Online Christmas Shopping - Tips for Holiday Internet Marketing
I just read a post by Jason Lee Miller full of some great tips for holiday marketing. I’m still enjoying the sand gathering on my sandals and he wants me to start thinking about Christmas on the Internet?
Jason wrote, “‘Tis the season already, so get moving.”
Yea, yea, yea, I hear you. I’ll get moving, from one comfortable chair on the deck to another. I read it, so does that mean somewhere in my psyche I’m ninety-percent of the way there (isn’t that the psychological reason why diet books and books on getting organized sell so well?) Well, actually, I did get some instant flashes of some fun things to do with some of my favorite Suttons Bay merchants and some of their products. But Jason, come on, I’m listening to the crickets chirping right now, and you want me to think about landing pages and link building?
Well, come to think of it, he’s right about the time needed to get the pages written, and getting the pages online so they can start to rank. Hmm, and the link building thing, Jason’s got a really good point there too. If I want the other merchants to link to these landing pages I’d better get them built and populated with products so the pages will start to rank because of all those inbound links. Sure, building Christmas shopping pages in August will be easy to implement. Ho-ho-ho!
I guess at this point it is just a matter of deciding on which products, the layout, and the keywords for all that great content. Again, Jason made a great point about how important the content actually is during the holiday shopping season. Jason wrote, “Not only will great content bolster your natural keywords, but it really helps customers make decisions and form trust.”
Adding coupons, free shipping, and an “easy to buy” shopping cart system will also help to increase sales. Another great idea is to ask your customers to tell their friends about their great shopping experience on your site with an easy online form. Oh yea, that’s what that word-of-mouth form of marketing is all about. Not quite viral, but definitely Web 2.0. Isn’t it?
And finally, location. Both online and in your hometown. Very important. Jason stressed the importance of location in this paragraph:
Location, location, location. If you have a physical presence, take advantage of online mapping and other local services. It may be hard to stand out in that big sea of online commerce, but it’s easy to stand out in your hometown. Make sure you target location-specific angles to help people just around the corner find you.
Yes, it is easy to stand out in your hometown. Known Books, the bookstore in Suttons Bay, Michigan certainly does - and has since 1996. Except now we’re down by the water, on the shores of Suttons Bay. That’s why I’ve still got sand gathering on my sandals! And we’re easy to find online as well in that big sea of online Suttons Bay commerce!
To read the entire article written by Jason Lee Miller about getting ready for the Christmas shopping season, and why it really is so important to start now, even with the crickets still chirping, please click on this link which will take you to his article on Christmas Holiday Marketing.
Cheryl C. Cigan
known.com
