The end of the year is fast approaching, and with it the 2021 holiday season. This last annual push for shopping is key to many business bottom lines, so plan ahead to make it a success!
If you’ve been gathering customer data all year long, now is the time to update your customer profiles and create targeted marketing campaigns. But every business can try these holiday marketing strategies.
Track Your Campaigns in Real-Time for Instant Insights – Good Data Can Help Your Marketing Campaigns Succeed
How much did you spend on ads vs. how much revenue was generated by those ads? How many more calls and leads were created by one ad over another? Are certain call centers, and even specific agents, more successful at turning leads into customers? See the results live, then adjust you campaigns, teams, promos and more in real-time to maximize your results.
If you can’t answer those types of questions, you don’t have the data you need to evaluate the success of your marketing campaigns. And if you don’t know what succeeded (and what didn’t), you can’t capitalize on that success for more growth and profit in the future.
By clearly tracking calls and sales from each ad you place and lead you gather, you can see what works. If a specific keyword, ad type, or more is more valuable, you know to invest time and resources into it. Maximize related keywords, create more ads in social sites instead of Google Ad Words, or invest in more print ads in specific regions – once you know what drives the most traffic and revenue, you can focus your marketing efforts.
Promote Shopping Deadlines, Prepare Early & Go Online
In recent years, more shoppers than ever are turning to online shopping with in-store pickup or delivery. When updating your website and marketing campaigns, don’t forget to review your website shopping process and checkout portal for the smoothest online shopping for customers! Worldwide ecommerce sales grew 27% last year, and even as more shoppers move back to brick-and-mortar stores many estimate that online retail will continue to grow.
And if your website isn’t optimized for mobile visitors, now is the time to consider it – Adobe reports that least year, over half of all digital Christmas shopping was done on smartphones.
All this increased online shopping however, has resulted in significant delays in shipping for the US Postal Service and all delivery services. Many businesses are encouraging their customers to shop early to avoid packages arriving late – if you have an earlier than normal deadline for when you can guarantee holiday delivery this year, make that extremely clear on all your checkout pages.
Get Active on Social to Connect with Customers
With more people spending time online, social media is a great way to reach customers. Whether you create a strong online community around your brand or pay for advertising on social sites, your customers (and future customers!) are out there. And the holiday season is a great time to share gift ideas, as people search online for gifts for their family and friends. Instagram and Tik Tok are especially popular options for shopping ideas with their “recommended for you” sections and posts from influencers.
With social, it’s not just following accounts and liking posts either – users can now shop directly from these sites. Grand View Research shows 11% of global retail ecommerce revenue in 2020 was through social sites, or $474 billion in just one year.
Always place CTA’s on your social channels for online, in-person, and call lead generation.
Plan for Extended Sales & More Options
Between online shopping anytime and limits on crowds still in effect in many places, don’t focus solely on one Black Friday sale day.
Customer now want to shop around, compare deals, and buy when convenient to them. Consider multiple offers throughout the holiday season, or plan and advertise multiple one-day events.
Make In-Store Shopping, Live Sales & Personalized Services Special
Despite growing ecommerce markets, however, in-person shopping is still a powerful opportunity (and it doesn’t have shipping delays). Reports show that in-store sales spike whenever lockdowns and other restrictions have been lifted. If any changes happen heading into the holiday shopping season, plan for your business to capitalize on that increase with in-store promotions and festive displays that draw shoppers to your store.
There are many products and services customers want to see in person before making their purchases, too – clothing sizes, color options, and extra features are all easier to decide when you have the item in your hands versus a computer screen. And for larger purchases and personalized services, customers may have many questions before they buy. Customer service and support can make these in-store purchase decisions easier for shoppers.
Make it easier for all your customers to talk with someone this holiday season to get answers to their questions and learn more about the products. Check that your channels of communication are ready for the holiday rush including in-store customer service desks, phone systems, online chat, and email.
With experience partnering with marketing agencies and working directly with businesses, Dial800 is here to help you get ready for the holiday season!
There’s Still Time – Contact Us Today for Help in Tracking your upcoming Holiday Season Marketing!
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