GIFT PACK Lidayliday INTRODUCTION 2
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2016 HHGIFT PACK lidayliday INTRODUCTION 2 CALENDARS 3-5 DIGITAL MARKETING HOLIDAY GUIDE 6-14 HOLIDAY MARKETING CHECKLIST 15-21 1 Introduction Whether or not you see twinkly lights or snowmen lining the streets, as a business owner, it’s important to get into the spirit of the season well before the holidays arrive. NEARLY OF CONSUMERS 40% BEGIN THEIR SHOPPING IN NOVEMBER ONLY OF SHOPPERS && 25%WAIT UNTIL December Black Friday is a pivotal date for the holiday shopping season. According to a 2015 survey by the National Retail Federation,1 nearly 40% of consumers begin their shopping in November, with only about 25% waiting until December to get started. To help keep your profits high and stress levels low, we’ve taken our holiday marketing calendar and expanded upon it. Along with this, we’ve added a digital marketing guide with tips for each important shopping day in November and December and a handy holiday checklist to make sure you’re thoroughly prepared for the upcoming holiday season. 2 NOVEMBERCalendarsCalendars AND DECEMBER November SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 31 1 2 3 4 5 OCTOBER 31 HALLOWEEN 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 VETERANS DAY 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 THANKSGIVING BLACK SMALL & GRAY FRIDAY BUSINESS THURSDAY SATURDAY 27 28 29 30 CYBER GIVING MONDAY TUESDAY BIGGEST DAYS FOR IN-STORE SHOPPING BIGGEST DAYS FOR ONLINE SHOPPING HOLIDAYS 4 December SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 GREEN MONDAY SHIPPING DAY 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 CHRISTMAS EVE HANUKKAH 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 CHRISTMAS NEW BOXING KWANZAA KWANZAA KWANZAA KWANZAA DAY YEAR’S (UK & CANADA) HANUKKAH HANUKKAH HANUKKAH HANUKKAH EVE HANUKKAH KWANZAA KWANZAA HANUKKAH HANUKKAH BIGGEST DAYS FOR IN-STORE SHOPPING BIGGEST DAYS FOR ONLINE SHOPPING HOLIDAYS 5 DigitalDigital MarketingMarketing GuidGuide:PER HOLIDAYe: This marketing guide will explain expert marketing tactics, which holidays they’re best suited for, and how to implement them effectively. November 24: Thanksgiving In the past, people would wake up at pre-dawn hours on Black Friday to get their share of the day’s deals. But over the years, shoppers began hitting the stores earlier and earlier, and now many are venturing out right after Thanksgiving dinner. Despite some retailers refusing to be open on Thanksgiving Day, many others are taking advantage of these eager shoppers. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING People are actively using their phones on Thanksgiving Day to check emails and social media in preparation for Black Friday. Schedule posts using compelling imagery that features your products, deals, and Thanksgiving themes. Think Instagram-style brand posts. It’s ok to post pictures of products and services, but be sure to publish content your audience will actually want to see during their Thanksgiving festivities. Mention deals and sales for Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday within the image or the post’s text. Boost posts on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to reach a larger audience and get a burst of engagement. Even a $25 investment can make a big difference. November 25: Black Friday From sunrise (or earlier) to sunset your customers will be on the lookout for the best deals around. Deliver yours right to your customers’ email inboxes. 7 EMAIL MARKETING This is one of the most important days for email marketing, as many customers will check their emails for coupons and sales while waiting in checkout lines. Emails should be designed for easy viewing on mobile devices. Place any information about special sales or discount codes at the top of the email. This will grab attention in the days leading up to Black Friday and also make it easier for consumers to find and use them once the day arrives. Black Friday emails should be sent ahead of time, but not too far in advance. Include an attention-grabbing subject line that is clever, yet also clearly states what’s inside for easy access on-the-go. November 26: Small Business Saturday Started in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday is a shopping day dedicated to supporting local businesses that has gained major popularity throughout the United States. According to American Express,2 95 million people went shopping at small businesses on this day in 2015 — that’s nearly 30% of the population! Check out their free marketing materials here3 to get ready for Small Business Saturday. GEOTARGETING Even if ecommerce is a strong contributor to your business’ sales, this is typically a day when people physically visit stores in their area. Because this is one of the lesser-known shopping days, potential customers may not know that your business is having a sale. Promote your offers and discounts through geotargeting. Focus Facebook-boosted posts and Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads on people within a 5-10 mile radius. 8 It’s natural to want to reach as many people as possible with your advertising, but for this day in particular, a targeted approach is much more effective. With geotargeting you’re reaching less people, but these people are more likely to drop by your store on Small Business Saturday and make a purchase due to their close proximity. November 28: Cyber Monday This shopping day has taken off in recent years with the shift towards ecommerce. Last year,4 Cyber Monday broke the record for most online sales in one day, surpassing Black Friday’s online sales by over $300 million! See below for ways to take advantage of this day. EMAIL MARKETING Emails should include one-day-only offers and promotions for customers. On this day, like other discount shopping days, customers are not interested in paying full price for anything. Make sure you get their attention early and let them know you’ve got what they’re looking for on sale! You can entice people to purchase from you by offering reduced (or free) shipping. November 29: Giving Tuesday While this isn’t a shopping holiday, more and more businesses are participating in Giving Tuesday every year. Social responsibility is something consumers look for in the brands that they love (and purchase from). According to Nielsen,5 consumers will not only switch brands, but even pay more, for products and services that come from a socially 9 responsible company. CONTENT MARKETING Content marketing is a great way to keep your customers and community informed on your business practices. This type of marketing includes everything from blogs to social media posts, emails, and website content. Focus on something specific, rather than half-heartedly trying to get involved with many different initiatives. Your business can choose to get involved with a nationally-recognized cause, but it might be more beneficial to do some research and find out if there’s something in your community you can get behind. If you have a blog and regularly write about industry-related topics, it’s ok to switch up the content and write about your recent efforts at a fundraiser or run for charity. December 12: Green Monday Coined by eBay in 2009 as Green Monday, the second Monday in December is yet another day of deals for online shoppers. You can make sure customers are able to find your site and navigate it easily by focusing on a few web design factors. WEBSITE DESIGN Any business offering deals on Cyber Monday or Green Monday is looking for a boost in sales. But some websites make it very hard for shoppers to navigate the purchase process. This could be the result of poor call-to-action (CTA) placement, lack of internal links, or a confusing layout. Whatever your end goal is (sales, reservations, rentals, etc.), make a clear and concise CTA that urges people to take the desired action. For example, if your site sells sneakers, make sure you have a prominently-placed CTA on the homepage that says something like, “View Cyber Monday Sneakers Sales” or “Shop Sneakers Now.” 10 Remember to place an internal link behind the CTA that will direct potential customers to a relevant landing page. For these shopping days, create a separate page for your sale items. You can also make a product page dedicated to gift ideas with a selection of items customers might want to give their loved ones for the holidays. Don’t forget to embed the link from the landing page into the CTA image for smooth and effortless navigation. December 16: Free Shipping Day For online shoppers, this is the day businesses offer free shipping on last-minute orders that will arrive just in time for Christmas. You can check which businesses are participating here.6 There are still a limited number of participating retailers, so your business has a unique opportunity to offer a special deal that many others aren’t. ALL TACTICS Free shipping is a big deal. Not every company wants to or is able to offer it, so if you plan on participating this year, getting the word out is essential. Get a leg up on your competition by making sure your customers know you’re participating in this promotion. Use free and sponsored posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and update your website content, product pages, in-store signage, and Google ads to inform customers that you’ll be offering free shipping on this day. This will encourage shoppers unsure about making a purchase to do so in order to take advantage of free shipping. For all social networks, audience is the most important element of any campaign.