Pomp and Circumstance

6 Tips for Prom and Grad Season

My prom was a long time ago, but I’ve never forgotten…all the big hair. But proms and graduations still mean a lot to young folks—and the online retailers that sell evening gowns, tuxedos and limo services for the big evening, or diploma frames, coffee mugs or other gifts for grads.

According to a 2007 survey conducted by BIGresearch on behalf of the National Retail Foundation, a third of people polled planned to purchase at least one graduation gift in 2007, with a total projected spend of $4.5 billion. Although cash was the number-one gift for graduation and prom season, other items such as gift cards, electronics and apparel were also on gift-givers’ lists last year. On average, consumers expected to spend roughly $58.50 on gifts, with parents and grandparents over the age of 45 projected to spend roughly $110.

Ready to take advantage of this springtime shopping season? Here are six helpful tips that may help you attract gift-givers and prom-goers to your ads:

1. Separate Campaigns

Advertisers who sell gift cards, as well as those who specialize in formalwear sales and rental, may want to consider creating campaigns targeted toward consumers who intend to purchase these items for their loved ones. Likewise, advertisers who sell party supplies and greeting cards should also consider separate campaigns targeted at those who are planning graduation or prom bashes.

2. Promotional language

Including deals, such as low price points, coupon codes, free shipping or free gift wrapping, generally improves an ad’s performance.

3. Keyword/creative conflict

Make sure that your titles and descriptions don’t clash with their associated keywords. Even when the keyword appears in the creative, searchers may skip the ad if the main focus appears to be on something else.

4. Keyword insertion and Alt Text

Our Keyword Insertion tool helps make sure that the user’s search term always appears in your ads, and Alt Text helps the ad appear the way you want it.

5. Customization helps

Greeting card sites that offer customizable cards should be sure to mention that in their ads, as it likely will resonate with searchers.

6. Scope of offerings

Searches using general terms shouldn’t lead to an ad for a very specific item. For example, people searching with terms like “prom dress” usually want to be able to browse a variety of styles and colors, and may not click on an ad that promotes a “red floor-length strapless prom dress.”

You may not still remember everything about your prom night or graduation, but if you remember these few important tips, you can make your ads the “class” of ‘08.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst