The holiday season is the holy grail of sales. But achieving the sales figures your company needs can be harder than you think. Here are 8 ways to rethink your marketing strategy this year.
- Go Mobile
If you don’t have this capability, now is the time to make the switch. Gone are the days when mobile devices were a luxury – they are ubiquitous. Add to the fact that as many as one-third of all internet users are doing so from a mobile device, and you can see why not having a mobile capability for your site is like throwing money in the trash.
- Unify
The last thing a customer wants is a slapdash experience. A positive user experience is a foundation for positive brand placement. Unifying all possible data streams in a single persona allows you to bring information from e-mail, customer relationship software and transactions to bear in creating smooth, cohesive, pleasant experiences for your customers.
- Share
Providing quality, shareable content with consumers isn’t just preaching to the choir. You’re establishing reliability and assuring potential consumers have the ability to shop your site. The content you share is among your most valuable online possessions – it is content you control, as well as being content that is least likely to be misunderstood by readers and cause a backlash.
By sharing content about your products and materials at a time when consumers are searching more widely than usual, you pave the way for visitor approval and lay the foundation for sales. Don’t skimp – put the resources in place to entertain and engage through high-quality content.
- Predict
Hand-in-hand with sharing is the need to predict intent. The holidays make this much harder than usual: people are going online and searching in ways they don’t usually employ at other times. Trying to shop for tough-to-fit relations (hello, Dad) means searches are wider and more random as consumers branch out of comfort zones to find that perfect gift.
The downside to this increased and wider purchasing is that attention span is almost nonexistent. Being able to predict a visitor’s intent can be the vital key to generate a sale. Offering a discount on items likely to fit Mom, Dad, siblings, friends is the ideal way to zero in on consumer intent. Making that discount up front and center is the way to capture attention. Be sure to offer customized offerings to repeat customers as well as a blanket, gift-driven offers to new visitors.
- Proximity
Capitalize on deals using geo-fencing and beacons. Sensing when consumers are near a store, these tools let you broadcast offers to their mobile devices. Be warned, however, the blast you’re sending out can be annoying. Keep the message simple and the deal attractive.
- Boost That Landing Page
If you want to increase conversions, optimize your landing pages. This is especially true for mobile paid media. The landing page for a special deal needs to be designed to inform and engage the person clicking through. Making every transaction as fluid and easy as possible can keep your site from bouncing visitors.
- Segment
Social media really has changed the way prime demographic groups approach the act of distinguishing fine gradations and grouping. Segmenting your products in ways that facilitate these processes makes searching more intuitive for consumers. So instead of the demographic indicators of age, gender, and location, use the information from social media channels to segment based on purchases, behavior, brand and product preferences, and habits.
- Inspiration
The holidays are the season of deal inundation. Every seller offers some form of deal. Because most consumers do not take the time to carefully select the gifts they purchase, relying in most instances on inspiration, make your marketing efforts more than just making people aware of your deals. Personalizing or contextualizing retailer interactions can be a powerful way to stand out from the mass of offers.
Does your marketing strategy need a shot of inspiration and creativity? Zen Media has the experience and know-how to dust off the digital cobwebs and boost your business. Contact us today to find out how we can make connecting with consumers easier and more productive.
