Performance Marketing

 Dear Reader,

Welcome to Performance Marketing, the monthly newsletter for online marketers looking for results.

If you sell products to consumers, the year-end holidays are a crucial time. Although this year's sales may not equal 2008's, seven out of ten consumers still plan to make a holiday purchase online. Now is the time to gear up and make the most of the upcoming season. Whether you're a pure e-tailer or a brick and mortar business with an online presence, read this month's feature article for 11 tips for designing successful holiday campaigns.

All the Best,
Daniel Laury
Founder, President and CEO
LSF Interactive

U.S. Online Ad Revenues from 2000 - 2009

Source: IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, September 2009

Feature Article: 11 Tips for Successful Holiday Campaigns

‘Tis the season! But what kind of season will it be for your company? According to a recent survey of consumers' 2009 holiday spending, 62.8% of consumers plan to spend the same or cut back on their holiday purchases compared to 2008.

The good news is that although consumers plan to rein in spending this holiday season, 85.3% of respondents will shop online. Making sure these online buyers can find you easily - and have a good experience - is crucial to year-end revenue. Here are 11 tips to help you plan your holiday campaigns.

Tip 1: Integrate online and offline campaigns.

Consumers don't divide their shopping experience into channels and neither should marketers. Make sure all offline and online promotions make it easy for shoppers to do business with you by including website and email addresses on print material and phone numbers and locations on your website. For example, if you're holding an event - whether virtual or face-to-face - design an RSVP landing page, use this URL on all print materials, and list the event on your Facebook page.

Tip 2: Think like a consumer.

While most consumers will make a holiday purchase online, they will also use the Internet to window shop. The most popular online window-shopping activities are comparing different retailers to find the best price, and comparing the features of different brands. Be aware of what your competitors are offering online and you'll be able differentiate your brand.

Tip 3: Identify hot seasonal keyphrases.

Find out which terms match this holiday season's hottest trends and develop campaigns around those terms. Read magazines, visit blogs and sites, and watch popular TV shows to find out what's being shown, worn and said.  Identify the phrases your target audience is using and you'll be able to develop more targeted campaigns.

Tip 4: Join the social media conversation.

Hopefully, people are talking about your company and its products. Find out where they are and what they're saying, and promote it. If you haven't already, develop a Twitter profile, a Facebook Fan Page, a YouTube channel, a blog, or an iPhone app. Once you've defined your social media presence, reach out to the people already talking about your company. Retweet their tweets, thank them for their contributions, promote their videos, and even ask them the write guest blog posts. You'll create more buzz - and more sales.

Tip 5: Update your homepage, product pages and blog.

Now is the time to revive your neglected blog and make any overdue website updates, including content or navigation.  You will not only have the most recent and accurate content available for visitors; you'll reawaken search engine crawlers with updated pages.

Tip 6: Highlight value.

Frugal is the word of the day for most consumers. This old-fashioned term is making a huge comeback, from news headlines to ad campaigns. Target is redefining its shoppers as "frugalistas." Be sure you promote how your products and services save money, time or other resources.  Think about two-for-one or gift-with-purchase promotions.  More than anything else, shoppers want to see value in their purchases.

Tip 7: Design the best holiday promotion for your product.

The best promotion this holiday season will depend on your product, its price, and the value of each new customer. Typical offers include discounts, rebates, gifts, premiums, contests, drawings, buy one get one free, trial sizes, free samples, special exhibits, fairs, trade shows, redemption coupons, free tastings, and money-back guarantees. Make the best offer you can afford.

Tip 8: Develop a holiday editorial calendar.

Decide when you'll post holiday-related promotions to your blog, Twitter account or Facebook page to maximize impressions during the entire season. Update your blog with keyword-rich content that will get picked up in search-engine results pages quickly.

Tip 9: Make it easy for shoppers.

Poorly branded and badly executed campaigns can negatively affect your customers and your brand. This includes landing pages where the order process is broken, sites that make people register before making a purchase, or event flyers that don't include a phone number and a web address. Don't give your customers any reason to drop out of the funnel. Be as friendly and helpful as possible.

Tip 10: Test and retest.

Once your campaign elements are in place, test them and have your friends and colleagues test them too, from a wide range of interfaces from home computers to their smart phones. Find out what works and what's broken and fix the jams.

Tip 11: Choose performance marketing.

Launching targeted and cost-effective campaigns could mean the difference between success and failure this holiday season. Many companies favor performance marketing because they do not incur a marketing expense unless results are achieved. Consider this model for a successful, cash-flow positive holiday season.

Performance Marketing: Previous Issues

Craft a Better Offer: 9 Tips

Outflanking Your Online Competitors

Measuring Social Media ROI

Expand Your Reach With Affiliate Marketing

Look Who's Using Performance Marketing

Secrets of Customer Acquisition

Growth in a Downturn

Getting Savvy with Social Media

Get the SEM You Deserve

About LSF Interactive
LSF Interactive is a full service global interactive marketing agency that leverages all Internet channels, including Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Display, Email and Affiliate program management, and focuses on conversions, to help companies acquire new customers, qualified leads or traffic and increase their online revenues. The company employs 90 people worldwide, is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and has offices in Boston, MA, Paris, France, and Hyderabad, India. 

Questions? Call 877.616.8226