Tis the season to be jolly. Tis also the season when e-Commerce retailers have to up their game and get the absolute most out of their Pay-Per-Click (PPC) digital marketing budgets and strategies. Although Cyber Monday has now been and gone, many of us still have presents yet to buy. And then there’s the all-important post-Christmas Day sales marathon. So there’s still time – and some damned good reasons – to fine-tune your seasonal PPC campaigns.
With recent PPC innovations like remarketing list for search ads (RLSA) and enhanced campaigns making this year’s landscape even more competitive, it’s become especially crucial to make sure your PPC is working at 100%. So, to help ease your way into the New Year, here are DBD Media’s top ten tips for driving the best possible performance from seasonal PPC campaigns.
Tip 1 - Product Listing Ads
These are search ads that include more product information, like product image and price, without requiring additional keywords or ad text. When using Product Listing ads make sure your feed is up to date with stocking-friendly lower value items. This could be a great way to boost online sales in the build up to Christmas.
Tip 2 - Call Extensions
We all know the importance of showing call extensions only during store opening hours so make sure you stay aware of changes to opening and closing times to account for late-night Christmas shopping.
Tip 3 - Christmas Keywords
Expanding your keywords and ads with Christmas/New Year gift and holiday variations will mean staying on top of seasonal search trends, whilst increasing the relevancy of your product or service to the search query.
Tip 4 - Image Extensions - It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.
Image ad extensions simply show an image of the product without additional text or pricing info. Replacing existing image extension pictures with something more seasonal can be a great way for hotels and venues to increase bookings by getting people in the festive mood.
Tip 5 - Shipping Deadlines
For all those offering free delivery on order, make sure this is mentioned in your ad copy. Any mention that the customer can expect their order in time for Christmas, as well as the deadline to order, should also go down a treat.
Tip 6 - AdWords Scripts – The Final Countdown!
AdWords scripts enables users to programmatically automate search ads using special code. Advertisers could use AdWords Scripts to create dynamic ads that display a daily countdown is a great way of adding a sense of urgency to your copy by informing shoppers of how many days they have left to place their order.
Tip 7 - Streamline the Buying Cycle
Inform all internal personnel of the online purchase process (order, stock availability, dispatch etc). This may seem obvious, but it will ensure a seamless online buying experience for users. Time is very limited when doing Christmas shopping and any small errors with orders could mean users not receiving their items before Christmas.
Tip 8 - Plan Your Budgets
Think about budget weighting across the month in relation to key periods for your business. Do you have a sale starting on Boxing Day? If so, you may want to conserve budget for post Christmas when sale traffic can be high. Does your site have click and collect capabilities? If so, it’s worth considering the last minute Christmas rush from customers who have left it too late for delivery, but still want to be able to browse online for gift ideas.
Tip 9 - Automated Ad Rules
Automated Rules allow us to preset rules in AdWords that automate changes to campaigns. As many of us are unlikely to be in the office on Boxing Day, make sure you set rules to change your Christmas ads automatically. Do the same with other key dates such as end of delivery before Christmas period, perhaps switching focus to ‘Click and Collect’ so that you don’t waste budget on disappointed shoppers who left their order to the last minute.
Tip 10 - Mobile Bids
According to Econsultancy, 2012 retailers saw smartphone traffic increase by 14% between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with the 25th exceeding that of an average shopping day in December. So don’t get left in the cold - make sure your mobile bids are upweighted for seasonal increases in competition when setting your max CPC bids. This will help maintain visibility during this crucial time.
By Nigel Muir, MD at DBD Media.
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