Holiday marketing should begin in October

[Kristijntje]

• At 10 weeks prior to the holiday: Adjust site content to optimize for top natural search keyword terms—it takes 30-45 days for changes to register with major search engines. Send messages to early shoppers with services such as “Shop now, ship later” or “Guaranteed delivery by ….” Make sure gift guides offer products keyed to the season and move links to gift cards into global positions.
• At nine weeks: Identify paid search terms you want to own and begin ramping up investment. Encourage e-mail sign-ups in advance of the season by offering discounts to new registrants. Launch a holiday-specific e-mail newsletter with specialized content and product offers. Prominently display on sites “top sellers,” “our picks,” “top products,” etc., to stimulate gifting ideas.
• At eight weeks: Begin weekly e-mail campaigns encouraging early shopping and promoting popular gift products and categories. Consider participating in feeds for comparison shopping engines to boost visibility for your brand. Promote on sites items that shoppers want in advance of a holiday such as decorations or party wares. Boost the prominence of customer service information and include event cut-off dates on shipping pages.

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=27057