With football in full swing and fall just around the corner, it’s a sign that holiday shopping is fast approaching. According to the National Retail Federation, some retailers count the holiday shopping season as upwards of 20-40% of their overall revenue, with 2-3x the daily sales compared to the rest of the year. Therefore, it’s critical that e-commerce operators gear up and concentrate their marketing efforts – namely SEO – on this important time. In fact, now is the optimal time to lay the foundation and create the search strategy for campaigns that will go into effect prior to Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). As customers start to research products and make their wish-list lists, the holiday shopping season is starting earlier and earlier each year; to get your business in front of these audiences, you have to be one step ahead. Check out these tips from our search engine specialists on how to capitalize on holiday shopping behavior and get the most share of wallet for your business:
- Use holiday related terms. By looking at free tools like Google Trends and Google Adwords Research, you can see what keywords and phrases are most popular with consumers. Incorporate these into your campaigns, landing pages, blogs and social posts for improved conversion rates. It’s always a good idea to freshen up content on your site anyway, but creating holiday specific promotions can capture additional targeted traffic.
- Make gift guides. Many times, shoppers start out as browsers, searching for that perfect gift for family or friends. Since they might not have a clear idea of what to buy, help them out by providing suggestive selling guides based on certain inncrements (such as “under $100, under $50, under $25). If you offer gift cards, or personalized gifts, market that front and center.
- Leverage social channels. It’s not too late to start a page on Facebook, but if you think you might not have time to manage it, consider something like Pinterest. In 2012, Pinterest drove 16% of e-tail sales. Businesses that are doing it right are those that include item prices (which generate 36% more pins) and make sure that their pin links to an active URL. Businesses also benefit becausee users whose friends have pinned an item are more likely to buy it. Another time-saving idea is to engage customers with a Pinterest content/challenge. Ask your customers to pin combinations of items from your site, creating their own boards. Then, either the audience or you can choose a winner. In the end, it’s a win-win for all, since your content is gaining traction and eyes.
- Start now. According to Google, 30% of shoppers start holiday shopping BEFORE Halloween. By adding early-bird specials and holiday related content to your site now, you’ll catch the early birds. And it gives you another opportunity to reach out to re-market to these shoppers again, with say, a free shipping incentive or a % off if they come back before the holidays, or refer a friend. There’s no better time than right now!
