Did you know that Cyber Monday 2016 beat all the U.S. e-commerce records? According to Adobe Digital Insights, people spent $ 3.45 billion on that day alone. That’s not all: the entire Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend expenditure was around $ 9.36 billion. And all forecasts are saying this year is going to be even bigger.
So, since this huge opportunity is just around the corner, there is only one question: do you already have a strategy in place?
Follow our holiday marketing tips to make sure you’ll get the best out of this season!
Make sure your website can handle extra traffic on peak days
You can easily expect traffic peeks on those days. First, talk to your developer and make sure your website can handle this extra traffic. Also, check the speed of your page to provide a smooth user experience.
However, no matter how well prepared you are, there is still the possibility that something could go wrong. Therefore you and your team should be constantly monitoring the activity and react as fast as possible if there are issues.
Don’t forget to provide a customer support to help people with their needs. If possible, create a live chat and have somebody taking care of it for the entire day. 44% of online buyers report that having a person answering their questions during the purchase process is one of the most important features of a website.
Get your website optimised for mobile
In 2016, mobile internet users have overpassed their desktop counterparts for the first time. Research shows that the average customer journey starts with looking for information on the smartphone. Also, an increasingly number of consumer is buying from it.
This behaviour was reflected in last year’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday days, when over $ 1 billion revenues came from a mobile device. We expect this data to grow even more in 2017.
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time for you to get your website optimised for mobile!
Offer a pleasant and smooth experience to your customers, provide them with the information they are looking for and, most of all, allow them to complete their purchase with a mobile-friendly checkout option.
Also, if your website is optimized for mobile use, you will stand out, as only 52% of small businesses do so, according to a recent survey by Yodle.
People getting on the internet from their phones are usually also more impatient. So, make sure to check the speed of your mobile page also.
Start early with the holiday planning
Planning for the holiday season requires a lot of time, so make sure you don’t start last minute. It will help you not stress out too much on those days, making it easier for you to focus on the sales and on providing the best customer experience.
Think about what are your best-selling products/services currently as well as that of last year. It’s very likely that you will have comparable results again. Based on that, decide what to push with your social media and email campaigns.
Choose also what deals or specials you want to offer and build a campaign around that. Maybe include an exclusive product you are only selling in the holiday season. Your customers will see it as something unique and will buy it. In the messaging, always include sentences that will cause FOMO (fear of missing out) such as “last chance”, “only a few left” etc.
Create an early sale
Our holiday marketing tips include a new trend for the Black Friday-Cyber Monday deals we spotted last year: they begin in advance. In 2016, Amazon did it even a week before!
The idea behind that is the earlier you acquire customers, the more opportunities you will have for repeated purchases.
So, make sure they know about your promotions on time and offer them a smooth experience, aiming to guide them through the entire holiday season.
Create a separate Black Friday-Cyber Monday section on your website
Create a separate section on your website with the Black Friday-Cyber Monday offers. You will have everything in one place, making it a lot easier for people to find the deals they are looking for.
Put a big compelling banner on the homepage to make people access that new section. Also, don’t show your regular “sale” page as it might confuse people. You are replacing it with the seasonal specials!
Don’t forget your email campaign
Your email campaign is one of your best resources to get to your clients. Use it wisely to drive more sales to your website.
Create compelling subject lines, with call to actions, wordings that might make people feel FOMO and, if you can, personalize them. You want people to open your email and know your deals.
Make sure the messages are optimized for mobile, as most of your customers will be reading them on their phones.
Include a call to action and a button in the body of the email, where readers can access your website and get to the deal directly. It will make them save time.
Provide a lot of information on your products and make them understand why they should consider you as opposed to somebody else. Don’t forget your unique selling proposition!
Integrate your campaign across multiple channels
It might sound obvious, but don’t forget to have a holiday marketing campaign across multiple channels such as social media, email, mobile and even SMS. In 2016, retailers that had an integrated campaign reported 30% higher sales than the ones who were only using one or two.
People are bombarded with ads and can’t pay attention to all of them. If they see your message repeatedly, they will be more likely to remember it. But you must ensure it is consistent, even if adapted to the different tools.
If you want to further engage your audience, you can add to your campaign an incentive to share your content with their families or friends. This will give you some free advertising.
Remember, Black Friday/Cyber Monday are stress days but they shouldn’t drive you crazy. If after reading the holiday marketing tips you feel like you need extra support, send us an email at marketing@migroupco.com and we will be happy to assist you.
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Web Design and Development
Mobile Optimisation
Graphic Design
Digital Marketing
Email Blast Marketing
SMS Blast Marketing