Advertising

Skip to main content
Advertising

Experience new growth possibilities with Microsoft Advertising today >

Microsoft Advertising Blog
Page 1 of results

You’ve Reached December – Now What?

Daily Holiday Shopping MilestonesIf you haven’t heard, a recording of the popular Bing Ads Holiday Webinar is available online, as is the full presentation deck and holiday preparation checklist. Blogger Peter Haubolt highlights many of the webinar’s statistical charts, and offers a host of additional industry information in his November piece, The 2012 Holiday Season.  For search advertising advice that is both time-agnostic and season-sensitive, be sure to check that out.  For those of you charging head first into December, here is a handful of tips:

1. Create urgency with updated ad copy.

It’s now or never!  Especially with travel and family logistics, when do most people find time to shop?  I don’t know about you, but I tell myself year after year I’ll begin my holiday shopping early, but nevertheless I’m running between stores come mid-December. 

Location Extension2. After last ship date, use location extensions to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores. 

Location Extensions allow you to display your business address and phone number next to your ad. With an increasing number of shoppers searching for products within a particular proximity, location extensions are a must. Check out Program Managers Shamit Patel and Peter Yang’s joint post, Drive Local Leads with Location Extensions in Microsoft Advertising

3. Don’t forget that post-season sales continue after the holidays.

While the hoopla will have passed come Dec 26th, I’ll still be on vacation, and using my leisure time to shop for myself and my newborn nephew’s 1st birthday surprise. 

4. Remember mobile shoppers!

The percentage of mobile shoppers continues to soar.  If shoppers aren’t buying online, they’re researching what they’re going to buy online and making the purchase offline (hence also why location extensions are so increasingly adept at driving traffic).

5. Noteworthy Dates

  • 12/03 Green Monday
  • 12/18 Last Ship Date
  • 12/27 Post Holiday Sale

If you’re using Bing Ads to manage your campaign, we recommend running a Search Query Performance Report to illuminate your search keyword’s strengths and weaknesses heading into peak weeks (Tip: A list of keyword suggestions can be found here).  Download our convenient Holiday Checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything when heading into the peak season. If you didn't have a chance to join us for our Holiday Webinar, you can listen to the recording or get your copy of the slide deck.

Happy December!

Aurea