It’s November, which means that retailers have hit the post-Halloween gas pedal hard into Christmas overdrive. As carols and seasonal decorations adorn shopping centres, you’ll notice that Christmas cheer is rampant online too. It’s time to get cracking on your online presence before the big day.

Here are five ways to step up your Christmas digital marketing activity.

Make paid search your priority

Paid search on Google is one of the fastest and easiest ways to drive traffic to your website. If you want to ramp up your sales quickly in the lead up to Christmas, this is the way to do it. Increase your budget and use a variety of paid search methods, like paid search ads and retargeting, to drive holiday conversions.

Consider social media advertising

Being active on social media, especially during seasonal periods, is one of the most important things you could do as a brand. But it’s not enough to simply post on social media. To spark the interest of potential shoppers who may not already follow you, it’s a great idea to think about your social media advertising options. Facebook in particular allows you to target specific demographics and people with certain interests. Start there.

Make sure your website is optimised

There’s no point driving droves of people to your website if they’re going to leave it once they get there. As mobile traffic is on the rise, make sure your website is ready for the tech-savvy consumers that shop on their phones. But don’t forget the desktop buyers either: add content, reviews and product promotions to your website to encourage conversions.

Reward loyalty

Christmas is a great time to show your repeat customers that you care about their business – and encourage holiday spending in the process. Make sure your loyal fans don’t stray towards competitors by providing incentives to stay with you. Offer free shipping or free gift wrapping to repeat customers. Design your digital marketing with their loyalty in mind – including social media, email marketing, retargeting and paid media.

Don’t forget about the basics

There’s nothing like good old-fashioned SEO. Take the time to make sure that your website has all of the basics dialed in: think page titles, meta descriptions, product images and product reviews. Take the time to look at your current standing on Google and monitor where your site ranks after optimising.

Need help with your digital marketing strategy this Christmas? Get in touch.