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Five keys to a Successful Holiday Promotion

Are you looking to increase sales around the holidays but aren’t sure where to start?

Having a holiday promotion is a great way to attract current and prospective customers. Using the internet to market a campaign can be easy and inexpensive if you follow the five keys to a successful holiday promotion.

Key #1: Know your target market

Knowing the customers that comprise the market you are trying to target will allow you to develop a successful holiday campaign.

To do so, create a document that asks questions about the who, why, when, where or what of your target market and then answer them as best as possible.

For example, a few questions that you could ask about your target market could be:

• Does my target markets spend a lot of time on the internet?
• Does my target market have knowledge of computers?
• Are my promotions and products easily accessible by all?
• Can my target market afford my products and services?
• Will my promotions provide my target market with pleasure and better quality of life? Reach them at an emotional level?
• Will my promotions bring in customers occasionally or constantly?
• Do the holiday’s I choose to use for my promotions target a large population of people, such as the Fourth of July? Or do they target religious holidays that concentrate on different groups?

By asking and answering these types of questions, you are defining the characteristics of your target market, which in-turn will allow you to create ads and campaigns that appeal directly to that specific target market.

This will ensure a more successful campaign. Which means more traffic to your web site and more sales.

Key # 2: Know where to post your ads

If you are doing a holiday promotion, marketing your ad on a specific holiday site that generates a lot of traffic is a great marketing tool. While having your ad on multiple sites gives you more exposure and visibility.

Since there are many advertisements and promotions around the holidays, it is a good idea to advertise your holiday promotions months in advance to get people viewing your site and services and keep them coming back around the holidays. Keep in mind the visual appeal of the sites you are advertising on. Ask yourself:

• Is the site I am looking to advertise on pleasurable to look at?
• Is my web site entertaining or educational?
• Is my web site designed to reach my target market at an emotional level?
• Does it target their needs and wants?
  

Key # 3: Know your budget

Now that you have the first steps planned, it is easier to recognize the costs appropriate for your marketing campaign.

Add up the costs to advertise on each of the sites you chose. If you are giving away free services or products for your promotion make sure you factor the cost into your budget.

Once you have the total cost, then select the sites that you feel will bring in a higher return-on-investment, based on the information you gathered in keys 1 & 2.

If you obtain good results from the sites you selected, then you will have more income coming in, which in-turn will allow you to add more sites to advertise on.

Remember: Quality counts more toward sales, then quantity. Spending $10,000 on a marketing campaign that only obtains $2,000 in sales is a waste, compared to spending $2,000 and obtaining $10,000. Likewise, reaching 100,000 prospects, but only converting 10 into clients is worse then reaching 1,000 prospects and converting 20. The quality of your prospects and of your ads will determine the success of your holiday promotion.

From our own experience, one of our on-line marketing campaigns cost us $100 dollars, but generated $9,000 worth of sales within one month. Not bad, right?

In the end, the time and effort you took in gathering the relevant information, as discussed in keys 1 & 2, will make or break your holiday campaign.

Key # 4: Know the content of your ads

Select the words you want to use in your ad carefully. Make sure the words you use are directed towards your target market. This means that you want to chose words that reach your target market at an emotional level.

Make sure it grabs the attention of your viewers from all sites you advertise on. If your promotion is a contest, clearly state to your customers what it is you are giving away, how many people will win, and how the winner will be chosen. Keep in mind that a holiday promotion should have a holiday specific message in its content.

Key # 5. Know how to monitor your ads and track your customers

When creating a site to draw in customers, an information box that gathers the customer’s: name, address, e-mail and phone number is a great way to see who is visiting your site, who is interested in your promotion and if it is targeting your ideal customer. This gives you great insight on whether you need to make changes or if your advertisement is successful.

Having a contest or free give-away is a good way to obtain a customer’s information. This will allow you to send out any other promotion, coupon or advertisement you may have later on. *

To track how well your marketing campaign is doing, we suggest you use a third party tool, such as Google Analytics. We have used this tool successfully for our clients to measure how well the marketing campaigns we developed have worked for them, or if it didn't work as expected, to pin-point the root cause(s) and implement feasible solutions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are planning to create a holiday promotion, remember to follow the five keys to ensure a higher return-on-investment, while minimizing your cost. In the end, you goal is not only to have a holiday promotion, but a successful holiday promotion.

Happy Holidays!

* The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 has specific requirements that companies must adhere to when collecting and utilizing customer information for email marketing campaigns. Failure to follow these guidelines may incur fines of $11,000 per violation. It is highly recommended that you discuss your email and internet marketing strategies with a professional company, such as EOgroup, to ensure full compliance with all applicable laws.

Sources: Reciprocal Altruism and Teamwork - Using Human Nature to Motivate Employees. Filed in archive Human Nature by rob on November 01, 2003