3 Tips to Grow Online Holiday Sales
The holidays are upon us. People have started to decorate their homes, plan family gatherings and find the perfect gifts. Retailers have a different set of tasks to prepare themselves for the holidays: They're focusing on what they can do ahead of time to increase brand awareness and maximize sales.
Competition between online retailers is fierce all year, but it ramps up during the holidays. That's why it's important for online merchants to make sure their web, email marketing and social media strategies are generating the greatest possible returns entering the end-of-year rush. Here are three tips that can help you make sure you're ready for the holidays:
1. Maximize the effectiveness of holiday offers with perfect timing. Industry research shows that consumers respond best to certain types of promotions. Free express shipping offers, buy-more-save-more promotions and post-holiday sales are among the most popular with customers. Moreover, consumers respond to these offers in greatest numbers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So if you plan to use short-term holiday promotions to drive sales, consider a campaign strategy that has a proven track record, and target the days when the most consumers will be online to shop.
2. Raise brand awareness with a holiday email marketing campaign. Rather than waiting for online shoppers to visit your e-commerce site, reach out to them with an email marketing campaign. Keep in mind that visuals are critical — eye-catching graphics and unique designs can help your email campaign stand out in a crowded field. Furthermore, because your competitors are also likely to fight for consumer attention via email, consider a less conventional call to action. For example, most retailers will be urging consumers to buy their product as a gift for a loved one. An email campaign encouraging recipients to treat themselves to a gift could touch a chord in a season that usually revolves around giving to others. Who says giving is always better than receiving?
3. Offer something valuable in social media campaigns. When you communicate with consumers on social media, it's a good idea to offer them something valuable rather than just a sales pitch. People expect advice and engagement from social media messages, so just tweeting a call to action is unlikely to capture consumers’ attention. Instead, offer information on the holiday-specific benefits of the product or promotion, positioning it as a solution to a problem during a hectic time of year. It's also important to make sure that your holiday social media campaigns don't undermine the brand you've worked hard to create. Ensure that social media campaigns have the same look and feel as all your other customer communications.
The holiday season is typically the busiest time of year for retailers, with hopes for high profits riding on it. Merchants tend to step up their game during the holidays, which only increases competitive pressures. That's why it's so important to effectively reach out to consumers, targeting shoppers when they're most likely to make a purchase, using multiple touchpoints to pique interest and offering valuable solutions during a hectic time.
Nikole Haiar is the director of marketing for Hostway Services, a provider of cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, managed hosting and web hosting services.
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