DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY FOR CUSTOMIZED GIFT BASKETS

Image: Creator: nikkytok | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Generally, for every occasion, we need gift baskets. A customized gift baskets express the feelings of the sender in a way that is personal and unique. Finding that perfect gift for the holidays is sometimes a difficult task. Whether you want to show your appreciation for a friendship or say Thank You to a client for their business throughout the year, it is important to convey the right message. For a gift basket owner, it is important for them to market themselves in the right way, especially using online platforms.

Digital marketing has become more important now than ever in businesses. The survival and growth of a business starts with taking steps to creating or streamlining a marketing strategy to help accelerate results.

Acquiring new clients is one of the greatest challenges faced by gift basket businesses. Most gift basket businesses still use traditional methods of marketing such as brochures, word on mouth and referrals.  These marketing strategies limit the businesses from reaching a larger market. For the business to grow, let’s learn how all gift basket businesses can adopt an online marketing strategy.

Set and identify your business goals

Without setting clear marketing goals, you’re basically directionless – and working to achieve vanity metrics that don’t necessarily help you achieve your overall business objectives. Before you set a marketing strategy for your business, you should have defined goals and a mission that will help you achieve business growth.

Accelerate your return on investment (ROI) from digital marketing by having SMART goals.

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How to set SMART goals for your customized gift basket business

S= Specific

 When you are just getting started with goal setting, the goal should be specific as possible and make sure that it’s a very clear objective. A specific goal should state the following ; what you want to accomplish, how you will accomplish and the importance of the goal to the business.

M= Measurable:

In simple terms, you need to be able to determine what plans you set in place such as KPIs that will help you measure your progress and the desired results. A measurable goal should include a plan with targets and milestones that you can use to make sure you’re moving in the right direction during the process and should clearly tell you when you’ve completed the process.

A= Attainable

The business needs to set realistic goals that are achievable. When setting the digital marketing goals for the business, the goals should answer the following questions:

• Can the goals be achieved?
• Will they set the business up for failure?

To achieve the goals, there should be a plan of steps to be taken that ensure the business will achieve the set goals.

R= Relevant

The goals set by the customized basket business should be relevant to the industry. The goals should have a direct impact on the business because the marketing strategies are developed to help the business grow.

T=Time bound

Set a clear deadline for the objectives of the business. This practice will help with planning better for future marketing strategies. The deadline for a goal can be a week or few months depending on the set goal. It will also help with commitment to the goals set.

Now, let’s make an example of SMART goals to grow the customized gift basket business. 

·         Specific: for the business to acquire new customers by using different marketing strategies. For example: a website, content marketing and email marketing.

·         Measurable: progress should be measured by how many people are reached when using the different marketing methods and new orders generated while maintaining the current customer base. The goal is to sell 7 customized gift baskets weekly.

·         Attainable: There will be readily available gift baskets and pictures on all platforms. Relationships with customers will be built using different marketing strategies which I will mention below. Such as, email marketing and social media platforms.

·         Relevant: Adding additional clients to my business will allow me to grow my business and increase my revenue.

·         Time-Based: The business should have 30 orders s within one month

After the strategic marketing goals have been set, the business has to evaluate how much the sales have been generated: Which channels will help? When is the deadline for results?

A digital marketing strategy for your customized gift basket business  should answer the following questions

• Who is your ideal and intended target audience?

A customized gift basket business can two distinct groups of customers, individuals, and corporate customers:

Individuals– are looking to buy a gift basket for a relative, friend or colleague. They may not have a specific type of gift basket in mind and would look for ideas from the business.

Corporate– this customer is typically buying the basket for a colleague at work, company they work with or customer as a sign of appreciation.

• What do they need right now?

Consider what the market opportunities are and what your target audience is interested in. There are endless options for customized gift baskets. Invest time doing research to find out what your consumers need.

What digital marketing strategy is best for your gift basket business?

There are several digital strategies you can implement but the first step is to identify where your customers spend most of their time online. Identifying this will help you know which platform will best suit your business and which marketing strategies to pursue.

When analyzing your market, look for common characteristics, such as location, how much they are willing to spend and which online platform they use the most. The demographics help you figure out how to get the attention of the client you wish to reach.

Now let’s find out what digital marketing strategies one can use to attract new clients and increase leads.

1. Email marketing

Email marketing will allow your business to stay connected with prospects and customers. For your gift basket business Segment your email database into two groups: consumers and businesses. After segmenting the groups, send each group occasional customized emails based on brand engagement and their shopping history 

An example of emails that go to consumers might include reminders of upcoming holidays such a s Christmas and Easter holidays where gift baskets would be appreciated or ideas for sending gift baskets to family, colleagues, and friends. Email marketing is a great platform that can be used for promotions based on the offering of a basket.

An additional tip would be to include thank you gifts or discounts to existing clients who have made referrals through this platform

2. Content marketing

Content marketing is among the most important methods that can be used by a customized gift basket business to attract potential customers. This is because content is one of the main things considered by search engines when deciding how to rank a website. A well-prepared content marketing strategy will not only be good enough for search engines but also target potential customers.

The gift basket business should work on content marketing strategies such as a website, blogs and videos. A website is the most recommended form of content marketing for this business for the following reasons:

But now I prefer to buy online. There are lots of benefits.

• Promotion of all the different baskets: Online you have a huge variety of baskets.
• Time: for individuals with a tight schedule, shopping on a website is more convenient

Customers need a brand personality they can trust and relate to. The establishment of credibility and relevant content not only builds the brand’s identity but provides potential clients with information they can trust. If the content and knowledge is reliable, this increases the chances of the prospects reaching out to the business.

3.  Social media Platforms

Todays’ generation is highly reliant on social media, this is why it is essential that brands are active across accounts.

Social media marketing focuses on building brand awareness and increasing conversions. Social media platforms do need dedication because of trends and the demand for interaction. If the accounts are inactive on social media, the business will be at a risk of losing users. That is why having an active presence on social media is essential. For a customized gift basket business, the following can be used

sOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

There are several automation tools that can be used if your business does not have resources to employ an individual that can focus solely on the accounts. Social media ads are an affordable way to boost lead generation across these channels.

4. Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing popularly known as SEM is critical for your gift basket business. This will give the business a chance to compete with larger companies by being more visible in search engine results. 

With millions of people using the internet to find products and services, one of the most effective ways to grow your business in an increasingly competitive marketplace is to advertise online. There are internet marketing companies who offer a service through SEO, which can help your website rank higher on search results. Using the following methods:

• Keyword research and volume

Firstly, to set up a marketable keyword start by using a set of keywords that your target audience uses to search for your gift baskets. For example,  ‘best customized gift baskets or ‘unique customized’ would be good keywords to target.

Secondly, once you have created a keyword, use that keyword/s to create and ad. Finally, set up a paid search engine campaign. When anyone clicks on the text ad you will be required to pay a small fee and be at an advantage of reaching a bigger audience.

• Internal link building

As we discussed the importance of a website in marketing the customized gift basket business An internal link is one of best ways to navigate views to your website.

An internal link is any link  from one page on your website to another page on your website. Both your users and search engines use links to find content on your website. Your users use links to navigate through your site and to find the content they want to find. Search engines also use links to navigate your site. They won’t see a page if there are no links to it.

5.  Pay-Per-Click Marketing

Pay-per-click marketing can be used by a gift basket business for advertising. It is a marketing method where a business runs online advertisements and pays a pre-arranged fee each time their ad is clicked on. 

A gift basket business can benefit mostly using this method because it is considered a niche product. People often rely on internet searches to locate unusual or rare products and a good, customized gift basket business is a niche product therefore making it a great candidate for PPC advertising.

An advantage of using PPC marketing in this business is that the business only pays for results, and the Pricing system is based mainly on keywords. Keywords that are popular or competitive. The cost of PPC marketing can vary significantly depending on how much the company is willing to invest in advertising. 

With a proper digital marketing strategy, the business will reach and exceed its goals, which may include: 

• Boosting brand awareness

You have higher chances of engaging with potential customers with digital marketing strategies in place. The company brand will be visible to prospects, whether through search results, email inboxes, social media platforms, or another outlet. As a result, more people become aware of the company brand.

• Increasing website traffic and Sales

The above mentioned digital marketing strategies will help increase sales and traffic to a company’s website.

When all the marketing strategies are used effectively and provide the right information to clients. The result? More leads, conversions, and sales. The more visitors you attract to your company’s site, whether through content marketing, SEO, or email marketing, the more opportunities you must inform potential customers about what you have to offer. 

• Driving storefront traffic

It may feel like a digital strategy is not ideal for a physical storefront, but this is an influential strategy to promote and attract more traffic to the business. Online marketing strategies, like local SEO, can help you achieve this goal and attract more foot traffic. 

Making a digital marketing plan work

We have discussed goals, which marketing strategies to use and what benefits they will bring to the business.

The above mentioned strategies, while highly effective, work best if you combine two or three of them based on the availability of resources to support the strategies..

For example, if the business chooses content marketing, they can also do email marketing and social media marketing. That’s because, unless you create awesome content that attracts the right audience, you won’t be able to convince people to subscribe to your email list.

Lastly, in order to add value to your business learn digital marketing skills as a customized gift basket business owner. Abacus digital UK hosts a variety of marketing programs and courses that can help you get started on your journey.

You should make it a habit to revisit your marketing plan at least once a year to make sure it’s up-to-date and still meets your business needs.

Image: Creator: nikkytok | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Generally, for every occasion, we need gift baskets. A customized gift baskets express the feelings of the sender in a way that is personal and unique. Finding that perfect gift for the holidays is sometimes a difficult task. Whether you want to show your appreciation for a friendship…

Image: Creator: nikkytok | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Generally, for every occasion, we need gift baskets. A customized gift baskets express the feelings of the sender in a way that is personal and unique. Finding that perfect gift for the holidays is sometimes a difficult task. Whether you want to show your appreciation for a friendship…