Ok I get it…it’s not even December yet. We’re all thinking about Christmas and how best to make an impact in our respective industries, but New Year is looming and failing to plan is planning to fail, or something along those lines.

Once Christmas is done and we’re all a little fatter, lighter in the pocket and smell a bit too much of ‘Lynx Africa’ for our own liking, it’ll be time for us all to sort ourselves out for the selling opportunities that the new year provides. The next month for many will be a blur, so the sooner we can plan, the better shape we’ll be in come January (metaphorically, and not necessarily physically speaking!)

1 – Prepare Your Website For Shifting Trends

AdWords helps drive traffic to your website. Once visitors are on your site, peak their interest by ensuring that your offering is in line with January trends & expectations.

People go a little crazy at Christmas, but they’re more likely to be price conscious & make more sensible decisions in the new year. Don’t rest on your laurels. Just because you were well priced in December doesn’t mean that you are in January. Check out your competition frequently; can you offer something they aren’t? There’s a lot of opportunity out there, you just need to remain competitive in a more price wary market.

Certain industries such as clothing, travel, furniture, white goods and health & fitness have unique opportunities to sell to a collective shift in mindset that January provides. Move fast so that your website, range & AdWords account adhere to your business goals in this key period.

2 – Plan Your Budgets For The New Year

At times we can all get sucked into Christmas hysteria and fail to look beyond. People still buy things in January & the January blues are a thing…thankfully for online retailers, some people like to spend their way out of it! If the demand is there, we need to make sure that our budgets reflect this. Look at search trends within your industry to see what potential there is for growth within your market during this period.

3 – Check That Your Remarketing Audiences Are In Place

Audiences are a way of segmenting site visitors, within your set criteria, to re-engage them through targeting. They provide a fantastic opportunity to connect with those customers deemed as most valuable to your business objectives. Honing in on these visitors allows advertisers to improve the likelihood of site conversions.

If your audiences aren’t already in place, then first ask why? Then quickly ensure these audiences are implemented to capitalise on them in the new year.

January provides a great opportunity to re-engage with people who have deferred their purchases of expensive household goods until after the festive period has passed. It’s not just the big household goods that can benefit from remarketing in January; with more people loitering around at home during the festive period, there will be a huge spike in searches over Christmas. This will help build up audiences numbers within your AdWords account, and provide great opportunities for re-engaging these past site visitors into the new year & beyond.

4 – Bid Adjustments

There’s simply no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to bid management through Google AdWords. Nevertheless, whatever your industry, it’s vital to react fast to shifting trends with bidding implementation as we head into the new year. For some this will mean reducing bids to protect profitability; for others as you move into a seasonally busier time, there will be a requirement to increase bids to retain, or gain, impression share. In some instances, reversing bid increases put in place for the festive period will be key.

Reacting swiftly to your business goals is more important than ever. Having a plan in place, using informed judgement and historical data, will help you start the year on the front foot rather than lumbering into it with a hangover.

5 – Mobile Adjustments

Trends are always shifting, but one to watch even closer over the new year are your mobile bid adjustments, as mobile is growing in importance year on year.  Many people receive new devices over the festive period & due to this, patterns can shift even further than normal. Regularly review the impact of mobile traffic, and adjust accordingly. Protect your profitability, but don’t miss out on good mobile demand. Check your attribution model so that the decisions made on your AdWords account take into consideration the multiple ways in which visitors are interacting with your various marketing channels.

New Years Resolution

As one of only 10 agencies selected worldwide by Google to help deliver Google’s Mobile Vanguard project, over the past year we’ve gained even greater insight about the importance of mobile on AdWords advertising. I would encourage everyone to get ahead of the curve and invest in their mobile site in 2018. More & more people are searching on their mobile devices and so if your site isn’t up to scratch, you’re letting rivals gain a vital competitive advantage over you. Invest time & resources into mobile site performance in 2018.

If you are looking to get your AdWords advertising in shape for the new year, then speak to one of our paid search consultants to see how Mabo could be help you have a fantastic 2018. Register for a free review here or complete the contact form below and a member of our team will be in touch.

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