It all boils down to simplicity. The more options, barriers, and just plain annoyances you put in front of an online shopper, the less likely they are to complete a purchase.
Contrary to popular belief, social media isn’t free. It doesn’t cost much to get started, but it takes hours of labor and focused effort before you begin seeing any results.
Building Hype About Your Product Means Creating a Promotional Plan
The summer is full of events and activities that will keep families busy and consumers spending! From BBQ’s to baseball to summer vacations – you name it – consumers will spend to ensure they make a splash this summer. What you need to ask yourself is if you prepared a promotional plan to target consumers this summer. What about the remainder of the year? If not, you are likely to miss out on added revenues. The good news is that there is still time to create one.
Smart marketers use a promotional calendar to plan out their strategy for the year based on key events and holidays. This provides them an overarching marketing strategy and an at-a-glance look at what is coming down the pipeline. This strategy is essential in order to get the greatest return on a PPC campaign like VSW FeatureLink.
Here are a few key tips to get you started:
Create your own promotional calendar by looking up dates and placing them in a free calendar (e.g. Google Calendar); make sure to include only those that are most applicable to your business.
Get organized by creating an Excel document that lists key dates, featured product messages, and promotional platforms.
Don’t forget about the “obscure” holidays like: Flag Day (June 14), National Chocolate Pudding Day (June 26), National Hot Dog Month (July), Parents Day (July 22), Family Fun Month (August), National Aviation Day (August 19) and more!
Consider special promotions that apply both regionally and locally, like state fairs and local festivals.
Once you have honed in on what holidays and special celebrations make the most sense for you, the trick is to craft a promotional message for each and every one. Think about a push-and-pull strategy when crafting your message. For example, email your existing clientele and let them know you are celebrating “Family Fun” month by showing your support and offering them a discount on your product that will be sure to deliver fun for the entire family. Infuse the same key message into your PPC campaign that will run on vertical content networks. Customers will feel special, and businesses will get more revenue – thus keeping the momentum and relevance for your business the entire month long.
What are some good sources to use when trying to develop my promotional plan?
We know that finding the information for national holidays is a breeze, but finding more unconventional “special day” observances can be challenging. We have made it easy. Check out this guide for special day observances. For regional and local festivals and dates check your state and city commerce sites.
How much lead time should I apply when considering specific holiday promotions?
This depends on the holiday. For example, Christmas promotions can start two months or more, prior, depending on the product. On the other hand, Father’s Day spending begins to increase about 4 weeks out. A good rule of thumb is 4 to 6 weeks ahead of the holiday but, remember, as the holiday approaches you will want to change up your messaging and indicate that time is of the essence. And, for the holidays that run for a month long – keep promoting them from beginning to end.
Spotlight on Success__________________________________
Wine Barrels For You – Client since 2010
“Our impressions are high, especially in the food, home and garden categories. We are selling more of a variety of products due to ads on relevant verticals that relate to each and every one of our products. We were initially cautious, yet our investment with Vertical Search Works has been profitable and we expect continued growth in sales and profit.”
Vertical Search Works™ (VSW), a rapidly growing provider of semantic search solutions for Web publishers and advertisers, announced today that its network of premier and leading content providers has dramatically increased, allowing advertisers to take advantage of 1.4 billion ad impressions, comprising 73 million unique monthly visitors.
The viewership of the network has grown by over 500% in the last 9 months, owing largely to VSW’s ability to effectively match publishers’ content with relevant advertisements, enabling publishers to easily monetize their web properties while providing advertisers an effective way to reach new customers.
