It’s hard to believe but Thanksgiving is less than 4 months away. As much as we love the idea of the holidays, sometimes we forget how quickly that time of the year arrives. One minute we are celebrating Independence Day and the next we are carving pumpkins. This is why it is so important to create a Holiday PPC strategy and start planning out campaigns now. And since 50% of consumers say holiday ads impact their purchasing decisions, we need to be in front of them months before the actual shopping begins. If you are new to PPC Campaigns or just feel that you need a little guidance, we have just the Marketing Strategist to help.
A Goal Without a Plan Is Only a Wish.
Now is the time to begin holiday PPC planning. What promotions will you run for the holidays? Many consumers begin holiday shopping before the end of October, so by September, your Pay Per Click Advertising should be focused on building awareness of your products or services. Holiday PPC Optimization is critical. For example, you should have landing pages that contain content that your users are searching for with relevant product information that loads quickly. You should also make sure all discounts and special offers are loaded correctly. This prep work helps set up campaigns for success and provides data that can be used strategically going forward. Acting early also ensures that ads are approved and ready to post on time.
Tis the Season for Festive Keywords.
Holiday PPC planning also mandates choosing the right keywords. First and foremost, it is crucial to choose keywords that are relevant to your products or services. In addition, choose festive keywords for the holidays that best fit your offerings. It’s important to note that you will need to have an adequate budget for the best keywords during the holidays. Keywords that include words such as “Christmas,” “gifts,” or terms like “Christmas gifts for friends” will be a focus for many PPC campaigns. To be ready to bid high enough to be seen, set aside an adequate budget to spend.
It’s also important to look at past campaigns to see what keywords saw the best conversion rates and avoid words that did not perform well. Don’t be afraid to try variations of keywords that may have a lower CPC (Cost Per Click). This strategy can dramatically lower the conversion cost and make your budget stretch further. If you need support with this process, an amazing Marketing Assistant here at Equivity is available to help.
Making Ad Copy Merry and Bright.
The holidays offer a great opportunity for marketers to have fun with ad copy and get creative. Feel free to use cheesy puns such as “Yule be sorry if you miss this sale!” to keep it light and connect with the consumer on an emotional level. The use of discount language will make your ads stand out and drive home the sale. Some examples of words or phrases to use are sale, coupon, free shipping, limited time offer, % off, BOGO, and bargain. We also should be sure to include CTAs that create a sense of urgency. “Snag this deal now” or “discount ends soon” encourages the shopper to go straight to the landing page and complete the purchase right away.
Put a Bow on It with Ad Extensions and Remarketing
Sharing PPC tips for the holidays would not be complete without talking about ad extensions and remarketing. Ad extensions are additional lines of copy shown right under your main copy heading. They give your ad more real estate and help to boost your ad’s rank on the search engine results page. By using ad extensions, you give shoppers a bigger picture of your business and entice them to click. Some types of ad extensions include Call Extensions (your contact phone number), Site Extensions (links to additional related web pages), and Promotion Extensions (a showcase for a sale or offer). Ad Extensions are free to add to your PPC Campaign, improve click rates, and improve your position on a search page. Make it a holiday tradition to use ad extensions for all your holiday PPC campaigns.
Don’t Regift, But Definitely Remarket
Utilize remarketing whenever possible. This is one of the best conversion tactics in digital marketing today. Popular search engines such as Google and Bing allow businesses to target display or standard text ads to previous visitors to their websites. By doing so, you can re-engage potential customers who have already shown an interest in our products or services.
Remarketing ads often cost less than ads to a more general audience. Further, the fact that the members of this audience previously showed interest in your site tends to make them more likely to commit to a purchase in the future.
That’s a Wrap!
Optimizing our PPC Campaigns takes planning, choosing the right keywords, creative landing pages, and copy, utilizing ad extensions, and taking advantage of opportunities to remarket. While it’s a lot of work, starting early puts us in the best possible place for successful campaign results. Ready or not, the holidays are coming, and we need to be sure our products and services are top of mind when the shopping begins.