What’s the Best Digital Marketing Strategy for the 2019 Holiday Season – Get Ready to Sell!

With the arrival and passing of Black Friday, this marks one of the most competitive times of year across almost all eCommerce and online shopping platforms. It’s the holiday season! Every business that might have fallen behind on their numbers earlier in the year, with the right digital marketing holiday strategy, can boost engagement and potentially get their year to where it needs to be.

Did you know over 50 percent of all holiday shopping happens online – it’s true! Every year, more people are shopping online. In an effort to get you the biggest piece of the holiday online shopping frenzy, your 2019 holiday digital marketing strategy begins here.

Target locally and be specific

Everybody’s going to have launched some version of a holiday or Christmas marketing campaign. You’ve got to cut through the noise. The best way to do that is to target locally. Be specific in audience targeting. Consider digital marketing messages that make reference to local events, language or customs. Be local in your eCommerce holiday SEO keywords as well. This will help a great deal in reaching relevant customers in your marketplace.

The first step is to look at last year’s holiday shopping season

If you were in business last year, look to your analytics, sales reports, and any data you might’ve accumulated. What worked last year? What didn’t? What was your website traffic light? Were your conversion rates where you wanted them to be? Lastly, do you think you underperformed anywhere and if so, why? Think of how you can use your eCommerce strategy this year to do better.

What are the basics of a holiday digital marketing strategy?

A holiday-themed digital marketing strategy should rely on the basics of an intuitive holiday-friendly website. Any holiday sales strategy should be clearly marked and the first thing anyone sees when visiting your site. As well, a smart targeted holiday SEO strategy, an easy-to-use eCommerce checkout process, content marketing, and social media sharing icons should be included in your campaign. A lot of these details you may already have but it doesn’t hurt to confirm everything’s still working and you’re ready for the holiday rush.

Where are your customers online?

If you are dedicating marketing efforts on platforms where your audience is not, you could be wasting valuable time, effort, and money. Before spending anything on PPC campaigns or dedicating time promoting content, consider looking at platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, reddit, YouTube, and others. Where is your audience? If you can find them, at least you know where to invest any paid or unpaid marketing effort. You may find marketing opportunities you never knew you had.

When do customers actually do their holiday shopping?

Over half of us start our research for holiday gifts before November 1. In general, most of us will purchase gifts in November and the first two weeks of December. For this reason, as much as brands may not want to, starting holiday eCommerce marketing gently in October is a smart move. By December’s first week, almost all research on gifts have been done and most purchasing will be completed in the days that follow. The earlier you catch people, the better. That said, there are plenty of last-minute shoppers. You’ll also want to save the more aggressive holiday shopping for late November or early December.

Mobile marketing for eCommerce during the holiday season

There are more mobile shoppers than ever. People love using their smartphones to buy holiday gifts and go online shopping. If you don’t have a mobile responsive website or a mobile-friendly checkout process, you’re not in luck. You will lose far more customers than you care to. eCommerce categories like cosmetics, apparel, and general holiday gifts sell more on mobile than on desktop. Comparatively, electronics and tech still have more desktop buyers than on mobile. Regardless of where your products are on the spectrum, join 2019 and ensure your holiday marketing campaign is mobile friendly.

Holiday language, images, and video

The holidays are a time of year where marketing really becomes swallowed in holiday colors, language, images, and video. Your home page of your website, social media accounts, email marketing campaigns, and any holiday-based materials you give out should be branded accordingly. Get people excited to do their holiday shopping on your website with digital marketing content and images! For inspiration, visit virtually any online shopping website. There, you’ll find plenty of language, images, colors, and content ideas to peruse for yourself.

How does holiday content marketing work?

Like any other content marketing strategy, you want to use holiday-themed articles on well-researched, high-traffic keywords. SEO matters a lot. Anyone searching for a product like yours, they’re probably going to go to Google first. If you can have your website appear on the first page within the first few selections, you may be able to convert that inquiry into a sale! Don’t forget about scheduling your holiday blogs, articles, and content marketing elements. Also, continue using that holiday-themed language. Get everyone excited.

Why is social media the busiest during the holiday season?

Have you ever wondered why social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the busiest during the holiday season – the answer is easy. Consumers are looking to buy gifts. If nothing else, your 2019 holiday marketing strategy should be to amp up efforts on social media. Schedule posts reliably, hype up holiday-themed gifts or marketing, push sales and promotions hard! You are more likely to pull in sales and conversions on social media from new customers than anywhere else so be sure to monitor any platforms you are active on daily.

Launch your best holiday-themed email marketing campaign

Another source of how to nab last-minute gift shopping and holiday sales is to use email campaigns. With email, you can segment your subscriber base into current customers, past customers, etc. Appeal to them with time-sensitive, affordably priced sales and promotions. Sweeten the deal any way you can. You can capitalize on a person’s impulses during this time of year more likely than any other. They’re ready to spend money so give them something to spend it on.

A holiday video marketing campaign that taps into emotions

Video is a great way to tell a story and tap into emotions, nostalgia, and universal love. There are some absolutely amazing eCommerce Christmas and holiday themed video marketing campaigns out there. If you have the budget, filming a meaningful video for Christmas for your customers that speaks to them is a very wise investment. The holidays can be lonely for some people. It’s also a time when family matters most. No matter what product you’re selling is, consider your audience and their experience. What’s important to them during the holidays? Video that!

The best content isn’t the content that sells you direct

Although you’ll want overtly promotional holiday images, video, social posts, and articles, valuable content like how-to articles, reviews, YouTube videos, and information-based content marketing is a covert holiday marketing strategy. A customer may arrive at your site unsure of quality of product. They will want more information. That’s where your content marketing comes into play. How-to articles, instruction, and a little bit of creativity can communicate value in a product as a holiday gift. See how to contribute value in content.

eCommerce holiday marketing is a challenge. The best digital marketing strategy for the 2019 holiday season is a results-driven train of content, video, social media, email, and more. As marketing experts, we know nothing’s guaranteed. Any brand will need to work hard and tirelessly to achieve the sales they want. This holiday season, partner with Unlimited Exposure and see big results! The holiday shopping season is truly a phenomenon. The rewards can be plentiful and satisfying. Get ready to sell!