Most holiday shoppers plan on buying online to avoid the craziness of going into an actual store. This statistic is actually pretty accurate as Black Friday sales actually dropped by 2% last year alone. Regardless of what type of business you have a little optimization to your PPC campaigns can help you take advantage of this holiday shopping season as well as get you ready for 2014.
Below are 5 last minutes tips to ensure a strong PPC campaign for the holidays:
1. Keywords for Gift Giving – If your product or service is traditionally thought of as a gift, be sure to use keywords that demonstrate searcher intent for gift giving. For example, “women's gift ideas,” “gifts for dads,” or “spa gifts” show gifting intent. In addition to shopping terms, take a closer look at product pages. Since people will be using their mobile devices to comparison shop, ensure product pages contain product names, generic product name, “review,” “sale,” or “gift” keywords and model/SKU numbers.
2. Mobile Device Targeting – Are your AdWords enhanced campaigns less than enhanced? One of the major changes in Adwords has been the combination of mobile devices with desktop and the inability to opt-out. This especially hurts with some campaigns on tablets that yield higher CPCs and lower conversion rates. One solution for this is to designate a mobile preferred ad and to check landing pages used for tablets. On the landing page, include what actions you want the searcher to take next with a strong call-to-action. Design this experience as if it's very different from a desktop. Special attention in this area can help with mobile performance.
3. Mobile Campaigns with PLAs – People are using their mobile devices as shopping assistants. Recently, Google updated the look of the mobile PLA unit for searches on Google.com. Searchers can now swipe to see more products in this ad unit. This could be significant, because there is very limited space to show many results at all. Google says that early testing has been positive and proves to drive more traffic to retailers.
4. Everyone Loves to Save with Coupons – According to eMarketer, ten times as many coupons are redeemed through mobile as through traditional channels. Can you adapt current promotional campaigns with coupons, discounts, rebates, or loyalty points on mobile? Since consumers are actually comparison shopping on mobile while in the store, this can make a difference in product selection or overall average sale.
5. Ad Copy Makeover – Make your ads more relevant by including copy that speaks to your audience and acknowledges the holidays, ie.: “buy mens gifts” or “ready to ship by holiday.” Even if your product or service is not traditionally a gift item, think of convenience or support for holidays. For example, promote a cleaning service for the holidays or “the gift you give yourself.”
These tips will not only effectively update your holiday PPC campaign but in turn it should also positively boost your SEO efforts.
When do you think is the best time to beef up your PPC campaign for the holidays?
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