{"id":113258,"date":"2014-10-10T00:48:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-10T05:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/all-we-want-for-christmas-is-measurable-conversion-2\/"},"modified":"2024-12-21T05:54:46","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T10:54:46","slug":"all-we-want-for-christmas-is-measurable-conversion-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/strategy\/all-we-want-for-christmas-is-measurable-conversion-2\/","title":{"rendered":"All We Want for Christmas is\u2026Measurable Conversion!"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you didn’t start planning “Christmas in July”, we want to be your October Miracle… to help connect your brand with the gift givers on your list.<\/p>\n

Like many marketers, all we want for Christmas is…measurable conversion<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Most retailers have goals of leaving the competition in the dust (or snow, as it were) and surpassing revenue expectations. With reports predicting increased consumer spending<\/a> (just shy of 5% over last year), retailers with a solid plan will take a bigger piece of the pie.<\/p>\n

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Before your television becomes a showcase of hearty hearths, sugar plums and sacks of toys, you should make sure your holiday marketing advent calendar is well-prepared with some goodies for each of the five phases of holiday marketing:<\/strong> Pre-holiday, Black November, Thanksgiving, Christmas Countdown and the Post-Christmas period<\/strong>. Structuring around these holiday phases ensures you\u2019re not lacking in content or offers during any of the peak shopping times. The truth is big brands have been all over this for months \u2014 as the winter promos are wrapping-up for one year, planning for the next commences. For big, established brands this is a well-oiled cycle but if you’re a smaller, mom-and-pop\u00a0shop or a shiny, new start-up, we’ve highlighted the five opportunity spikes here:<\/p>\n

Pre-Holiday Marketing<\/h2>\n

One of the first things marketers should know is that the holiday season is starting earlier every year \u2013 not just for brands, but for shoppers. My local news station broadcasted a \u201cChristmas in August\u201d session. The data behind that showed shoppers are jumping on their lists shortly after July 4th to alleviate some of the last-minute stress.<\/p>\n

Obviously, we are past August now, but the bulk of what\u2019s happening can still be capitalised on. Brands should be starting to connect their messaging to seasonal intent. I don\u2019t mean putting a Santa Claus hat on a Chihuahua (albeit, very cute), but perhaps using some messages that recognise how stressful last-minute shopping can be, giving all the more reason to start now. In other words, encourage your loyalists to get to your stores or sites early so they can enjoy their holiday rush, worry-free.<\/p>\n

Many retailers jump to an early start because of the competition in the online retail world. If you\u2019re looking to get a jump on some of the .com giants, then earlier is better.<\/p>\n

Black November Marketing<\/h2>\n

Black Friday has morphed \u2013 it now spans the entire month of November. It\u2019s a great time to start dropping hints of your full out holiday messaging. Give some teasers, incentives and reasons your customers should get\u00a0on the wagon with shopping. What many retailers haven\u2019t yet picked up on is this awesome little fact: in November, shoppers tend to stray from their lists and pick up some extra items for themselves. Bonus revenue!<\/p>\n

Something that works very well in November is online display advertising. The value of online display is sometimes not immediately realised, but a number of studies show a 5-25% increase<\/a> in campaign-related searches over the following 14-day period. If your SEO and SEM are up to snuff, you should be able to boost conversion rates based on view-thru conversions.<\/p>\n

Thanksgiving Marketing<\/h2>\n

Almost everyone has some free time and days off surrounding the Thanksgiving week and leading into Cyber Monday (Dec.1). Can you guess what takes place during that crucial time? Tons of internet usage! Further to that, social media metrics have shown a year-over-year spike in both visits and session duration. People are engaged with social during the Thanksgiving time, and it\u2019s a great idea to continue your messaging in your most profitable social forums.<\/p>\n

Repetition is something to remember around Thanksgiving. It sells. Ever hear a radio commercial that has a phone number in it? How many times did you hear the phone number? At least three, I\u2019m sure. Your social messages during Thanksgiving should be in line with your pre-holiday messaging strategy \u2013 that continuity will increase brand awareness and result in a lift in your clicks\/conversions.<\/p>\n

Another idea for your holiday content is to look for ways to blend three distinct ingredients: your known brand messaging<\/strong>; messaging around Thanksgiving<\/strong> (think colours, language, imagery, etc.); and the third ingredient is humour<\/strong>! Coming up with funny and light-hearted content during Thanksgiving makes people feel more like they are away from their daily grind.<\/p>\n

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