As the holiday season approaches, there are many tips and tricks brands can use to gain greater media exposure.
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It will be exciting to see how the Christmas season 2021 develops. Many Americans will be willing to turn their pent-up frustrations into shopping and new experiences to make up for lost time. In the meantime, many others will remain cautious to return to the pre-Covid-19 pandemic.
Retailers dependent on income from Christmas shopping are desperate to regain revenue that has gone away in the past year. Regardless of the level of recreation on vacation, businesses interested in getting the most out of their Christmas shopping are getting hungrier than ever. Products of all shapes and sizes have suffered and will be eager to start the season ahead with all they have.
That includes winning in marketing, where there will be fierce competition between brands big and small to attract consumers who are ready to spend again.
So how can the smaller products be successful?
Alone or with a knowledgeable partner, small brands can use many tips and tricks to increase their chances of success in a highly competitive battle for Christmas gift coverage.
1. Provide samples
This is something that smaller and lesser-known brands simply have to do to get through the noise – if you believe in your product, the best form of marketing is to get it into the hands of reporters and online influencers, even if it means to sacrifice something means to do so.
If your product is a high-end product, limiting samples to a few points of sale might be a wise opening. Regardless of how much you choose to give away products, providing samples should be part of your budget. This is something that you should consider a significant hassle beyond hiring a marketing partner with an address book full of potentially useful retail and media contacts. People will still have a hard time recommending your product unless they’ve tried it out themselves.
Related: 5 Ways Businesses Can Take advantage of the Global Holidays
2. Pay for the more prestigious placements.
Sometimes internships aren’t getting paid for obviously so do your homework before approaching an opportunity to fully understand the financial obligations involved. Many television shows also require a certain number of products to be available to guests and hosts, and may even require a cut in sales generated through their own websites.
3. Have an e-commerce presence built and ready to take orders that may result from coverage.
Whether this is accomplished through your own website or as an affiliate on a marketplace like Amazon, it is important to get it right.
Preparation is key here – registering as an affiliate with Amazon can take anywhere from six months to a year, and we’re seeing increasing demands for product placements to be complemented by an online purchase.
Related: Why You Should Bet On The Future Of Ecommerce
4. Completely understand your buying audience.
Before deciding to work with a specialized marketing and PR partner, you should do your due diligence and make sure they are addressing the right audience that will generate maximum exposure for your brand and products. If you do the advertising work in-house, find the places your ideal client will turn to for information and target those sources first.
A mix of earned media and paid opportunities is likely to produce optimal results. Traditional PR placements in the vacation business are known to be highly competitive, so be prepared to seek contacts who can secure paid placements as well.
Time is of the essence with this Christmas shopping spree. Don’t start in October! Start researching social media and advertising contacts as soon as possible so that you can plan and budget the August through November time window accordingly.
5. Follow up and capitalize on successes.
For example, make sure to post, share, and re-share any breakthroughs on social media to keep the momentum going. On top of that, it may even be worthwhile to incorporate this into your Google Ads to demonstrate third party credibility.
If you follow these simple tips, smaller brands have a chance to get through the noise.
The 2021 holiday season will be an extremely competitive place when it comes to showcasing products to consumers who are ready to spend their money. After the disruptions and struggles of the past 18 months, now is the perfect time to reinvigorate your product marketing strategies and experience a new wave of vacation spending that we all hope for.
Related: Know Yourself: The Foolproof Success Secret
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