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A Foolproof Advertising Strategy for the Holiday Season

The holiday season isÌýcoming fast! This time ofÌýyear isÌýcrucial time forÌýbusinesses ofÌýall sizes. Now isÌýwhen people are spending theÌýmost money, both inÌýperson andÌýonline. This isÌýtheÌýperfect time toÌýstart anÌýadvertising campaign.

However, with soÌýmany businesses competing forÌýattention, how can you make sure that your advertising stands out? The key isÌýcreating aÌýholiday adÌý²õ³Ù°ù²¹³Ù±ð²µ²â—a²Ô»å toÌýget started early.

Whether you’re aÌýbrick-and-mortar store looking toÌýdrive traffic toÌýyour physical location orÌýanÌýonline store trying toÌýincrease sales, you can doÌýaÌýlot toÌýoptimize your advertising strategy toÌýmake theÌýmost ofÌýtheÌýholiday season.

Read onÌýtoÌýfind out more.

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Specify Audience andÌýBudget

Before you start developing anÌýadÌýstrategy, think about who you want toÌý°ù±ð²¹³¦³ó—a²Ô»å theÌýbudget you can afford toÌýhelp you achieve your desired results.

WeÌýcan’t stress enough how important itÌýisÌýtoÌýknow your audience. Knowing your audience will help you create aÌýmessage that will resonate with them. Are you targeting families? Businesses? Kids? Adults? Each group will respond differently toÌýdifferent messaging, soÌýit’s essential toÌýtailor your approach accordingly.

Once you have aÌýgood understanding ofÌýyour audience, you can allocate your budget accordingly. Make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin byÌýdoing too many things atÌý´Ç²Ô³¦±ðâ€Äì´Ç³¦³Ü²õ onÌýaÌýfew key areas andÌýdoÌýthem well.

Learn more: Intro toÌýAdvertising: Where toÌýBegin When You’re aÌýBeginner

What AdÌýPlatform toÌýUse?

During theÌýholiday shopping season, consumers look forÌýinspiration onÌýsocial media. That’s why social networks like Facebook andÌýInstagram are fantastic tools forÌýreaching new audiences during theÌýholidays (and beyond).

You might already post onÌýyour business pages onÌýsocial media, but using paid ads onÌýthese platforms lets you reach even more people.

Running ads onÌýFacebook andÌýInstagram isÌýanÌýexcellent option because their targeting software isÌýbetter than most adÌýplatforms. You can target consumers based onÌýinterests, behaviors, demographics, age, connections, locations, orÌýlanguages. You can even target your competitors’ followers.

Also: How toÌýAdvertise aÌýBusiness onÌýFacebook forÌýBeginners

Let’s dive into ​​the three pillars ofÌýanÌýeffective advertising strategy: audience building, engagement, andÌýconversions. ToÌýmake sure people buy from you, you need them toÌýlearn about andÌýinteract with your brand. Only then will they buy something from you.

The strategy below will help you create three types ofÌýads toÌýrun before andÌýduring theÌýholiday season toÌýincrease your ²õ²¹±ô±ð²õ—a²Ô»å reduce adÌýcosts.

Step 1:ÌýBuild Your Audience

Audience building isÌýextremely important forÌýrunning aÌýsuccessful adÌýcampaign. IfÌýpeople don’t know anything about your brand, it’s much harder toÌýpersuade them toÌýbuy from you.

IfÌýyou’re asking somebody toÌýbuy from you before they know anything about you (unless you sell anÌýimpulsive kind ofÌýproduct), you’re going toÌýpay aÌýreally expensive cost per conversion.

SoÌýfirst, you want toÌýrun ads that are specifically designed toÌýbring new people into your ecosystem andÌýget them toÌýknow your brand. These ads are not theÌýones that will bring you sales right away. Instead, they will get you new followers forÌýyour social media accounts. They will become your customers later, when they know about you andÌýare accustomed toÌýyour brand.

ToÌýbuild anÌýaudience, create ads that introduce your business toÌýnew people. These can beÌývideos telling theÌýstory behind your brand, orÌýbehind theÌýscenes showing how you make your product.

Such behind-the-scenes reels can beÌýreused asÌýanÌýadÌýforÌýbuilding anÌýaudience onÌýInstagram

The main goal ofÌýthese types ofÌýads isÌýtoÌýget asÌýmany people asÌýpossible watching your ad. This will start building audiences ofÌýpeople who consume your content soÌýthat you can retarget them with aÌýconversion campaign later.

You need toÌýstart running these audience-building ads before holiday shopping starts. Typically, you want toÌýrun them inÌýSeptember andÌýearly October. This way, when people actually start buying presents forÌýtheir loved ones, they have your brand atÌýtheÌýtop ofÌýtheir minds.

Boost theÌýbest performing organic videos that introduce your brand toÌýnew audiences

Step 2:ÌýEngage Your Audience

Once you have built your audience, you need toÌýkeep your followers engaged, even ifÌýthey’re not ready toÌýbuy your product yet.

ToÌýmake anÌýadÌýthat engages your audience, your goal isÌýtoÌýget asÌýmuch interaction from your audience asÌýpossible: likes, shares, comments, andÌýsaves.

Start byÌýhighlighting your products’ unique selling points. You need toÌýhit some pain points ofÌýyour target audience andÌýshow how your product solves those problems. You can also use customer testimonials inÌýyour ads toÌýshow potential customers that you’re aÌýbusiness that can beÌýtrusted.

You have another tool inÌýyour pocket: holiday-themed content! Playing into theÌýholidays can help engage your audience. People generally look forÌýinspiration onÌýsocial media, but especially during theÌýholidays. And festive content isÌýalways fun!

Take advantage ofÌýtheÌýseason byÌýcreating holiday-themed videos orÌýposts featuring your product. This isÌýaÌýgreat way toÌýengage with your audience andÌýget them excited about your products orÌýservices.

Sharing helpful content helps engage your audience

Step 3:ÌýConvert Your Audience

SoÌýyou’ve built anÌýaudience andÌýcreated lots ofÌýengagement ads. It’s about time toÌýstart aÌýtraffic campaign! With these ads, you want customers toÌýclick onÌýyour website andÌýgoÌýtoÌýyour online store.

These ads should beÌýproduct-heavy. GoÌýinto detail about theÌýbenefits ofÌýyour product andÌýhow your customers will benefit from it. Answer theÌýmost common questions you get about your product, show itÌýinÌýuse, andÌýshare videos andÌýpictures ofÌýyour customers using your product.

This adÌýincentivizes purchases byÌýclearly stating theÌýbenefits ofÌýtheÌýproduct andÌýoffering free shipping

Don’t forget toÌýuse lifestyle imagery that reflects theÌývalues ofÌýyour target audience. This will help potential customers see themselves using your product orÌýservice, making them more likely toÌýconvert.

It’s vital toÌýuse call-to-actions (CTA) inÌýads focused onÌýconverting your audience into customers. For example, you can offer aÌýdiscount orÌýget creative with theÌýCTA language.

This adÌýuses short andÌýclear calls toÌýaction

ToÌýlearn more about these three steps toÌýanÌýeffective holiday adÌýcampaign, listen toÌýour podcast. WeÌýdiscuss each step inÌýdetail andÌýshare advice forÌýmaking theÌýmost out ofÌýeach ²õ³Ù²¹²µ±ð—a³Ü»å¾±±ð²Ô³¦±ð building, engagement, andÌýconversion.

·Ìý

Best Practices forÌýHoliday Advertising

When setting upÌýadvertisements forÌýtheÌýholidays, you should make sure your ads are compelling. The following advice will help you fine-tune your ads forÌýtheÌýholiday season andÌýget more eyes onÌýyour products.

Use Emotion inÌýYour Advertising

You want toÌýconnect with potential customers this holiday season. One way isÌýtoÌýuse emotion inÌýyour advertising.

WeÌýall know that theÌýholidays can beÌýaÌýstressful time, soÌýwhy not use your advertising toÌýshow potential customers that you understand how they’re feeling? You can doÌýthis byÌýusing empathetic language inÌýyour ads orÌýshowing how your product orÌýservice can make their lives easier during this busy time ofÌýyear.

Either way, using emotion inÌýyour advertising will help you connect with potential customers onÌýaÌýdeeper level, andÌýmake them more likely toÌýconvert.

Make Use ofÌýSeasonal Keywords

Seasonal keywords are essential forÌýdriving relevant traffic toÌýyour website orÌýstore during theÌýholiday season. People search forÌýspecific items this time ofÌýyear, soÌýmake sure your adÌýcopy includes relevant keywords that will help them find what they’re looking for.

Keep inÌýmind that competition forÌýthese keywords isÌýhigher during theÌýholidays, soÌýyou may need toÌýadjust your budget accordingly.

Offer Holiday-Themed Discounts andÌýPromotions

Everyone loves aÌýgood deal, soÌýwhy not offer some holiday-themed discounts andÌýpromotions inÌýyour advertising? This isÌýaÌýgreat way toÌýcatch theÌýattention ofÌýpotential customers while helping you boost sales during this important time ofÌýyear.

ToÌýencourage customers toÌýbuy right away, create urgency byÌýadding aÌýcountdown toÌýtheÌýholiday offer

Just make sure that you’re clear about what theÌýdiscount isÌýforÌýandÌýthat theÌýoffer isÌývalid only forÌýaÌýspecific period. ByÌýdoing this, you’ll ensure that potential customers take advantage ofÌýyour offer. Plus, they won’t feel like they missed out onÌýaÌýgreat deal after theÌýholidays are over ifÌýyou’re communicative about theÌýdeadline.

Track Your Results

Finally, don’t forget toÌýtrack your results! With data, you can adjust your strategy asÌýneeded. Pay attention toÌýwhich ads perform well andÌýwhich ones aren’t getting much traction. ByÌýtracking your results, you’ll beÌýable toÌýfine-tune your approach andÌýmake sure that your advertising dollars are well spent.

ToÌýSum Up

IfÌýyou want your business toÌýthrive this holiday season, it’s vital toÌýget strategic with your advertising efforts. ByÌýknowing your audience, creating compelling advertisements, andÌýtracking your results, you can create aÌýfoolproof plan that will help you achieve your desired results. You’re now well onÌýyour way toÌýdriving relevant traffic toÌýyour store, increasing sales, andÌýmaking theÌýmost ofÌýtheÌýholiday season.

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About The Author
Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at 51ÊÓÆµ. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.

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