Kick Off Your Holiday Marketing Campaign With These 5 Strategic Internet Marketing Tips!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
NOW is the time to launch your strategic Internet marketing
plan for the upcoming holiday season.
If you think it's too early, consider this: A recent study by
BizRate found that 34.9% of online holiday shoppers will start
their shopping by Halloween this year!
In order to capture their attention, you want to make sure the
first fold of your web site is full of the information holiday
shoppers need to know before they'll decide to buy. (For those
of you who aren't sure what the "first fold" is, it's the
portion of your web site people see before they scroll down or
click on any links.)
If you want to maximize your holiday conversion rates, make
sure your top fold includes...
- Holiday-ready headlines and sales copy: In order to make your
headline really speak to your visitors, make sure it addresses
the need they're trying to solve: choosing a gift for a friend
or family member.
- Be sure to explain exactly what kind of benefit they'll get
from your product or service -- and then also mention the
benefit the giver will receive from offering it as a present!
An opt-in offer that speaks to the needs of holiday shoppers.
For example, you could put together a "Holiday Buying Guide"
that tells people more about your products and explains why
they'd make great gifts.
- Holiday specials and discounts: Make sure you offer some
special deals on your products to entice your visitors to buy!
How about an early-bird deal if your customers make a purchase
before a certain date? Or a special discount for those panicky
last-minute shoppers?
- Your shipping information: If you're able to offer free or
discounted shipping, be sure to include some mention of it in
the top fold of your site.
- Provide an ironclad shipping guarantee and return policy so
customers know their gifts will arrive in time. Put both at the
top of your right- or left-hand sidebar so your customers won't
miss them.
- Free gift-wrapping service: It's another great way to give
your customers an extra perk without much additional cost to
you. For the cost of some paper and ribbon, you can make any
humble package look like a fabulous holiday gift!
- Urgency builders: Another thing you could include in your
first fold is a little "countdown" box that tells your visitors
exactly how many days are left to Christmas, or to the shipping
deadline for gifts to arrive in time.
Or try installing a Hover Ad with an urgent holiday message
that lets them know right away exactly how long they've got to
make a gift purchase.
You could also use the Hover Ad to advertise your holiday
specials and encourage your visitors to sign up for more info,
or offer a special discount coupon to people who join your
mailing list.
Now that you've got some quick and easy ideas to get your
marketing plan underway, don't let your competitors beat you to
the punch!
Remember, it's never too early to launch your strategic
Internet marketing plan for the holidays. Give yourself the
gift of a boost in profits this season!
About The Author: Derek Gehl is CEO of the
http://www.marketingtips.com, which has been teaching real
people how to use the power of
http://blog.marketingtips.com/derek to make real money on the
Internet since 1995. Sign up for IMCs newsletter
posted by Dennis Cheesman @ 7:06 AM,
