Introducing the ultimate guide to online advertising joy this Christmas

Christmas conjures up all sorts of feelings. For you it could be memories of time spent celebrating with family, the excitement of opening presents, the chilly weather or even regrets of having eaten a little too much at Christmas dinner!

It’s a special time of year for people in many parts of the world. And it’s also an important one for businesses in all sorts of industries. Across sectors like travel and tourism, retail, e-commerce, entertainment and hospitality, smart businesses of all shapes and sizes plan for success at Christmas.

Some Christmas statistics

In the US, an incredible 89% of consumers said they celebrated Christmas in 2017, and 86% of them plan to purchase at least one Christmas present this year! When combined with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving and other events around this time of year, it’s no surprise that, according to the National Retail Foundation (NRF), 20-40% of yearly sales for small and mid-sized retailers take place within the last two months of the year.

And consumers are spending more year-on-year, with a NRF study finding consumers are set to spend an average of US$1007.24 during the 2018 holiday period, up 4.1% from last year.

When they do shop, it’s considered, calculated and often research takes some time. Shoppers take 13 days on average to consider a new purchase, and when they do decide to buy, they’re expecting instant gratification. Mobile searches related to same-day shipping have grown 120% since 2015.

This time of year is also increasingly important for travel businesses, with just over 107 million Americans journeying 50 miles (80 km) or more from home during the period between December 23rd 2017 and January 1st 2018. According to a study by the American Automobile Association, that represents a 3.1% increase compared to 2016 – the biggest increase ever recorded.

Our guide to Christmas advertising

For organisations across a variety of industries, online advertising plays a crucial role. Advertising on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, combined with the reach and ubiquity of Google, give savvy advertisers the ability to get their messages in front of the right people, at the right time – driving the actions that matter to them.

Click to download the full eBook

The eBook is a step-by-step guide to ensuring your online advertising is the best it can be this Christmas! As you flick through the pages of our downloadable PDF you’ll learn:

• What technical integrations you’ll need in place before you get started (and how to get them sorted).
• Why it’s important to get started early.
• How to build the right audience, and fully leverage retargeting to drive people down the marketing funnel.
• Why ‘keeping it local’ matters (especially in retail) and how to do this effectively in your online advertising.
• What makes a great ad creative at Christmas.
• How to optimize your campaigns as they evolve.