It’s already that time of the year when consumers are clamoring for the latest and greatest items. While there’s no question that many B2C and B2B ecommerce websites will be dialing in their marketing efforts this season, it’s easy to forget some of the most important strategies that can make your brand stand out from the pack.
COVID-19 has caused a greater sales shift toward the ecommerce industry. Consumers are shopping a lot less at brick and mortar stores and experts predict that this trend will continue through the holidays. Salesforce expects that up to 30% of all U.S. retail sales will be made through digital channels this holiday season, meaning marketing efforts will be more important than ever.
B2B companies are also preparing to adopt a more marketing-centric focus. B2B consumers will be looking to spend remaining funds for the budget deal and will want the best deal and the easiest way to get it.
The Americaneagle.com team is here to help you make the most out of your holiday ecommerce marketing. These key tips will ensure you successfully get through the upcoming winter sales rush.
1. Start early and focus on both the front and back end of seasonal digital marketing campaigns.
Many ecommerce companies wait too long to start their holiday marketing planning. For the best results, you need to begin before the holiday season. Remember that during the holidays, digital sales could be the highest they are all year, especially if you plan for more than just Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanza (don’t forget about record-breaking holiday sales days like Cyber Monday, Black Friday and others.) If you haven’t already laid the ground work for holiday email and ad marketing campaigns, you need to dedicate resources to those projects immediately. Once you’ve figured out what you want to do, make it count. Analyze your customers’ pain points, study purchasing trends and maximize your efforts when you decide where your main areas of focus should be.
Planning for your seasonal digital marketing is so much more than what the customer sees. It’s crucial that all of your omnichannel operations are performing properly, long before the holiday season starts. Every aspect of the user journey should be seamless. Think about all of the additional promotional code entries, as well as expected traffic surges and plan accordingly.
2. Optimize your brand experience to boost conversions.
Whether you want to catapult your brand to the next level with popular holiday products or if you’re already a major player in your industry, optimizing your product lines could make the difference between a conversion and an abandoned cart.
Place the most relevant information at the top of all your product descriptions and test different content variations (images, logo, materials, etc.) to find the best layout for each product. Solid products need to be hosted on an easy-to-use and fast site. Site speed is a critical factor throughout the year, but especially during the holidays. With over 40% of people abandoning a website that takes more than three seconds to load, you can’t afford to lose customers when you’ve put in the time and effort to make your site great. When sorting out your holiday marketing plans, take some time to fix site speed issues and also revisit portions of your information architecture (IA) that you aren’t completely satisfied with.
3. Create innovative holiday content and enhance evergreen pieces.
Your products are only as good as the way you sell them. You could have the best deals on the market and great marketing ideas, but it will all go unnoticed if your website is populated by irrelevant content. Spend some time creating holiday specific content all around your site, and make sure it is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly to rank. Incorporate several calls-to-action (CTA) where appropriate and provide easy solutions for customers to convert and return.
Creating sustainable lines of communication with your customers during the holidays is key. Your holiday content strategy should be more than just plugging in themed keywords. You want to show prospective consumers who you are, what you do and how you can help them. The easiest way to increase holiday sales is not through general brand promotion but rather by highlighting your brand advantage.
- Talk about what makes you stand out from your competitors. Kohl’s does a great job telling customers the benefits of doing their holiday shopping with the brand. They also accomplish this through innovative offerings that don’t follow routine promotional gimmicks.
- Create inspiring holiday shopping guides, pay-per-click (PPC) and email campaigns. Direct customers to the products you want to sell and hook them with special deals or incentives. Presenting your campaigns with inspirational messaging is a must. Any business can create a message, but the most successful campaigns will make it about the user. For example, you could get buyers into “the season of giving” by donating to a charity on their behalf when they reach a certain amount of purchases. Think of ideas that make your customer feel like their spending is meaningful.
- Keep your customers coming back again and again. Once you’ve achieved customer acquisition, nurture that connection by presenting them with related items, percentages off future purchases and free or reduced shipping rates. You have the opportunity to create a lasting relationship that continues long after the holidays.
When you’re creating and optimizing holiday content, don’t forget to refresh evergreen content. Crafting copy that generates traffic for years to come is a sure way to save big. The less you have to spend on constant updates, the bigger your return on investment (ROI) is. Use the holidays as an annual “checkup.” Analyze the content you have and run it through your updated SEO checklist to make it even better. You can also incorporate ideas from your holiday-inspired content for enhancement.
Turn to the experts for additional help developing a successful holiday marketing strategy for your ecommerce business. Americaneagle.com has a team of professional content writers, SEO specialists and web editors that can guide your “sales sleigh” so you receive the best present there is: increased revenue and a returning customer base.
Learn more about our digital marketing services and enjoy your holiday with a new and improved marketing outlook.
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