With Christmas looking a little different this year, content marketers need to rethink their approach and get plans in place now.
Christmas this year is going to be like no other and whether you would usually expect a peak around this time of year or for business to go a bit quiet, you need to adapt your approach to content knowing that this year is different.
With less people likely to hit the high street and a different atmosphere this year, people will inevitably be turning online for inspiration. Are you ready?
People might be heading online to impulse buy or endlessly browse, finding new ways to connect with each other, not partaking in the usual festive activities…
As a content marketer you need to foresee these changes and connect with your audience’s needs.
I’d like to share three core tips on how content marketers can build a strategy to attract, engage and convert business this Christmas.
- Why your content needs to be adapted for this Christmas
- Why you need to start your content for Christmas now
- What content you need to be creating to help with marketing & sales
What’s changed this year?
Yes, it’s due to Covid! This Christmas is different and many of us will not be able to or may not want to shop in our usual ways. Did you know that Christmas shopping got underway for many shoppers in September this year?
According to the British Retail Consortium 40% of Christmas purchases were made online in September.
Interestingly, Google report that 39% of planned shoppers said they’ll use different options such as buying online or picking up in store, with many shoppers concerned about crowded stores.
These signals all demonstrate why you should be doing your Christmas marketing now and that much more of your audience is online, whether they want to buy online or not.
Why you need to find the ‘Sweet Spot’
The internet is a place for both organisations and people, but they are often different.
Organisations are on the internet to achieve business objectives from generating enquiries or achieving sales.
Now put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think about what they might be interested in doing such as reading, watching or listening to you, and your company.
This sweet spot isn’t easy to find – businesses large and small don’t often get it. You need to achieve business objectives in revenue and sales while connecting and engaging with your target audience and meeting their human needs.
What does today’s buying journey look like?
It’s not just about the buyer journey it’s about people’s everyday lives and it’s certainly not a funnel any longer. We all have lots of additional stresses, things we are juggling and strains on our lives today, but we are giving off signals all the time.
Organisations and marketeers can and should tap in to and understand this tangled journey.
Thinking like a customer, and wearing your customers shoes, allows you think about how you can engage with your audience and create inspiring content. Think about what type of Christmas shopper you are: –
A. I have a full list with exactly what I’m going to buy everyone
B. I’ve a rough list but look for inspiration when I go into store/online
C. I need inspiration and head online/instore to help me, especially for tricky people like dads, grandads etc
Those customers looking for Christmas shopping inspiration can be inspired by your content, answering their queries and listening to their needs will influence their shopping choices.
This Christmas, you have a potentially different audience, different routes to market, and different ways to sell.
Where do you start?
Like many shoppers, we start looking for inspiration on Google. In fact, Google suggests that in the UK around 51% of us search on this basis to discover products.
This Google predictive text is a good indicator as to what Christmas shoppers are looking for. But alongside Google there are great ways to market your content and it should be about generating inspiration.
You should be looking to attract; the right audience using the right channels and engage your audience in things that are of interest to them on.
This leads to converting them into an action or buying a product. Above all, your Christmas content should educate, inspire and entertain them, while addressing sales, but not doing the hard sell.
Why is planning your Christmas content important?
Gone are the days of ‘Freestyling’ your digital marketing. Having a plan is essential and it’s better to do 2 or 3 elements really well rather than 5-6 half attempts.
Plan each piece of content and ask; why are we doing this, what are we trying to achieve and what is the end goal?
Managing content marketing is also essential, you can’t always market all your products, so begin by: –
- Picking your top 5 searched for and purchased products/offerings.
- Think about how / why those products / services could be searched for by people looking for inspiration.
- Carry out searches and use tools to help you identify these.
- Create content around this information.
How do I maximise my content?
Content isn’t just about blogs, there are many different mediums of content from video, email marketing to targeted ads and social media ads.
Even if you can’t get to the top of Google you can target your audience using your content in ads.
Maximising your Christmas content for both the user experience and sales is essential. Content shouldn’t just be about the hard sell but focus on the end user.
SocialB are an Award-winning digital marketing agency, specialising in digital marketing services and social media training.
