How To Effectively Market PPC Ads For The Holidays

Contributed by:
Subina Desai, eStrategist
Ashim Neogy, eStrategist

While 2011 is coming to a close, the holiday shopping season is driving massive revenue. As shown in the graph below, there is a correlation between the US unemployment rate and search queries for “coupons and rebates”.

• With the recent recession and high unemployment, it is clear that the number one driving force behind consumers minds, are deals. Still, consumers’ end goal seems to be striking a balance between saving enough money, while still enjoying the pleasure of buying.
• In support of this statement, we are seeing an increase in both social networking, as well as deal-finding through coupon websites such as Groupon.

• In order to satisfy consumer demand, marketers should target their PPC efforts around “deal related” keywords (e.g. seattle hotel deals, seattle discount hotels) in order to capture this deal-hunting market.
  
• Another strategy that can be used to hone in on the coupon/deal message would be to create a landing page that looks like a coupon, while offering a significant discount, and thus, encourage a booking.

To sum it all up, it’s not too late to run your Holiday-oriented PPC ads. In fact, it may be a great way to give your hotel a boost before the new year comes around. Just be sure to always research your keywords before testing them out, and you should be good to go!

Sources: Google and Ipsos OTX