Black Friday & Cyber Monday are Coming

Monday now. You have likely heard the terms Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but do you know how to use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to take full advantage of these events? 

Black Friday:  One thing is certain; mobs of people will wake up at the crack of dawn, trek down to the store of their choice, push through the crowds and fight for the deal of the century.  Are you prepared for that? Do you take part in that? Or do you simply stay home, watch the games and leave the chaos to others? However you choose to spend your day, you cannot ignore the fact that sales generated on Black Friday and Cyber Monday equal 25% of annual sales activity!

Is your business ready? Are your PPC advertising campaigns ready?

Cyber Monday, the kid brother of the Black Friday sales tradition, is only 4 years old and was brought to life by the National Retail Federation, in conjunction with www.shop.org.  E-commerce retailers noticed a spike in volume after the busy Thanksgiving holiday.  Is this simply a marketing tactic? Is it an illusion of massive online sales? Yes AND Yes – It is marketing and it is indeed somewhat of an illusion. Though these 2 days do typically account for 25% of annual sales, the busiest online shopping day is actually typically 2 weeks AFTER Cyber Monday.  So brace yourself and your business for increased sales not only on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but also for the weeks following as well. Also prepare for a new term to be invented for the day that does actually prove to generate the most annual online sales. While last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales results were a disappointment, economists have great hopes for a recovery this holiday season.

You need to be prepared to make some changes to keep yourself in front of your shoppers.  A professional PPC Management Company can help ensure that you maximize the results of your PPC Campaigns this holiday season. Below are a few details to follow to ensure that your PPC Campaigns are ready to capitalize on e-commerce opportunities for next week’s arrival of Black Friday & Cyber Monday.

1. Be sure your ad copy clearly states your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)    

     -Free Shipping
     -In Stock
     -50% off retail prices
     -Hard to find items
     -Gift Wrapped for you
     -The list goes on and on…

2. Reassure the searcher that you can get them the item in time for the holiday.
3. Clearly state your order deadline for promised delivery.
4. Increase your budgets to be sure you are not offline.
5. Check your ad delivery schedule.

Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Bing represent an amazing opportunity to reach your potential customers.  Make sure your PPC advertising campaigns are ready for BOTH Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Here are some tips to making the most of your PPC Ads at Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter:

1. Highlight Your Holiday Specials

In your ads, be sure to mention any holiday specials you are running.  From price reductions to coupons to free shipping.  Include it in the ad.  People are looking for bargains this holiday season.

2. Set Your Budgets Higher

This time of year there will be more traffic on all of the product search terms.  Make sure your ads are showing consistently all day by setting the right budget and the right keywords bids. 

You should double-check your positions as well.  There are some terms that become highly competitive this time of year.  You may have been running happily at positions 2-3 for the last few months and all of a sudden drop to 10 because of increased holiday competition.  Keep an eye on this through the end of the month. 

For most B2C retail businesses, the holiday makes up as much as 60% of their total revenue for the year.  Your advertising spend should reflect this.

3. Consider Gift Terms

Be very cautious with the vague, generic gift terms.  However, you may find that gift terms specific to your product line will help you.  For example, if you sell coffee, consider “coffee gifts”, “coffee gift ideas”, etc.  As with everything, watch your cost per conversion on these terms.

The Google AdWords Team talks about some of these tips in their Inside Adwords blog. Applying proven PPC Management techniques is always critical, but especially during the holidays.

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