Hunkering Down for the Holidays

Last call to get your campaigns ready for holiday shoppers—the blitz begins next week

Previously we discussed the four major days that generally make up the holiday shopping season. Clearly, the opportunities for holiday advertising are plentiful, and if now is the time to get your holiday campaigns in order, so that they’ll be ready when consumers are.

But to use a holiday-esque metaphor: Knowing where the chimney is is useless if you don’t know how to get down it. To make sure you don’t wind up with the proverbial lump of coal in your stocking, this shopping season, put these tips and tricks on your To-Do List:

Let’s make a deal
Without a doubt, the best advice we can give this holiday season is to offer consumers a deal they simply can’t refuse. Now more than ever, shoppers are on the lookout for ways to save money. Nothing turns heads faster than coupons, discounts, free shipping and anything else that helps shoppers save a few bucks.

If you offer any kind of promotional deals or savings, be sure to call them out in your ad copy this holiday season. Users are definitely looking for ways to save, so if you offer deals that might turn their heads, be sure to let them know.

However, if your deals come with qualifiers, be sure to explain those, too. Users expecting free shipping may abandon their items at checkout if that’s when they discover that the free shipping doesn’t kick in until they spend a certain dollar amount, etc. Promote the heck out of your deals, but always be upfront about them.

Get ‘er done
Whereas users are always interested in fast (and preferably free) shipping, when the holidays roll around, they’re also interested in timely shipping. Shopping early helps, but so does guaranteed delivery, which more and more merchants are offering at the holidays. Letting potential customers know that you’ll be able to get their gifts where they’re going in time is a great way to get them interested in you.

Insert keyword here
Users want to see search results that are relative to the keywords on which they’re searching. Getting vague, general results on highly specific keywords is almost always a deterrent to a sale. This can easily be rectified using keyword insertion in your Sponsored Search account.

Keyword insertion places the keyword in question into your ad copy, making it more relevant to the searcher. Of course, keyword insertion has to be carefully set up, with ad titles and descriptions that can accommodate the keywords in a way that won’t cause the ads to read oddly. But it’s worth the small amount of time it takes to set up keyword insertion, because ads that specifically reflect the keyword simply connect better with users.

Additionally, alt text can be used in place of keywords that wouldn’t work if inserted, such as purposeful misspellings or keywords that are too long. The overall goal is to create ads that seem specific and unique, because users tend to skip right over ads that seem like they were generated by a computer. Wouldn’t you?

Highly gifted
If you offer gift cards, be sure to call that out in your ad copy. If you offer e-gift cards, that’s even more important. E-gift cards can be sent right up until the very last minute, so consider promoting the heck out of them. What a fantastic last-minute stocking stuffer!

Proofread!
As in school, grammar and spelling count. Users tend to ignore poorly written ads that are hard to decipher, or those that simply indicate a lack of attention. A handwritten ad may be better than one written by a machine, but a nonsensical ad can be just as a much of a stumbling block. Take the time to make sure that your ads are smart, concise and well written. Clearly explain who you are and what you’re offering, and do it in a clear, easy-to-read way. If your website is a house, your ads are the welcome mat. So why not make them as appealing as possible?

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst