While the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have peaked, things are by no means "back to normal". The supply chains are still disrupted, consumer wallets are still hurting, and unemployment is still high. It will take a while for the economy to get back on its feet. Therefore, you need to plan online vacation marketing strategies early.
With so much vacation revenue coming in online, it is critical for online businesses to bring their best vacation marketing foot forward. This also includes considering which marketing channels should be used to increase your sales.
According to the knowledge obtained, CPMs have risen continuously, which has an adverse effect on ROAS for paid social networks. This was true, and there's still an understandable rise in CPM before the holidays, which only underscores the need to plan your vacation marketing ecommerce strategy in advance.
But something has changed recently. From January to July 2019, the CPM on Facebook fell from $ 11.09 in January to July 2018 to $ 8.34. The CPM on other channels made a similar jump. This is mainly due to two new paid social formats that lead to more conversions: Instagram Stories and Snapchat Ads.
The native feel, full-screen creative, and swipe-up that leads the user straight to the website ensured quick acceptance and a high level of engagement for Instagram stories and far exceeded the Instagram posts. The ROAS on Instagram Stories has tripled since January, and 57% of marketers find it effective or very effective.
At the same time, Snapchat was booming, reaching 90% of 13- to 24-year-olds in the US, more than Facebook, Instagram and Messenger combined. It has over 190 million active users every day, but is still largely overlooked for marketing purposes.
Despite the potential of these two channels, do not ignore your existing successful social media strategies. You know what works for your audience. So if you are experimenting with new opportunities, you shouldn't tear up last year's game book.
Branded Utility refers to providing consumers with added value to build a relationship with before they start selling. It shifts marketing to the same level by making it both useful and entertaining.
Brand benefits can take many forms:
IBM's physical displays are an excellent example of a branded utility. They gave people a place to sit and protect, and made their lives easier without selling anything. IKEA's nap delivery similarly improved people's lives without making sales by helping them get more sleep in their spare time. The van is poorly equipped and is driven by a personal driver. All they ask for is an image with the following hashtag – #UpgradetoIKEA. Both brands made a connection with consumers and even aroused gratitude.
For a branded utility to work, it must resolve a real pain point. You won't achieve anything if your campaign doesn't feel good. So you need to think carefully to find a pain point and an effective way to solve it. However, the IBM campaign shows that the pain point does not have to be directly related to your product.
Emails were not replaced by messenger apps. 293.6 billion emails will still be sent daily, and an estimated 347 billion emails will be sent by 2023. Most of your vacation sales come from existing customers – 48% of 2018 BFCM sales were generated from existing customers – which is useful because they are probably already active on your email list.
Email marketing is still effective when done correctly. Design plays an important role, so investing in layout, fonts, and color choices can be helpful. With the Wisestamp signature generator, you can add a striking and appealing CTA to your company without interfering with the email content. Some marketers recommend A / B testing to find the right subject lines, email lengths, etc., while others consider this a waste of time.
The content itself is also important. Consumers are looking for human, personalized communication that fosters their connection to your brand, although they also value discounts. The demand for tailor-made content and offers makes the segmentation of the target groups of crucial importance. Segmentation can also help you avoid overwriting, as you can usually increase the number of emails you send in advance of a vacation as long as you don't overdo it.
Content marketing is great for your search engine optimization because it uses your keywords in context. This will make your website higher in SERP mode and generate more organic traffic, but it goes far beyond that.
Content Marketing engages, entertains and interests your customers and opens a conversation that can lead to a long-term friendship. Content that delivers value strengthens customer loyalty to your brand.
“SEO and content marketing will further improve visibility in 2020. But what use is it if content is not credible or convincing? To win the content marketing game, brands need to focus more on optimized, personalized, and influencer-enabled content experiences. Says Lee Odden, CEO of Top Rank Marketing.
Content marketing is not a monolith. It includes a range of media formats, including infographics, social media posts, case studies, and more.
Blogs used to be the preferred format for content media, but have recently been overtaken by videos. You have the choice.
Like email marketing, content marketing must be adapted to different target group segments and aligned with them. So pick and track metrics that define success for you. This can be conversions, sales, time on the page, SERP ranking, etc. Effective content creates a positive cycle: you learn more about your customers when you see what content they prefer, and this in turn helps you create more targeted and effective content.
Christmas sales are critical for small businesses, and more so this year than ever after COVID-19 left the first quarter and the second quarter is not much better. Planning vacation marketing strategies early on across multiple channels and using best practices can help your SME get ahead and attract consumers to vacation sales.
Image: Depositphotos.com
