It’s important to stand out during the holiday season when many retailers compete for market share and ad space. You can build relationships with customers in unique and meaningful ways that will not only bring you revenue but also help you to create a loyal customer base.
These are seven ways to reach your audience and stand out with holiday content.
Seven content production strategies:
1. Create a gift guide
Gift guides should include products from your store as well as wrapping ideas and gift set suggestions. To provide the best value for your readers, make your posts genre- or audience-specific. To reach more people, you can partner with other businesses to create cross-promotional gift guides.
2. Instructional posts published
Sometimes people need some help imagining how they might use a product. These articles can help clarify and inspire. Although it is important to provide as much information as possible on product pages, creating posts that give more context can help potential buyers understand how your item would work for them. These posts might also provide buyers with the extra information they need to make an informed decision before buying.
You can cover basic how-tos as well as creative uses of your products. You may want to write content that is relevant to your industry but not directly related to your store’s catalog. If you are a clothing company, for example, you might want to write articles about how to recycle and upcycle old clothes, or what color combinations work best in a given season.
3. Answer the most frequently asked questions
Many people don’t have the time or patience to read through FAQ pages to find the answers they are looking for. It’s especially important to answer the most frequently asked questions about your business, especially around holidays. Comparison charts of products, sizing guides, troubleshooting, and even information about how orders are packed and delivered are all topics that customers are particularly concerned about during holidays and COVID-19. These articles can be very helpful and reduce the workload of your customer support team.
4. Concentrate on seasonal content
It’s a great idea for visitors to see how your products might be used in their daily lives. You might also want them to show specific ways they can use their holiday purchases. You can show how the items could be used to decorate a mantle, an entryway, or for holiday crafting projects.
5. User-generated content can be boosted
People who love your products deserve to be highlighted. Highlight positive customer experiences, and include photos and videos whenever possible. Reliable feedback from customers is more trustable than company-driven ads. More than 90% of consumers read reviews before purchasing. Highlighting reviews will help you instill trust in your brand by putting your best foot forward.
You can find user-generated content on social media, reviews on your site, and any emails you have received. If you haven’t had much feedback about your products, you can contact customers to ask them open-ended questions such as “What do you love best about this product?” and “What are your favorite purchases, and why are they important to you?”
6. Involve your audience
Interactive content is extremely popular and highly effective. This allows your audience to feel valued and involved with the brand. You can engage customers through social media, email, or pop-ups on the website by running polls, contests, or giving away prizes. Reddit allows for longer Q&As via the Ask Me Anything Reddit r/AMA.
7. Make it personal
Although companies are managed by people, most consumers don’t get to meet the people behind the scenes. Customers will feel connected to your company if you share photos and stories about your employees. Post about charitable work and volunteer experiences that your company has done. People are more inclined to support businesses that share their values.
Spread the word
After you have identified your topics, it is time to choose the best way to present them. Based on your audience, resources, and goals, you can decide which methods work best.
Email marketing
Reaching out to past customers and subscribers via email is a cost-effective way for stores with limited marketing budgets. You should use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) if you don’t have one.
You can use several free and paid tools to manage your email list, schedule and automate email campaigns, and target subscribers based on their behavior and demographics. It is possible to create email campaigns ahead of time and have them delivered over the week leading up to the holidays. Instead of spending your time creating marketing materials, pack, and ship orders.
Social media
To get your content seen by potential buyers, mix organic and paid social media posts. To get the best ROI on your outreach efforts, target the platforms where your audience is most active. Some people may be more responsive to video or static images than others. Focus your outreach efforts on posts that have received the most engagement. Encourage people who like your posts to follow you by responding to messages and comments.
Affiliate marketing and Influencer Marketing
Your reach can be expanded by establishing relationships with social media influencers and creating your affiliate program. You can let others spread the word! You don’t need to have a large budget to promote your post with a celebrity influencer. However, smaller audiences and niche audiences can help you reach more people with your content.
It is a great way of generating revenue and offloading some of your marketing efforts and content generation. It is possible to set your requirements and reward affiliates for meeting sales goals.
Advertising
Paid ads are a great way to get your products and content in front of customers. Google Ads will help you get started in the advertising world. Google Ads allows you to create static, GIF, and HTML5 ads which appear on any website in the Google Display Network (over 2 million), which includes Google Search, YouTube, and Google Shopping.
Get started creating holiday content
There are many ways to create and deliver content that converts. It can be difficult to decide what you should focus on first. Take the time to develop a strategy that makes the most of your strengths and maximizes your resources.
You will need to decide how many hours you have available and how much money you are willing to spend. Then, you should focus your efforts on engagement avenues and posts that provide the highest return. Keep track of the results each year, and adjust your strategy based on past years. Keep a list of ideas that you have for next year to keep your company and yourself inspired.
