With Halloween officially behind us, content marketers have begun to turn their focus toward the holiday season.
And although the start of the holiday shopping season used to be marked by the very first time you heard Christmas music during a commercial break, nowadays the content you see online might be a better indicator.
For an example of how much emphasis brands are putting on digital marketing during the holiday season, look no further than Target. The retail giant is devoting 61 percent of its media spending to digital platforms this holiday season, up from 51 percent in 2014. It has dialed back its spending on outdoor and print marketing to help focus more on mobile and social media marketing.
If Target spends about the same as it did on holiday-related marketing last year ($170.6 million), it would amount to about $104 million in digital spending alone this fall—a truly staggering figure.
It’s not difficult to see why major retailers like Target are starting to rely more on digital advertising and content marketing. Consider the following statistics:
- Average spending per person for the holiday season is expected to reach about $806, with almost half of that being done online.
- About 21 percent of people who own a smartphone will use their devices to make purchases for the holiday season, the highest figure recorded to date.
- As of late 2014, about 81 percent of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase decision, whether they buy online or in person.
With a greater emphasis on digital and content marketing for the holidays, you can expect to see a lot more visual content developed specifically with the web and social media in mind. Although big-time retailers will still focus on developing TV spots, you can also expect to see extended versions of those ads or entirely original content made solely for online use on YouTube and social media networks.
You can also expect to see companies make a particularly large push for Cyber Monday sales. While Black Friday is still king when it comes to holiday deals, more people are starting to realize they can get great deals from the comfort of their home. More marketers will offer special online Black Friday deals, and more will participate in Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving).
Although most businesses have nowhere near the advertising budget of Target, they can make an impact online through the content they offer their target audience. This includes strong blog writing, social media content, articles, press releases and more. Consider working with a professional copywriting service if your business could use a hand developing this content on a regular basis.