How to make the most of your PPC this holiday season
Here at Spindogs, we take the festive season very seriously – both in work and out of the office. It’s no secret that Christmas ‘is the most wonderful time of the year’ but it’s also a marketers’ dream. With a 30% increase in online searches on Boxing Day alone, you’d be silly to go cold turkey on Boxing Day.
With the holidays nearly upon us, Christmas shopping is already well and truly under way (we can testify to that first hand!). So, how do you get customers to come to you for their festive bargain hunting? Here’s our top tips on how to make the most of the Boxing Day sales market:
1. Plan ahead of the big day
Everyone deserves a holiday, and while it’s important to keep an eye on your campaigns over the festive period, make sure you prepare yours well in advance – use your ad scheduling to make sure they go live just at the right time (and you don’t have to pop in to the office mid festivities to flick the switch).
2. Spruce up your Ad copy
Using Boxing Day themed copy will not only boost click through rate, but also keep your ads relevant to searches. Make sure you include timely references related to the Christmas holidays and festive lingo where appropriate. It probably doesn’t need saying, but you should also include terms like ‘present’ and ‘gift’ combined with your products to create holiday-relevant themes.
Create a feeling of urgency by emphasising the ‘limited time only’ nature of your Boxing Day offers, and list potential gift recipients for your products – consider what the relevant target audience is for your offering, and save money by focusing on that type.
Don’t forget holiday promotions such as guaranteed delivery within a certain time frame (next day/before end of December), gift wrapping and of course the classic free shipping and returns. Ad extensions are the perfect place to include this sort of information.
3. Package your festive remarketing
Re-capture the people who have previously been to your site, or have previously converted on your site. These people already know who you are, and are therefore a lot less ‘cold’ and more likely to convert.
Remarketing ads usually generate good results, as they target users who have already expressed interest in the products you offer, therefore allowing you to re-entice them with specific ad creative or messaging. This is especially relevant during the holiday season, with festive-centric copy like ‘Don’t forget the gifts in your basket’ and ‘Still time to get that party dress in time for New Year’s Eve’.
4. Find the most wonderful time of day
Make sure you’re scheduling your ads to appear at the right time of day for your audience – use historical data to discover when your audience are the most likely to be searching for your services/ products, but bear in mind the adjusted daily routine of the holidays.
With scheduled customised ads, you also have the opportunity to include time-sensitive CTAs and even countdowns. What’s more, if you hook up your inventory to AdWords, you can provide potential customers with updates on your stock availability, which is especially handy for products which tend to sell out quickly.
5. Mobile is the new mall
Mobile queries are likely to grow by 42% next year, so it’s time to make sure your ads are as strong on mobile as they are on a desktop and your ads reach your audience when they’re out and about.
Since online shopping first became popular, followed by smart phone and tablet shopping, data has shown that a great deal of purchases over the holidays are made on mobile devices. So, don’t miss out – start by making sure your landing pages are responsive for mobile, and once you are prepared for the traffic, create adverts specifically targeted for mobile with relevant extensions such as click-to-call and location.
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If you need help gearing up your PPC strategy ahead of Boxing Day, our in-house PPC specialists can work their magic to maximise your sales. Also remember that PPC, like a puppy, is not just for the holidays but for all year round – and we can help you plan ahead for your 2018 campaigns, so get in touch.