Can you believe 2020 is just a few weeks away? While some business owners are already breaking out the eggnog, it’s not time yet for celebrating. After all, we have several weeks of holiday shopping to survive before 2020.
Instead of letting your campaigns ride as-is, treat this time as an opportunity. Shoppers are more primed to buy during the holidays than they are during any other time of the year.
Snag more customers before 2020 by overhauling your PPC campaigns. While other strategies like SEO may take time, you can see immediate results from your PPC efforts. Follow these 6 PPC tips to make the most of your last-minute holiday promotion campaigns.
6 Holiday PPC Tips for 2019
Retailers earn an average of 20% of their annual revenue during the holiday shopping season. Although you’ll likely earn more money this holiday season, it can be hard to stand out in a crowded online space. Make one last push with your PPC with these 6 ideas to boost conversions and revenue.
1. Use your data
Proper PPC starts with data, no matter when you’re running your campaign. Take a peek at your PPC campaigns from 2018. Even if you’ve already looked at these when you scheduled your holiday campaigns in October, look again. When you view last year’s data through the lens of last-minute holiday deals, you can often find low-hanging fruit ripe for picking.
For example, did you have an ad that performed well last year? If you’re pressed for time, you can make small changes to that campaign and use it for the 2019 season.
Also, if you haven’t organized your PPC account, now’s the time to do so. Make it easy for you to find your 2019 PPC data in 2020. Set up your holiday campaigns with labels like “holiday 2019” and a consistent name structure so you can use this year’s data for next year.
2. Prioritize your spend
53% of shoppers complete their shopping list the Saturday before Christmas, which falls on December 21 this year. We have just a few precious weeks left in the holiday shopping season before shoppers wrap their gifts and place them under the tree. You need to get results quickly, and that means prioritizing where you spend your PPC budget.
You’re likely spending more on PPC already, since increased holiday competition means higher CPCs. Instead of spreading your PPC budget across several campaigns with so-so performance, pump your budget dollars where they’re working best. If you started your campaigns back in October, you already have weeks of historical data to inform your budget choices.
Since many shoppers use their mobile devices to buy holiday gifts, prioritize your budget to target mobile shoppers. You can even set up advanced settings like Google’s Smart Bidding to put AI to work, optimizing your bids for conversions.
Remember, the key is to devote your budget to what’s working so you get more results in less time, for less spend. Don’t be afraid to limit your scope or shut down underperforming ads.
3. Create holiday specials
Who doesn’t love a good deal? Holiday shoppers expect businesses to provide holiday-centric deals in the weeks leading up to the holidays. That means you can’t whip out the same PPC copy you’ve been using year-round. Add a dash of holiday spirit to your PPC campaign for holiday shoppers who are primed to buy.
This can be as simple as offering holiday-themed discount codes (like MERRY20 or SNOW15) and offering a holiday gift bundle. Take your most popular products and offer them as a bundle that you promote via PPC. And yes, you can still do this if you have a service-based business, too. For example, if you run a career consulting firm, you can offer a “New Year, New You” bundle with coaching calls, worksheets, and a Facebook accountability group at a discounted rate.
Holiday specials may sound like an overplayed tip, but it’s the best way to remind shoppers that the holidays are here and they need to buy gifts. It gives them a sense of urgency to buy now, which is good for your conversion rates.
4. Share a last-minute gift guide
Have you ever tried to find a present for a really difficult family member? If so, you likely turned to the internet for inspiration. Frantic shoppers need guidance on their gift ideas for picky family members. Your brand can combine the power of organic content with PPC to capture these consumers.
Write a last-minute gift guide and post it to your website’s blog. Link to both your products and complementary products from other companies within the content. Load the content with well-placed organic keywords for the holidays, targeting phrases like “last minute” or “fast shipping” to target frazzled shoppers.
Once you’ve written your organic content, promote it with a PPC campaign. Normally this would be a top-of-funnel approach, but during the holidays, it can help you capture a swath of last-minute shoppers desperate for ideas.
5. Add holiday sitelinks
One small tweak will make your PPC ads infinitely more powerful to search engine users. If you’re running Google Ads, remember to add sitelinks to your PPC campaigns. These free add-ons encourage users to click through to certain pages on your site. They’re the best way to drive traffic to holiday-centric landing pages and special deals.
You can use sitelink extensions to promote a certain holiday-themed page on your site, like holiday specials or a gift guide. You can also set up callout extensions to set a holiday-centric message to promote a coupon code, for example.
6. Create scarcity
Shoppers are stressed right now as they try to buy the perfect gifts for everyone on their Christmas list. As a brand, you can tap into that stress by creating scarcity. Last-minute PPC deals are great for this!
Emphasize your fast shipping options in a PPC ad paired with a product deal. You can even toss in a coupon code to sweeten the pot. Add a timer to a display ad with a countdown to Christmas or add a countdown to your landing page. It seems kitschy, but it’s an effective way to create scarcity with shoppers, encouraging them to buy.
The Bottom Line
The holidays are a hectic time for businesses, but you can use the mad rush to your advantage. Follow these 6 tips to make the most of last-minute holiday deals with PPC. You never know—one last push before the holidays can fill your stocking before 2020!
If you feel frazzled at the thought of creating a PPC campaign on the fly, don’t panic. Get in touch with Logical Media Group. Our PPC pros will create a stunning holiday PPC campaign that’s sure to boost your biz before 2019 ends.
