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November 11, 2015

Tips for boosting sales over the holidays

by StartupRunner

The holiday season is one of the most important times of the year for eCommerce businesses. Knowing this we want to prepare you with a few tips. GENERAL TIPS

  1. MARK YOUR CALENDAR WITH KEY DATES:
This way you can physically see how far out you should begin running campaigns. It is crucial to build excitement leading up to the key shopping days. “The frequency of your campaign should increase approximately two to three weeks prior to a holiday, or holiday season sales event. If following this model, you will notice that it is designed to build up excitement for your brand and firmly place this in the minds of your target audience.” Peak holiday shopping dates to mark in your calendar:
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Black Friday
  • Cyber Monday
  • Giving Tuesday
  • The week before Christmas
 
  1. FOLLOW UP:
Once the holiday has come don’t think your work is over.  This is a great time to follow up with your customers. Think post-holiday sale campaigns and sending emails and offers that will keep your your brand top of mind or will inform customers of future events and products. “70% of post-holiday shoppers were motivated by big sales, deals, and discounts. Capture demand after December 26 with campaigns pushing newly discounted prices or promotions.”  
  1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TARGETING:
Use audience insights from Facebook and Twitter to better target your audience
  • Tailor your message: Target your ads by profile demographics and purchase behaviors. Test different images, copy and promotions for separate audiences to see what works.
  • Use audience insight tools to see data trends.
  • Use customer lists to retarget existing customers: It’s easier to sell to your current customers than to new ones.
 
  1. GET YOUR HOLIDAY CAMPAIGNS MOBILE-READY:
  • Make sure your website and apps are optimized for mobile as consumers are increasingly researching and buying products via mobile and tablet devices.
  • Using AdRoll you can engage your increasingly mobile shoppers with highly targeted cross-platform, cross-device campaigns to capture shopping interest and sales across all channels.
  SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIFIC TIPS:
  1. EMBRACE SOCIAL MEDIA: Social media is the new way to spread chatter about your product.  
  • Consumers are able to share their thoughts about products with their whole social networks giving your brand the potential to become a trending topic. Engage with them:
“42% of social media users who contact a brand via social media expect a response within 60 minutes. Use each interaction with a customer as an opportunity for positive word-of-mouth marketing.”
  1. DISCOVER AUDIENCE INSIGHTS:  From a marketer’s viewpoint, use social media to discover and see when your audience is shopping and what they are looking for/talking about.

  2. TRACK YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: Read this article to see how to post content according to AARRR metrics.

  3. MAKE CONTENT RELEVANT:
  • Create warm, holiday-themed posts that showcase your business.
  • Create incentives and promotions: discounts, free shipping, limited-time offers or holiday giveaways.
  • Keep the story going: Create a seamless look from your ads to your site, so people stay connected to your message.
  • Add a call to action: Include a single, clear call to action that tells people what to do, such as “shop now” or “sign up today”
  • Keep image text short: Ensure there’s no more than 20% text within your ad image for it to be approved. Try this grid tool.
  Resources: https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/holiday-best-practices http://blog.adroll.com/best-practices/secrets-for-bigger-holiday-sales http://www.cision.com/us/2013/12/10-smart-ways-increase-online-sales-social-media/ http://semgeeks.com/blog/best-practices-your-holiday-marketing-campaign#sthash.4okj7X9R.dpbs]]>