When it comes to revisiting and improving your PPC Christmas campaign strategy, the earlier you start, the easier it will be for you to reach your target audience. Plus, the more time you will have to analyse your performance and make any necessary iterations.
If you’re an ecommerce business wondering how to get more customers to buy from you in the build-up to Christmas, here are our tips on how to gear up your PPC Christmas campaign during the festive period.
How to perfect your Christmas PPC campaigns
Based on my experience as an PPC Freelancer and managing marketing for clients across a number of sectors, I have created this step-by-step guide to help you make the most of your Christmas PPC campaigns.
Review last year’s performance
The first step is to analyse the performance of last year’s PPC Christmas campaign. This will help you understand the tactics that worked and the ones that didn’t. An objective assessment will help you find the answers to the following questions:
- Which channels were most effective for your brand?
- Did you find your audience with ease?
- Which kinds of campaigns worked better than others?
- Did you have one or multiple groups of audiences?
- Was it easy for the right kind of audience to find you?
- Did your campaigns follow consumer insights and trends?
- Which creative renditions had greater success?
- Did your campaigns generate sufficient ROI?
Analyse the keywords you used during Christmas last year. If there are seasonal keywords relevant for the current year, reactivate them and look for new Christmas-specific keywords.
Create a plan and a budget
It’s important to plan your budget. But it’s equally important to have one that’s in sync with your marketing objectives and resources. Do you have a specific amount to spend on your PPC Christmas campaign, or can you increase it if you were able to generate excellent returns?
Creating a budget helps you avoid ad hoc reactions once the season sets in. Formulate your plan early and share them with your team. Be clear on the expected outcomes and the various tiers you will have in your campaign. The goal is to identify what works and put more resources behind it.
Create high-quality Christmas ad copy
The biggest advantage of Christmas is that there’s already a demonstrable intent to buy. The disadvantage is that there will be intense competition. Therefore you need to tailor high-impact ad copy for your Christmas PPC campaigns that spell out your unique product benefit and compel customers to buy from you.
Include contextual insights and keep your copy crisp and comprehensible. Keep in mind that families will be getting together and people will be shopping for gifts. Finally, make sure that everyone understands your call to action.
Festive remarketing
Remarketing campaigns can help you recover lost sales at a time when customers are most likely to buy. You need to create remarketing lists of shoppers who may have visited your website recently, past buyers and also those who bought from you in the recent past but only purchased once.
Your PPC Christmas campaign should have special Christmas offers for those who have considered your product but never bought it. For those who have bought from you at least once, your messaging should encourage them to gift your product to others.
Using data, schedule ads for the ‘right’ time of day
When you know at what hour your campaigns perform well, it will be easier to optimise your PPC Christmas campaign tactics. You can find this important data on the “Day and Hour” performance tab on your Ad schedule page.
Apply these insights, review your performance from last year and do take into account external factors such as weather conditions and work-from-home policies. Now you will be better able to target and reach your audience.
PPC mistakes to avoid over the holiday season
Spending too much
A common mistake is to spend too much on your Christmas PPC campaigns. Bid prices will increase in certain sectors by a significant percentage but it doesn’t mean you have to raise your bids beyond your budget.
Not running mobile ads
While mobile channels are always important for PPC campaigns, they are even more significant during Christmas. Most shopping begins on smartphones now and to be relevant there, marketers must ensure that their PPC Christmas campaigns have easy-to-read, concise copy along with landing pages that are optimised for mobile phones.
Landing page errors
Your Christmas PPC campaigns will be meaningless if customers run into error-filled landing pages. Run an audit on your landing page to ensure that your purchase process and forms are functional. Make the copy concise and clear and ensure that the design isn’t cluttered.
Repeating the same old copy
It’s Christmas and chances are, your usual copy won’t work. Create different, contextual and impactful messages that are unique to the season. Keep in mind consumer behaviours and group dynamics specific to the occasion and you will have better messages.
Supercharge your PPC campaign this Christmas
These proven tips will help you run successful Christmas PPC campaigns:
- Don’t unnecessarily increase your bids. Raise your budget only when it’s necessary.
- Don’t limit your PPC Christmas campaign to one channel. Opt for a multichannel strategy.
- Make sure that your campaigns are optimised for mobile.
- Create inclusive and diverse Christmas PPC campaigns.
- Address new markets such as bargain hunters and last-minute shoppers.
- Don’t roll out a new tactic if you’re not completely convinced by it.
- Thoroughly check your landing pages for any errors or snags.
- Create Christmas-specific landing pages if necessary.
- Include Christmas keywords but don’t be limited by them.
- See if you have payment issues or disapprovals with the platform.
- Use original copy devoid of any clichés.
The bottom line
Your PPC Christmas campaign will be more effective and impactful if you start early, identify your core message, spruce up your landing pages, write unique copy and use proven channels. As with every other digital marketing tactic, your Christmas PPC campaign will also need to be regularly analysed for better results.
If you need help in creating your next PPC campaign, get in touch with me at Detail Marketing.