The 2008 holiday season is right around the corner. There are many predictions about decreased consumer spending this season; but are you doing everything you can to minimize that effect? As a marketer, it is very important to get the most sets of eyes on your ads and products and it all starts with ad copy. Your ad copy is the first impression that you place on your customer. It is crucial to get the right message across and also make a genuine connection.

Here are some tips to improve your ad copy and overall paid campaign performance this holiday season and beyond….

1. What separates you from your competition? This is often overlooked by many search marketers. Rather than using ad copy that only describes what you are selling / promoting, tell your prospective customers why you are better. Do you offer a money back guarantee? Free shipping? Buy one, get one free? Complimentary gift? Whatever sets you apart….make it known in your ad copy!

2. Shoppers are looking for specific holiday discounts. Your ad copy should be tailored to your holiday promotions and should be run in place of your normal ad copy. Create different ad copy for different stages in the holiday season. Here are some important dates: (may vary for your business).

a. Black Friday – The day after Thanksgiving
b. 1st Cyber Monday – The Monday after Thanksgiving
c. 2nd Cyber Monday – The Monday 2 weeks before Christmas
d. Around December 14th – When many retailers end free shipping
e. December 20th – Usually the last day for 2-day shipping
f. Post Holiday – Don’t forget gift card redemption!

3. Prepare for an increase in click rates. As this is the busiest time of year for shopping, competition is also the greatest. Make sure to allow some room to increase your cpc’s during this time. It is not unusual for your cost per click to jump around 25% during this time.

4. Last minute deals. Don’t underestimate the power of procrastinating shoppers. Whatever the reason, there always seems to be a heavy amount of last minute shopping. Attract these shoppers by using ad copy such as “last minute deals,” “ships same day,” “guaranteed to arrive before…,etc”

Time is running out! The official holiday kickoff (Thanksgiving) is just about a week away. Make some tweaks to your campaigns and quickly gear up for this holiday shopping season, if you have not done so already. With an effective message and timely implementation, you can make the most out of this season.

This holiday season the keyword is incentives. Most consumers aren’t frivolously spending their money; they’re cutting back and searching for the best deals. If you want to be the retailer that they choose, you’d better consider incentives. This statement might sound forward, however the statistics don’t lie. Let’s look at some incentives that consumers are searching for before making a purchase.

Coupons are a big hit and they are becoming more popular. According to comScore, a global internet information provider, 62% of consumers are using coupons to help cut back on their shopping expenses. A survey by eMarketer, a market research company, shows that 59% of consumers will be using coupons to decrease their shopping expenses. Surprisingly enough, wealthy consumers, those that make $100,000 plus a year are turning to coupons. According to a survey by comScore, coupon site visits by the wealthy increased by 37% compared to this same period last year. Here’s a hint, if you have an ecommerce site, coupons are a definite plus and consumers will be looking for you.

Consumers are also motivated by free shipping. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it twice, “If a site doesn’t offer free shipping, I’ll find a site that does.” If you don’t believe me check the statistics. According to a survey by comScore, 72% of consumers said, “If an online retailer charged them for shipping they would search for an online retailer that offered free shipping.” Now more than ever before consumers are becoming more savvy. If a competitor is offering the same product with free shipping, I’d bet money that you’re going to lose the sale if you’re not offering the same.

Sales and deals are being sought out by consumers. Everyone loves a discount. According to a survey by e-Marketer, 40% of consumers will be looking for sales and 24% will be looking for deals in order to lower their shopping expenses. Why do you think Black Friday is such a busy shopping day, not to mention Cyber Monday which follows a few days later?

Incentives are the key this year. More and more consumers are comparison shopping and not just buying items on the first site they see. Comparison shopping sites are seeing an increase in traffic and more competitors are allocating their advertising budget towards online spending. If a retailer wants to be competitive this year, they need to have an incentive, even if it’s not coupons, free shipping or big sales, there needs to be an offer that tells the consumer they are getting the best deals on a particular site.

It’s a fact that we are dealing with tough economic conditions which are showing little sign of short term improvement. We are all negatively affected in certain ways, and if you watch the news on a regular basis you may be even more skeptical.

As marketers, we need to be creative and continue to find ways to provide the positive results our clients are expecting. The initial reaction we have in tough economic times is to reduce or eliminate marketing budget, but drastic changes may not be the right decision in many cases. In fact, companies that continue to maintain an adequate marketing presence during tough economic times stand to benefit in a number of ways.

-Less competition: many companies will lower or eliminate budgets during tough economic cycles, which allows your marketing message to stand out better. Less competitors means more exposure to prospects/clients, and your branding impact should improve.

-Pricing: This is simple “supply & demand” – less buyers typically means more favorable pricing from vendors for ad space.

-Market Share: since your competition level is lower, you have a better chance of growing your market share – in most industries/verticals consumers are still consuming, and the customers you acquire now may stay with you for the long term.

A couple more important points:

Be creative with your marketing approach and focus on your current customers – offer a rewards program, discounts/special offers, and distribute a newsletter. Be sure not to ignore your base, especially in these tough times.

A strong value proposition is also vital to maintaining your customers during tough times, since we are all looking at ways to “tighten our belts”. If your product or service delivers great value, consumers will likely find a way to afford it.