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Feature Editorial:

Edge Out Your Competitors and Get Ready For The Holidays *NOW* With These 5 Killer Strategic Internet Marketing Tips!

*NOW* is the time to launch your strategic Internet marketing plan for the upcoming holiday season.

Think it's too early? No way.

A recent study by BizRate found that 34.9% of online holiday shoppers will start their shopping by Halloween -- and that's just over a week away!

You can bet your competitors aren't wasting a single second jumping on this opportunity, either...

That same BizRate survey discovered that 62% of online retailers are launching their holiday marketing promotions by November 4th this year!

That's why you need to make some key changes to your web site and your marketing plan NOW... so you can outperform the competition and start scooping up those holiday shoppers right away!

In this issue, I'm going to tell you how to:

• Write a killer headline and copy that shows how YOUR product or service is the perfect gift for that special someone

• Design the top fold of your home page so that it shows you're willing to go the extra distance to make your visitors' holiday shopping experience a "jolly" one

• Offer your customers gift certificates to keep your returns low

• Use a rock-solid shipping guarantee to gain the trust of stressed-out holiday shoppers.

• Create a holiday email promotion that creates urgency and compels subscribers to buy
  

Read on to discover how to give yourself the best gift of all this holiday season -- a gigantic boost in profits to close out the year!

Quick Tip #1:

Motivate your visitors to buy with winning holiday headlines and salescopy!

When a visitor comes to your site on a holiday shopping expedition, there are two things they'll want to know right away:

1. Will this product or service make a good gift for someone on my shopping list?

2. Why should I buy it here, and not somewhere else?

If your headlines and salescopy don't answer those questions right off the bat, you stand to lose a major chunk of your holiday shopping traffic within seconds of their arrival.

In order to make your headline really speak to your visitors, make sure it addresses the need they're trying to solve: choosing a gift for a friend or family member.

So... who would your product or service make a good gift for? Someone's husband or father? Someone's wife or daughter? The car nut or the nature lover in the family?

Determine who's the ideal person to receive your product or service, and then include them in your headline!

Also, be sure to explain exactly what kind of benefit they'll get from your product or service -- and then also mention the benefit the giver will receive from offering it as a present!

Say you sell model replicas of antique cars. You could write something like:

Rev Your Favorite "Car Nut's" Engine This Christmas
and Win 1st Place in His Heart By Giving Him
an Authentic Replica of His Original "True Love"
-- The First Car He Ever Owned!

You could follow that up with copy that further explains the benefits of owning such a product (it'll keep him feeling young by reminding him of his high school days when he first bought the car), as well as the benefits of giving it (he'll love you forever!)

Remember: Whenever you make a change to your headline or salescopy, be sure to test it. Only change one element of your copy at a time, and test to see what impact it has on your sales. If your conversion rates drop, you'll need to try something new!

Quick Tip #2:

Use the first fold of your web site to build urgency -- and pack in the benefits for holiday shoppers!

So you've done a holiday tune-up on your copy and your headlines, and you're ready to dazzle your visitors with the value of your product. But your job isn't nearly done yet!

You want to make sure the first fold of your web site is full of the information holiday shoppers need to know before they'll decide to buy.

(For those of you who aren't sure what the "first fold" is, it's the portion of your web site people see before they scroll down or click on any links. This includes your sidebars and headers, too!)

Now, you don't want to include any holiday features that are going to distract visitors from your main sales message. But in your sidebars, you SHOULD include a few discreet messages that add to your message and offer even more compelling reasons why your product or service is the perfect holiday gift.

I'm talking about things like...

• An opt-in offer that speaks to the needs of holiday shoppers. For example, you could put together a "Holiday Buying Guide" that tells people more about your products and explains why they'd make great gifts.

• Holiday specials and discounts: Make sure you offer some special deals on your products to entice your visitors to buy! How about an early-bird deal if your customers make a purchase before a certain date? Or a special discount for those panicky last-minute shoppers?
  
  You could offer a two-for-one deal, or even a "holiday gift set" that combines two or more of your products in a gift-ready package!

• Your shipping information: If you're able to offer free or discounted shipping, be sure to include some mention of it in the top fold of your site.

• Provide an ironclad shipping guarantee so customers know their gifts will arrive in time. You'll want to put it where your customers can see it right away, at the top of your right- or left-hand sidebar.
• Your return policy: Be sure to let your customers know you offer a no-questions-asked return policy for a certain period after the holidays. It'll give them the extra boost of confidence they need to make a purchase.
• Free gift-wrapping service: It's another great way to give your customers an extra perk without much additional cost to you. For the cost of some paper and ribbon, you can make any humble package look like a fabulous holiday gift!
  

• Urgency builders: Another thing you could include in your first fold is a little "countdown" box that tells your visitors exactly how many days are left to Christmas, or to the shipping deadline for gifts to arrive in time. It might give them the extra "kick in the butt" they need to make a buying decision.
  
  Alternatively, you could install a Hover Ad with an urgent holiday timing message that lets them know exactly how long they've got to make a gift purchase -- the second they arrive at your web site!
  
  You could also use the Hover Ad to advertise your holiday specials and encourage your visitors to sign up for more info -- or you could use it to offer a special discount coupon to people who join your mailing list.
  
  Just make sure your message speaks to the needs of holiday shoppers -- and you might find that in addition to boosting your sales, you've dramatically grown your opt-in list!

One last note on getting your top fold into top gear: While it's great to add a bit of "holiday dash" to your site, make sure you don't overdo your decorating efforts. Your headline and salescopy should stay the focus of your site. Too many elements may distract your visitors from what you actually sell.

Quick Tip #3

Reduce your refund rate by offering gift certificates that let recipients choose their own present!

This strategy is especially convenient if you're selling a service online. No matter what you're selling -- whether it's spa packages or landscape design -- I guarantee your service would make the perfect present for someone on your visitors' shopping lists.

Plus, you can remind your holiday shoppers that since online gift certificates can be delivered electronically in just seconds, they make great last-minute gifts. Your customers make the purchase, and have the gift certificate in their hands in just a matter of moments!

Quick Tip #4:

Offer free or discounted shipping -- as well as guaranteed delivery dates for last-minute shoppers!

When you're putting together a shipping policy for the holiday season, keep in mind that holiday shoppers have three major priorities:

1. Getting great gifts
2. Getting those gifts on time
3. ... and NOT spending a fortune to do it!

That's why I'd STRONGLY urge you to offer free shipping during the holiday season, along with an ironclad shipping guarantee that will set your customers' minds at ease.

How much of a difference will a shipping guarantee make for your conversion rates?

I'll give you a quick stat: 75% of the shoppers that BizRate surveyed said that free shipping was one of the most important factors in deciding where to shop online. It's a small consideration for your customers that will have a dramatic impact on your sales.

Here's how to put a policy together to win over the most skeptical "Scrooge" -- and save you a ton of customer service hassles:

• Tell your customers how long their products will take to arrive.

• Tell your customers the date they need to purchase by in order to get guaranteed delivery before Christmas.

• Offer emergency shipping "rush jobs" at a slight extra cost for those last-minute shoppers

• Offer to ship gifts -- complete with gift-wrapping -- to out-of-town family and friends

By telling your customers exactly what shipping services you use and when they can expect their package to arrive, you'll go a long way to overcoming their hesitations and encouraging them to buy!

Quick Tip #5:

Create an email promotion that solves your subscribers' holiday shopping problems and compels them to buy!

A well-timed, information-packed holiday email campaign is the perfect way to drum up sales with your opt-in list.

Use a series of autoresponders to build urgency and drive traffic back to your site in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.

Make sure your emails clearly explain why your product would make such a great gift and how it would benefit both the giver AND the receiver. Also be sure to mention your special holiday services, such as free gift-wrapping and reduced shipping.

As it gets close to the holidays, your emails should build urgency by pointing out how many days are left until Christmas and offering your product or service at a special discount rate.

Mark Bulleit of GreetingsFromSanta.com is a perfect example of someone who runs a killer holiday email campaign. Mark's product is a customizable "letter from Santa Claus" that customers can send to their loved ones before the big day arrives.

Here's how Mark's email campaign breaks down:

• Right after Halloween, he sends out an email to all his past customers, offering them a discount if they order their Santa letters before Thanksgiving.

• Before December 1st rolls around, he sends out a second email to people who didn't make a purchase after the first email. He also sends the same message to people who recently built letters on his site but never completed their orders.

• In December, he sends out a third email, giving his prospects and previous customers one final chance to place an order before it's too late. This email emphasizes the express-mail option he offers and positions the letter as a great last-minute Christmas gift.

Because of the seasonal nature of his product, Mark has to work hard to get sales during the weeks leading up to Christmas -- it's the only chance he's got to rake in the profits!

But this strategy can work just as well for non-seasonal businesses. After all, your goal is the same as Mark's -- to encourage as many Christmas shoppers to buy your product as possible!

Final thoughts

Now that you've got some quick and easy ideas to get your holiday marketing campaign underway, don't let your competitors beat you to the punch!

Here's what to do to get started right away...

• Add a holiday angle to your headline and salescopy

• Add a holiday angle to your opt-in offer

• Add your shipping information and your return policy to the first fold of your page

• Plan an email campaign that you can start rolling out the week after Halloween
  

One quick caution: remember not to overdo your push -- you don't want to mail so often or put up so much holiday content on your site that your customers feel harassed if they're not in the mood to shop yet! Different people celebrate in different ways, and you want to market as effectively as possible without annoying anyone.

Finally, I want to wish you the best of luck in your business this holiday season, and in putting these strategies to work.

I think you'll be amazed by the difference even a small change can make -- AND the jolly boost it gives your bottom line!