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Holiday Marketing for E-Commerce Websites and Hotels
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E-commerce websites should see a large increase in traffic and purchases over the next few months. If your website hasn't seen any spikes in traffic, then chances are you aren't doing something right with your holiday marketing plan. For hotels or other travel related sites, this is the chance to capture holiday travelers and get them to stay at your location. Below are some ideas and tips for holiday marketing for e-commerce or hotel websites.
1. Create an enticing special they can't refuse. Free shipping on all orders during a specific time frame. Stay two nights get one free. Free stocking stuffer with $20 purchase. Whatever your special discount is, be sure that it is enough to make customers commit to purchasing. Offers should be mutually beneficial so make sure you aren't giving away the house. Use promo codes so that you can track your special offer.
Holiday Promotions for Hotels
Do you have an extra "gift" you can add on for customers? What about something extra for travelers like local attraction tickets or deals on special events in your area? The holidays are when a large majority of couples get engaged. Offer a romantic hotel package that includes champagne or chocolates. For New Years, offer free shuttle rides to popular party places. Anything out of the ordinary to make your promotion interesting and useful to the customer. Every hotel has rooms and can knock the prices down, it's up to you to offer a better experience for the guest.
* For e-commerce websites using the Alternate Image shopping cart, read instructions here for adding discounts.
* For Alternate Image's hotel booking engine clients, use the Extras feature to allow guests to purchase extra add on items. Many people are in the mood to indulge around this time of year so offer celebration items like champagne, free drinks at your lounge, or food items. Read instructions for adding extras.2. Market your special offer on your website home page. We see it time and time again. Special offers from companies being promoted everywhere but their website's home page. If a customer sees your special and goes to your website, they should not have to guess where they can find the details. Add a thumbnail image and some text about your promotion to your home page and link this to a landing page where customers can see the details. Be sure to make this a time sensitive offer that they will need to act on fast.
Name the landing page your promotion name so it can be found easier by search engines. If you are a hotel and encouraging customers to purchase an extra, add a picture of the item or a stock photo of people enjoying the item. Be sure to add text describing the extras and instructions for adding them to their room. If you are an e-commerce website, link to the product details page where customers can add the item to their cart.
3. Send an Email Blast to your customers about your special promotion.This is the easiest and fastest way to promote your specials. E-commerce stores and hotels have all of their customer emails captured and automatically added into their mailer database. Your best customers are the loyal ones who have purchased from you before. Hit them up first for your holiday specials.
Be sure to include: - Your promotion details, the price, and create a sense of urgency to act now
- A link to your promotion landing page and how to purchase the offer (promo codes work best for this!)
- Images that show people using the items or a picture of the item itself.
- If you are a hotel, be sure to include some photos of your property. Make sure they are good ones too!
Send your email blast on a Tuesday or Wednesday during the mid-day. Do not send just one large image as your email blast, instead, use live text. For tips on sending an email blast using the Alternate Image mailer application, read the blog post "Using your Mailer Application to Stay in Touch with Customers"
Be sure to monitor your website analytics to see how much traffic you've received and which pages people are looking at. Adjust your campaign accordingly. If you are selling a lot of extras or packages, keep at it. If not, figure out why and fix it. Ask someone their honest opinion of your promotion. Is it too expensive, not needed, or just not clearly explained well? Whatever it is, make sure you monitor and adjust your campaign.Happy holidays!
- Alternate Image
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