Consumers plan on spending an average of $1,007 during the holiday season this year – a 4.1% increase over 2017, according to the National Retail Federation.
People have money to spend and are actively searching for products that you’re selling. So, make sure you’re promoting the right content to the right people.
Is your Facebook holiday marketing strategy targeted enough?
We've compiled optimal ways to target holiday shoppers who are searching for gifts – from those who have never heard of your brand to your tried-and-true fans. If you’re advertising on Facebook & Instagram this season, consider these marketing tactics to ensure your messages resonate.
Want to drive sales by acquiring new customers?
Use broad audience targeting to reach people who are inclined to be interested in your products – even if they've never visited your website. This offering from Facebook automatically shows relevant products from your catalog to potential customers. And it's a pretty powerful acquisition tool. Athletic apparel retailer Finish Line worked with StitcherAds to achieve stellar results with broad audiences. The brand experienced a 9x return on ad spend and a 49x increase in sales.
With this strategy, focus on creative that resonates with people who are new to your brand. Fair pricing and free shipping are the top two reasons that people try a new brand, according to a study from Yotpo. If you're offering deals or offers, highlighting them should be an integral part of your Facebook holiday marketing strategy.
Lookalike audience targeting is another great way to acquire new customers, which will allow you to reach people who are similar to those who have previously purchased from you. A good way to go about this is to target your lookalikes with best-selling products. You have insight into what your customers love, so present those options to people who have similar traits as your existing fanbase. Create seed audiences based on customers with the highest average order values; customers who have made frequent purchases; and people who bought from your brand last holiday season.
It’s also worth testing user-generated content with this audience. Because your lookalikes are similar to people who have made purchases in the past, it may resonate to see UGC of fans interacting with your products.
Looking to push undecided shoppers over the line?
Use dynamic audiences to retarget people who have conducted certain events on your site. For people who have searched for specific products, viewed product or category pages, and added items to their carts (but did not purchase) – re-engage them with a holiday gift guide in the form of an ad.
A good way to approach this is by using a Canvas ad powered by a collection ad. Within it, segment products into useful categories that will make finding the perfect gift a cinch. Group related products together and position them by price or product category, e.g. “Makeup,” “Handbags,” “Jewelry,” “Wellness.” Feature products within the various categories depending on what users view on your site.
Your loyal fan base could be the most valuable segment you reach this season. Research shows repeat customers generate some 40% of a store’s revenue.
Create custom audiences of people who are subscribed to your newsletter, as well as those who have purchased from you in the past – online or in-store. To get the most out of your subscriber list, segment this audience by how much people have spent with your brand this year. You can then set more aggressive bids toward your top spenders.
From a creative standpoint, use your ads to encourage them to go in-store and interact with your brand in person. The vast majority of impulse purchases still take place in brick-and-mortar stores, and your loyal fans will be more inclined to spend more on last-minute items.
If they live within a reasonable radius of one of your stores, reach them using a carousel ad with a map card. A map card is a tile of the carousel ad that features a map, distance to the store, store hours, and contact information.
Consumer confidence is at an 18-year high – making this an ideal time to motivate holiday shoppers into choosing your brand. In addition to ensuring that your Facebook and Instagram campaigns are on point, you need to have the right targeting tactics in place. Otherwise, you’ll risk losing valuable customers to competing retailers.