Essential and Free Marketing Actions in the run-up to Christmas (Part 2)

For many businesses, the weeks leading up to Christmas represent the peak opportunity to generate revenue, followed by a surge from Boxing Day to New Year, as people spend money received as gifts. Optimising your opportunities during this period not only ensures short-term sales are maximised but also creates long-term benefits for future marketing efforts.

This will be a series of six articles, focusing on each one. If you would like to view the entire guide without waiting, which outlines the six essential marketing actions that every business should take, all of which can be implemented in a single day, click here.

2. Automate the collection of as much visitor data as possible.

This action is important at any time as part of a business's marketing approach, but it becomes even more critical during the Christmas period when we expect a spike in the number of people accessing our website and social media—even if no new marketing campaigns are launched. Collecting data effectively involves three core elements:

i) Email Addresses

I often hear businesses say they dislike pop-ups on websites, yet these are a proven method to collect more email addresses for future marketing. The key is finding a balance and setting it up carefully to avoid it becoming intrusive.

For example, earlier this year I reviewed the user experience on a business website, and, unknown to the owner, the pop-up appeared twice every time with a ten-second delay. This issue had been overlooked because the owner checked the pop-up, saw it appear once, assumed it was functioning correctly, and moved on. If they had waited a little longer, this ‘error’ would have been identified. So, be cautious not to overdo it, but remember that pop-ups are an effective way to grow your mailing list.

Similarly, ensure the option to join a mailing list is clear at checkout. Most people will not select this option unless you make it appealing. Additionally, embedding sign-up forms on social media platforms can further increase your reach.

Collect as many email addresses as possible during the busy period to capitalise on increased traffic. This will provide valuable opportunities to engage with potential customers long after the Christmas season and is key to selling products and services in the future.

ii) Behaviour Data

Check that your analytics tracker is active and collecting information on website visitor behaviour. Understanding user behaviour becomes more accurate when the sample size is larger, as smaller numbers can skew the results. The increased traffic during Christmas and New Year will provide more comprehensive data, allowing you to gain new insights.

Setting up Google Analytics or a similar tool is simple (just search ‘setting up Google Analytics’) if you do not already have it, and it is free to do. Once data is being collected on where visitors came from, how they found you, and what they do on your site, you can make informed improvements to both the user experience and your marketing efforts.

Many people feel overwhelmed by the volume of data available, but there are only three key metrics to monitor regularly:

• Where did the visitor originate from?
• What page do most visitors begin their journey on (excluding the home page)?
• What page do most visitors exit from?

By strengthening the content on commonly accessed entry pages and incentivising visitors to remain on commonly exited pages, you can improve conversions and boost sales during the festive period.

iii) Social Media Data

Collecting data on people who engage with your social media posts and pages is equally essential, for all the same reasons.

These trackers are often called ‘pixels’ and are free to implement if you know how. By setting this up, you ensure that you can advertise in the future to those who browsed but did not buy, increasing your chances of converting them into customers later.

Actions:

• Implement an email sign-up pop-up on your website. Add the sign-up form to your social media profiles (as a link or otherwise).
• If you don’t have Google Analytics on your site, create a free account at analytics.google.com and add the tracking tag (a quick search on YouTube will show you how to do this).
• If you already have access to existing data, view the Sources page, the Landing Page, and the Exit Page reports. Is the sales content on these pages strong enough? Remember, for landing pages, this is where visitors begin; they won’t see your homepage content.
• Log into your social media accounts and check you are collecting data using their ‘pixel’.

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The ' Essential and Free Marketing Action' guide was written by Elliot Forte of Business Think.

If you have any questions or would like to work with Business Think to improve your marketing performance, please email: info@businessthink.co.uk for more details. Click here to download the full guide in PDF format.

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Elliot Forte is a business consultant and Director at Business Think, bringing over three decades of expertise in consultancy, marketing, and strategic planning. Known for his innovative approaches and practical insights,

Beyond his consultancy role, Elliot is a published author of three highly regarded business books that delve into strategy, leadership, and marketing. His passion for knowledge-sharing extends to academia, where he teaches graduate and postgraduate courses in strategy and marketing at university.

Elliot is also the creator of the Life-Led Business Programme, an innovative framework designed to help entrepreneurs and business leaders balance professional success with personal fulfillment, with a focus on individual well-being.

Based in the picturesque town of Bude, North Cornwall, his consultancy work extends well beyond the region, supporting businesses across the UK and North America.

Photo Credit for Featured Image: Juan Magno Ponce (Pexels.com)