I have been reading article
after article about marketing your business for this Holiday season and all the articles
have one thing in common: they are all talking about digital advertising and its advantages.




Michelle Keegan, Constant Contact e-marketer expert, wrote that a survey done
by "DoubleClick.com2 reported that 66% of online shoppers plan to use internet
to purchase during the coming holiday season; and BizRate.com3 estimates that
a whopping $8 billion will be spent online between November 25th and December 25th."  It seems that costumers are pushing for easier and convenient ways to purchase on the Holidays and digital is becoming the everyday use. 
 


My research brought me to various ways to advertise your business.
 


1) Website and e-newsletter - Make sure your website is easy to browse and that your products photos and description are just as the original product.  Nothing worse than deception in order to loose a client for ever! Affluent customers are expecting the retailers to go above and beyond for them. Also, static photos are
not enough; they want to be entertained and have a full vivid shopping experience
in your site.
 


•  Catering to Affluent Shoppers Online



• 'Tis the Season - Eight Holiday Tips 



2) Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc) is being used more
frequently to talk and discuss brand names and clients’ experiences with the product. According to e-Marketer  data from Aberdeen Group, August 2010, "more than half of retailers felt they had been pushed into using social media because more consumers were using it as a primary shopping vehicle.
The second-largest pressure causing them
to adopt social media marketing was increased use by the competition."  I suggest you use every possible mean to bring more traffic into your store or business. And, right now, social media is free. Below you can find 2 graphs from e-marketers' research on "Leading Pressures Causing Retailers to use Social Media, Aug 2010"
and "Retailers' Key Performance Indicator for Social Media, Aug 2010."
 


• Consumers Force Retailers to Adopt Social Strategy


3) Messaging and Mobile Media using SMS or text messages. Last year Sonali Shah, Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media, wrote that as the Holiday season draws near, "retailers are focusing on how to meet sales targets and drive traffic, in spite of the continuing recession. The mobile channel can help do both increase revenue and engage customers and mobile messaging will play a key role in most mobile campaigns."  SMS messages can be sent without too much planning
and can be customized. If you wish to read more about this topic, please find 2 links below.
 


• Key SMS marketing tips for retailers’ holiday campaigns

• Location capabilities provide better targeted mobile advertising
 


4) Mobile coupons "while still nascent,  is becoming an increasingly
effective way
to bring people into the store and increase sales", according to InsightExpress. 
This article has great information and graphs that puts men between 25-35 years
old as the group that uses their phones the most to finding reviews, compare
prices, make purchases, find coupons, etc.  
 

• 10pc of consumers driven in-store by mobile coupons: study

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Ana Balzán / LIGHTHOUSE Graphics
Highlighting your path to success!
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