In eCommerce, there is serious money that can be made during the holidays. So, if you want to increase your sales, you need to start planning your holiday marketing campaigns as early as possible. Is there an ideal time for this? Well, some marketing experts suggest launching your campaigns in September, while others insist that July is the best time to get started.
No matter when you choose to do it, you need to get started much before the holiday season kicks in. Here are some effective marketing ideas to get your gears up and running.
Holiday Marketing Campaign Hack #1 – Have A Clear USP
If you want to make a killing and get ahead of the competition, you need to figure out your unique selling point (USP). Let’s face it: Many businesses offer the same products and services, so you need to make it clear why potential customers should choose you over the competition. Why should they buy from you? Do you have a wider range of products, offer them at a better price, or provide a warranty not covered by your competitors? Do you have a particular advocacy – for instance, donating a portion of your proceeds to a given charity – that resonates with your target market?
Focus on whatever makes your company the better choice and use it to reach your potential customers and make them want to buy from you. Admittedly, your USP may not work for everyone, but as long as it appeals to a sizable portion of your target market, you can expect solid results from your efforts.
How do you find and develop a good USP? Here’s how.
- Know your products. Take a careful look at your products and list down all the features and benefits. Why do you think people buy them? Use this idea in creating your USP.
- Check customer reviews and feedbacks. You’ll know why people are buying your products by checking customer reviews and feedbacks. You can also ask customers to fill out a quick survey to learn why they purchased your products and what they liked most about the experience.
- Spy on the competition. Check out what the competition is doing to have a better idea on how to frame your USP. A memorable USP can give you a distinct marketing advantage, so do your best to create one for your business.
A word of advice – figuring out your USP is not an easy task, so you’d better start now if you want to be ready in time for the holidays.
Holiday Marketing Campaign Hack #2 – Make It Irresistible
How do you make a good profit from your holiday marketing campaigns? Simple: You need to make an offer that is hard to resist. Here are some ways to do it.
- Create multiple product bundles and sell them at a discount. People just love them!
- Upsell – You could offer an upgraded version of a particular hot-selling product or offer the product at a deeply discounted rate with other add-ons. Make people feel they are getting the best value for their money!
- Create a value-add. Charge full price for the main product, but throw in a complementary product or service to sweeten the deal. This will increase the perceived value of the product at no additional cost to your customers.
- Offer exciting discounts. When done correctly, discounting your products can help make your eCommerce marketing efforts a huge success, especially during the holiday season. Providing early-bird discounts and limited-time offers are proven to work like magic every time.
Implementing a loss-leader pricing strategy (offering a product below its actual market value to increase sales of other more profitable products or services) can also bring impressive results.
Holiday Marketing Campaign Hack #3 – Personalize Your Ads
Figuring out your USP and coming up with an irresistible offer won’t be enough to ensure your success. You need to put your products in front of potential customers by creating ads that resonate with your target market. Always remember that the more personalized your ads are, the more likely potential customers are going to click on them, so make an effort to understand your target audience and their pain points. What do they want and what do they need? Know these things and you’ll be a step closer to achieving your business goals.
Holiday Marketing Campaign Hack #4 – Go For Video
Video ads can make your products stand out. You can expect that there will be tons of ads competing for your target audience’s attention during the holidays, so you need to step up your game. A high-quality video ad can do this for you; however, you can’t create a good video ad overnight. It takes careful planning, time and effort to put one up, so if you’re planning to use this strategy, you might as well get started right now.
What makes a great video ad? Here are some tips for creating a video ad that will make your potential customers want to buy your products.
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- Know your goal. Do you want to increase brand awareness or drive sales? Having a clear goal can help you accomplish what you have set to achieve.
- Tell a story. Your ad should tell a story that your target audience can relate to.
- Make the first seconds count. You can’t expect people to view your ads if you fail to catch their attention during the first few seconds.
- Keep it short. Studies indicate that shorter video ads are more effective compared to longer ads.
- Make it visually appealing. Use bright colors, good lighting, and appropriate settings when shooting your video.
- Include a call-to-action. Make sure your viewers know what you want them to do after watching your ad. If you want them to buy your product, tell them where they can get it by providing a link to your website at the end of your ad.
- Make it mobile-friendly. Never underestimate the traffic coming from mobile. According to Statista.com, 52.2% of all website traffic in 2018 was generated through mobile.
Create an effective marketing funnel
You can’t force people to buy your products the first time they discover your business. That’s why you need to create an effective marketing funnel. For those who are not familiar with this concept, a marketing funnel is defined as the path your potential customers take when making a purchase.
Different businesses have different marketing funnels. Some have simple funnels, while others adopt a more complex, multi-step route. The path you lead your customers to may also differ depending on whether they are new prospects or current customers. However, the desired end result is the same in all cases – to create more sales.
As your customers move along the marketing funnel, there is a greater chance that they will buy your product. You’ll lose some prospects along the way, but you can be sure that those who remain will be more likely to convert.
To properly optimize your funnel, keep track of your metrics: sales, traffic sources, time spent in a particular stage in the funnel, the number of people you lose in each stage, and closing rate.
Partner up
Collaborating with other brands can help you connect with a larger audience and increase your sales exponentially without creating a significant dent on your marketing budget. It’s a win-win solution for everyone involved, so if you have not tried it yet, maybe it’s about time you do.
Here are some useful tips to consider if you think that partnering with another business is the best way to go.
- Look for companies that provide complementary products or services. Partnering with businesses that interact with the same type of customers but are not your direct competitors can be mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.
- Set realistic and measurable goals.
- Work together to achieve common goals. Consider cross-promoting each other’s company on social media, run joint events (e.g. contests and giveaways), or offer referral bonuses for sending qualified customers to your business.
Leverage social media
Social media and eCommerce marketing is a match made in heaven. Need some convincing? Let these figures speak for themselves.
- 58% of online consumers follow a brand through social media. However, the younger generation (aged 18 to 34) are more likely to follow brands compared to the older generations. (MarketingSherpa, 2015)
- 54% of social browsers (people aged 16 to 64 who use social media to fill up their spare time without posting) are brand-engaged and use social media to research products (GlobalWebIndex, 2018)
- 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are more likely to recommend the brand to their personal network (LyfeMarketing, 2018)
- 30% of online shoppers would most likely make a purchase from social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest (BigCommerce)
- 15% of Americans made an online purchase by following a link from a social media site (PewInternet, 2016)
ECommerce marketing can be an extremely lucrative business – if you know what to do. Hopefully, these tips can help you achieve the kind of results that you need. However, if you think you’re still at a loss or are not ready for all the work it entails, contact SevenAtoms today. We can help kickstart your holiday marketing campaigns so you can make the most of this shopping season.
