The leaves have changed and the hats and scarves are out. Ready or not it is time to shop for pumpkins, finalize your Halloween costume and perfect that Sunday chili recipe. Preparing for fall also means that winter and the holidays are just around the corner.

Everyone loves the holidays and it is true that it’s better to give than receive. Though with the turn of the economy, retailers are expecting a tough season. In a report from E-marketer, 57% of Internet users plan to spend less on gifts this holiday season, and 58% were more concerned about how they would pay for holiday spending this year than last year. Since dollars will be tight, stand out above your competitors and start your online marketing now to catch consumers in their research stage.

Google recently blogged that 44% of shoppers have already began shopping and researching online. With this, search interest in the term “christmas gift” has jumped in the last weeks, demonstrating this increased phase. Since consumers are there, make sure you are in the right place to reach your customers when they are ready to buy. Here are a few pointers on capturing these researchers with a targeted paid search campaign.

Campaign History

Look at your campaigns, keywords and conversions from last holiday season, especially your daily budgets, keyword bids and time period of increased impressions and conversions. Expect to pay higher bids during the two or three weeks before the holiday as well as on Black Friday.

Key up your Keywords

Fine tuning your keywords and adding event and holiday targeted copy will increase your ad’s click through rate. Be aware that special terms such as “Christmas Gift” are targeted, though will be competitive and expensive. To be creative and beat large budget advertisers, use product names or bid on long tailed keywords with modifiers such as “Affordable Christmas Gifts for Moms.”

Start a new campaign around holiday text and sales such as “In time for the holidays” Or “Christmas Special.” Targeted copy will make your ads stand out, though again, these terms will be expensive. Competitors will also be increasing bids, so make sure you calculate your keyword bids and know what you can spend.

Test, Test and Test Again

Christmas is a busy time and in order to keep up with your consumers and ahead of your competitors, test and refresh your ads and groups. Review successful headlines, ad text and keywords and introduce new products or sales. A/B, or split test to see which headlines or phrases resonate with searchers.

Look back at your sales and see if there are trends for certain products in specific locations. For example, if your company sells snorkeling gear, you may want to consider creating a geo-targeted campaign aimed only in southern California or in Mexico.

Control Where Potential Buyers Land

Landing pages give companies the chance to not only capture consumers in a customized place around a specific holiday product, but your quality score will be higher as a result of this specialized destination, viable ad copy, and keywords. If your quality score is sufficient your ads will show in a better position at a lower cost, which in the end will drive more clicks and maximize sales.

By making your paid search list and checking it twice you will be ready for this holidays season. Begin now and with a little research, creativity and organization you will be on your way.

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