Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming at us really fast — are your marketing and advertising strategies ready to roll? If not, we are here to help you plan up until the Christmas season.
This time of year is different for many people, especially for marketers and e-commerce business owners. Imagine everyone in the entire digital marketing world fighting for customers and sales with their own unique flair, antics, hashtags and more. Intense, right?
You’ll need to up the ante a bit because 2020 has definitely been different from past years and almost everyone will be shopping online due to the various levels of lockdowns. With the increased traffic, this can be a big opportunity for your business to outshine and outlast your competitors.
So to start off, we have assembled all the not-so-secret tactics that have actually worked, and are still working, for our team during the holidays. Here are the top 3 strategies we have arranged just for you.
Research, research, research
If you have been running ads for yourself or your clients for a while now, you will know that some of the trends from the past few years may still work today, but take note of the word ‘may’.
This is where the importance of research for advertising strategies comes into play — to assess what worked well and what did not. You also need to keep in mind that Facebook’s algorithm changes regularly, so be sure you are up to date. To help make it all a little easier, Facebook creates a Holiday Marketing Guide every year and you can check it out the 2020 version here.
Re-engage with existing customers and retarget
Based on experience, the cheapest ad spend and highest ROAS (return on ad spend) will always come from existing and repeat customers. This is something that a lot of marketers and e-commerce business owners tend to forget in the hype of the festive season.
These customers have already bought from you, meaning you have already established a relationship with them (lucky you!). Ramp up your email campaigns, re-engage, and show them some love! Be sure to nurture them because they can be more than just repeat customers — they can also be your greatest brand advocates.
Re-align and prepare all marketing assets
Preparing an overall strategy and producing quality marketing collateral are key factors in your marketing campaign’s success (or failure). Ask yourself the following questions as they relate to your (or your client’s) business this holiday season:
- What are the products that my potential customers will need from my business?
- What problem am I trying to solve for my customers?
- How will I make potential customers trust my business?
- What can I offer, in terms of tiered discounting, that will help them decide to buy from me?
- How do I want my marketing collateral to look and feel?
It’s likely that this year’s holiday shopping will be slightly more unconventional than the last PLUS more competitive with so many people relying on online shopping due to various restrictions and lockdowns.
While this type of change may stress you out, it can also provide you with an opportunity to try something new in terms of advertising strategies. As long as you research, prepare, and re-engage your customers, you’ll be on the right track for a successful holiday season.
And who knows, with everyone having to adapt, it might make it the best year so far for online business.
