3 Holiday PPC Ad Strategies You Need To Use

Get your sales a gift with these three holiday PPC ad strategies

So, it may be a little taboo to mention anything to do with St. Nick or the holidays before the big turkey is cut, but if you wait that long, you’re probably going to miss out on some major sales opportunities.

Here are 3 ways you can optimize your PPC strategy for the holidays and bring home an extra buck or two for the family 🙂

#1 – The Time To Plan Is Now

When it comes to holiday PPC ad strategies, timing is everything. If you’ve been in business for even just a few years, I’m sure you’ve been able to see that shoppers are starting earlier and earlier each year.

From a study by Google that I reference below, 26% of shoppers start before Halloween. Personal example: It’s coming up on the end of October and my sister-in-law literally has all of her Christmas shopping done…3 weeks ago!

While she may be a bit of an outlier, while also making most of us a bit jealous, the trends are still there for us to see. So what dates are most important for your company?

Here’s some cool data about the transaction volume lift in late November and December that I repurposed from Google’s recent post about the holiday season :

Nothing shocking right? Small increases starting in Nov (image source)

My Recommendation: Take the next week and put together your PPC strategy for the holidays. If you want your online sales to spike along with these trends, you’re going to have to put a bidding and budget strategy in place to make sure you’re ranking well and that you have enough budget.

These numbers aren’t anything new, so things can get a little competitive out there…kinda like in Jingle All The Way when Arnold Schwarzenegger needed to fight for a Turbo Man doll.

You remember that scene right?

#2 – Schedule Your Digital Strategy Around Key Dates

Did you know that 11 days before Christmas is the best time to advertise for Ugly Sweaters? Planning your PPC Strategy around key holiday dates will give you the most bang for your buck. We’re not inventing the wheel here, so don’t guess at what days you think are best. Let the data tell you where and when to bid!

Think With Google put together some data from the 2013 holiday season. Take a minute to look at this infographic on when might be the best time for you to make sure your ranking well on Google 🙂

They should’ve made a real chocolate advent calendar around this (image source)

I find it a little sad that searches for Dads and Moms peak on the 21st and 23rd of December – lazy last minute shoppers finally thinking about their parents! #iloveyoumorethanthatmom

#3 – Mobile – A Shopper’s Best Friend

Whether it’s because smartphones are almost larger than my face, or they are just becoming more affordable for most people to own one, mobile search traffic trends are getting out of control. According to a Comscore study, 60% of media is consumed on a mobile or tablet.

Mobile usage and mobile apps continue to grow at desktop’s demise (image source)

Google’s study shows that one in four people plan to use their phone while in stores shopping this year. Another cool stat: 46% of shoppers who use their phones to shop in-store end up purchasing.

Is your mobile experience up to par? If not, you’ve got a few weeks to get it there, so hurry! If you don’t know where to start, you can learn about mobile optimization here and here.

I hope these 3 steps help you get into gear and start planning your holiday ppc ad strategies. It’s worth the preparation so you don’t get out bid and out ranked by your competitors. Happy advertising 🙂