November 15, 2016

Content in Demand as Holiday Marketing Ramps Up

It may have been singer Andy Williams who first mused about “the most wonderful time of the year,” but based on the way businesses and consumers spend money in the final two months of the year, marketers could just as easily have been the ones to coin the popular phrase.

Last year retail spending between Black Friday and Christmas Eve hit another record high, growing 7.9 percent over the previous year, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse. What’s more, forecasters anticipate that spending will continue to surge this year.

Source: Pixabay.com

Business spending typically peaks during the last two months of the year as well. This is due in part to strong consumer spending that helps pad the coffers, but budgetary considerations also have an impact. Lingering line items that have been earmarked for the current year are finally appropriated, while spending for the following year’s budget can also start to take effect.

In short, marketers must be prepared for the financial floodgates to open in the coming weeks and months. There will be significant opportunities to increase market share and garner a competitive edge, but to do so, your campaigns will have to put your brand in the spotlight.

In looking more closely at spending patterns, it becomes evident that content is a critical component in the equation to capitalize on the holiday season and finish the year on a high note.

According to ComScore, mobile spending grew 59 percent last year. That means your business needs to augment its presence, especially for all the shoppers searching for “(fill in the blank) near me.” Quality content acts as an educational resource to inform potential customers about your goods and services, lends credibility to your brand and can bolster your SEO if used correctly. Considering these benefits, content is uniquely qualified to drive mobile users to your business.

Email remains important as well, according to IAB’s “Holiday Shopper Playbook.” In fact, email marketing reaps a stronger return than television advertising for clothing retailers. But without quality content, email marketing campaigns can come off as too self-promotional and, ultimately, lead to poor conversion rates.

Social media cannot be ignored during the holidays either. Social media platforms provide your business a chance to develop its own voice, target specific demographics and directly engage with potential customers. A robust content strategy designed for social media can drive sales to your pages and give a voice to your brand. Content that drives sales is, of course, important. But you can also use content to craft social messages that are particularly well-received during the holiday season. By using content as a vehicle to share your organization’s community efforts, you can build consumer loyalty in your brand.

To learn more about how to implement an engaging, diverse and impactful content marketing strategy this holiday season, click here





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