Google AdWords Holiday Planning Must-Haves

The Christmas season for children is often a time of excitement and anticipation. On the other hand, Christmas for adults in business and in marketing can be a time of stress, flurry and potentially record breaking revenue. So how do you create one and avoid the other for your business this December? A solid, smart marketing plan for the holidays that is comprehensive, flexible and well thought out can be your answer to creating a merry marketing season. Here are a few ideas you can use to your advantage.

Don’t be afraid to increase your AdWords budget. The festive season more than any other time of the year sees huge increases in search traffic and if you want to capture as many shoppers as possible, now is the time to invest in your online marketing. Remember that a budget increase can be temporary so you’re not making any permanent financial commitments. You are simply positioning yourself to get ahead of your competition and in front of your demographic. The most successful marketers are those who invest in their own success. In the lead up to the intensive buying season, increasing your budget can assist with improving your quality scores which in turn can lower your cost per click. This is a perfect scenario to meet Christmas shoppers head on.

Your shoppers are stressed at Christmas. Not only are they parents, children, employees and sometimes employers; they are also now shoppers with no extra time to do the shopping. Being harangued by endless emails is not the way to win them over. Make sure your email and remarketing campaigns are delivering spot on, targeted messages that convenience your audience. Prioritise important messages like free shipping, extended store hours or maybe even gift with purchases. Be remembered as the business that helped make your clients life easier in the silly season.

If you’re in the e-Commerce sector a process of continual improvement on your shopping cart and checkout is imperative. This is even truer in the holiday planning lead up. Is it easy to use? Does it include everything that your customer needs to check out without abandoning the cart? Things that can really help are including promo codes, viewable tax or shopping costs and overall streamlining of the shopping process. Now is also the time to check with your e-Commerce platform about any additional tools or updates you can invest in to make sure you stand out as the leader of your industry.

Consider sending your loyal customers and clients a gift voucher to use for Christmas. According to studies by the National Retail Association, 61% of gift card recipients spend more than the total value of the gift card. As a marketing tool the benefits here are two fold. You’re rewarding your existing clients by making them feel valued. They in turn are promoting you through word of mouth and they are returning to you to purchase. It’s a win-win all round. If you’re sending out vouchers via email (which is a great way to target your online shoppers) then think about the ability to track the emails, all the way through to purchase.

Help your shoppers find answers to questions, learn more about products and solve an issue with an order, as suggested by Jim Davidson for Clickz. Your customer support infrastructure is already strong but by being available to your audience; their memorable experience becomes your sale. Take the time now to fix broken links, update email addresses and phone numbers and be on the forefront of customer service. One positive experience with your business can equate to a lifelong customer.

If you’re interested in learning more, then schedule a planning session with our Digital Strategy team here at SponsoredLinX on 0800 004 672 today to make sure that your Christmas consumers remember you for all the right reasons.

Christmas is stressful, it’s exciting and it’s the time of year that can make or break many businesses. You become a leader when you take the time now to plan your approach, consider what’s best for your audience and position your business as the go-to for a great festive experience.

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