More and more, marketers and brands need to combine their organic content efforts with paid advertising. Whether you want to boost Facebook views or take over search engine results, blending natural content with PPC ads is essential; choosing one over the other won’t give you the best results.
PPC ads are especially crucial during the holiday shopping season. With more people shopping online than ever, your brand has great chances to be found by those making their Christmas lists or looking for the ideal gift for someone special. Paid ads help your brand reach these shoppers at every step of their buying journey.
To capitalize on these opportunities, we recommend these seasonal strategies.
Start with Last Year’s Data
If you didn’t do any holiday ads last year, you can skip this section. But if you did, know that your previous data can be a helpful roadmap for where you might go this year. Were there certain types of ads, certain keywords, or certain calls to action that gave you big results? That doesn’t guarantee they’ll work again this year, but it’s certainly a reasonable indicator.
Use Seasonal Keywords
Research confirms that seasonal keyword phrases can make a big difference in the success of your ads. Specifically, words that help your ads get seen by shoppers—terms like “perfect gift,” “gift for children,” “stocking stuffer,” etc.—can work well when they are inserted into your copy. You might experiment with some really finely-honed phrases, like “affordable kids gifts” or “creative gift for boys.”
Rewrite Your Ad Copy
It can be a pain to rewrite all your existing ad copy, but it might also prove really effective—especially if you can generate new copy that speaks directly to holiday shoppers. Try using your copy to urge end-of-the-year decisions, or to simply encourage consumers to join you in your festive spirit!
Create Holiday-Specific Landing Pages
An effective PPC ad always links to a landing page—not just your generic homepage—and that’s especially important if you’re advertising special holiday deals or discounts. Ensure that the ad copy takes the reader directly to a page that specifically addresses that deal. Make it easy for shoppers to find what they’re looking for.
The holiday season offers many marketing opportunities, and PPC shouldn’t be overlooked.