Your e-commerce store needs to be ever-changing. Not only does fresh content delight the search engines such as Google, but it also keeps users coming back to your website for more. One of the things that you can do to keep things fresh is run a promotion calendar.
Throughout the year, events occur. You should be aligning your deals to run in parallel with these events and as a result, it will keep your shop relevant to what is happening in the world today.
Choosing the right events and promotions
Firstly, choose events that relate to your business industry, goals and target audience. I could tell you what events to promote for, but it entirely depends on your business.
Next, you need to decide on a long term plan. Some promotions may require the reduction of just a few products with a couple of banners, while others will require more thought. You typically need to plan your Christmas promotions 4-5 months in advance.
Finally, think of something more creative than just the usual. Reducing products is easy, but it won’t grab attention. Interactive games, competitions and unique experiences are likely to go a lot further.
Make it visual and fill the gaps
You need to be on top of these promotions all the time. If you have a gap in your calendar, fill it. You always want at least one promotion running at one time, whilst always planning the next.
- Block out time for the planning of the promotions. Consider the resources and staff you will need
- Split the promotions for your marketing channels. E.g. Website, Twitter, Facebook, Pay Per Click campaigns
- Don’t necessarily run the same promotion through all your channels (unless it is something big!)
- Run multiple variations of the same promotion to target different audiences
Involve your team
Your staff, friends and family will have some great ideas. Encourage them to think of ways to come up with a unique promotion and reward them for doing so. Organise a brainstorming session so you can chat about ideas.
By coming up with a solid promotional schedule for the next year or so and reviewing it on a regular basis you can increase traffic to your store, increase conversions and get your name out there.
Always remember the key events, should they be relevant to your business. Christmas, Halloween, January Sales, Mothers and Fathers day, Valentines day, April Fools, Back to School, Easter, Summer, Winter and anything unique to that year such as the Olympics, Elections and other big events.