to engage customers – you must be genuine if you want to gain customers’ trust!