The biggest shopping season of the year is right around the corner. Are you ready to maximize the opportunity and optimize your selling strategy? Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to boost your sales and connect with your audience during the holiday season. We’ve got some helpful tips on how.
Start With Last Year’s Info
The best way to prepare for this year is to look at what worked and what didn’t work last year. What items sold best and why? Identify your most successful sales weeks from last year and use them as a foundation for your marketing strategy this holiday season. Often the highest online sales volume occurs in Week 49, two weeks after Thanksgiving. Yes, you may be thinking, “But what about Black Friday?” Black Friday may be one of the biggest shopping days of the year, but because of that, EVERYONE is trying to capitalize on it, which means that much more competition for eyeballs and that much more difficulty standing out in the marketplace. Focus on advertising and marketing efforts during your most profitable weeks. Consider whether your customers are early birds or last-minute shoppers and tailor your strategy accordingly.
Promotional Landing Pages and Time-Sensitive Offers
Entice your customers the moment they visit your company’s webpage with a promotional landing page targeting holiday shoppers. Offer time-sensitive pricing incentives during the holidays and showcase your top performing products on a holiday-themed landing page with great deals.
For visitors who are interested in your products but not ready to make a purchase, provide an incentive to sign up for exclusive promotional offers. Encourage sign-ups for exclusive holiday deals that are only available for new or existing subscribers, with a limited-time offer that will expire on a specified date. By signing up now, customers can secure their discount and take advantage of these special offers.
Make the Most of Social Media Marketing
The festive season provides an ideal opportunity for businesses to showcase a more personal side of their organization. As the holidays approach, companies can use social media to establish more meaningful connections with their customers, clients, and patients.
One of the beauties of social media is that it’s easily adaptable, shareable, and widespread. And that makes it GOLD for holiday marketing. Start by creating content that relates your products and services to the holiday season. Create exclusive social media promotions like special pricing and offers that are only available through specific social media platforms. This kind of content gets people talking and wanting to learn more about your business’s products and services.
When creating your social posts, don’t be a Grinch – the more entertaining and helpful you make your posts, the more likely you are to pique people’s interest and the more likely they are to share them. Also, photo and video go a LONG way in selling a product and getting people to buy, so have fun with it and make yours memorable.
Don’t forget to incorporate hashtags that tie it all together, which you can do by combining those you create with those already trending.
Holiday Keywords for the Win
To succeed in eCommerce, monitor and promote your money-makers (also known as your top-selling products). One way to boost sales is by tracking holiday-related keywords. Rather than using something generic like “toddler onesie,” try using “toddler onesie Christmas” or “toddler onesie holiday present.”
To improve your website’s search engine ranking for these longer-tail keywords, be sure to incorporate relevant holiday-related references and links to pages that showcase specific product promotions. By using social media platforms like X to keep an eye on these terms, you can identify potential customers who express interest in your products as holiday gifts and engage with them through targeted messaging. For instance, you could share an article highlighting the quality of fabric you use in your clothing and why that matters for a toddler’s skin. By utilizing these advanced tactics, you can attract more customers and boost sales during the holiday season.
Emails and Lead Nurturing
Implement a strategic marketing plan that utilizes email campaigns and lead nurturing tactics. First and foremost, reward your existing customers with exclusive offers to incentivize them to purchase more for their friends and family. Send a friendly email reminding them that the holidays are approaching and that you have a limited time offer for them to take advantage of. Include a coupon code with an expiration date to create a sense of urgency and encourage them to make a purchase. Don’t forget to include links to your blog or landing pages that showcase your most popular seasonal items and highlight the value of shopping early.
In addition to targeting existing customers, nurture leads by segmenting your email campaigns based on their interests. If a visitor to your website shows interest in a certain item, send them emails specifically designed to sell that item. By personalizing your email content and catering to their interests, you’ll be more likely to convert leads into customers and increase your holiday revenue.
If you notice that customers are visiting your website early in the season but not making purchases or abandoning their carts, use drip emails to remind them of your products and services and encourage them to make a purchase. This helps keep customers engaged as they navigate the holiday shopping process.
By utilizing email marketing and lead nurturing tactics, you can increase your holiday revenue and create a loyal customer base that will return year after year.
Procrastinators Can Be Your Friend!
Some people don’t even start looking for gifts until the 11th hour, and by that we mean it’s not unusual for people to still be ordering items on December 24th. Even if these shoppers aren’t hungry for big-ticket items, they are still looking for something. This is the perfect opportunity to make the most of cross-promotion and pair stocking stuffers and other budget-friendly items with bigger purchases. Perhaps consider offering shipping deals if people purchase multiple items. Customers who know you can pull through in crunch time are more likely to buy from you again.
We can help you get your ecommerce site in tip-top shape to make the most of the holiday shopping rush.