The key to holiday success: Self-serve advertising platforms 🔑

For you as a publisher, the holiday season is more than festivities; it’s the pinnacle of your advertising year. Why? Because it’s when consumer engagement skyrockets and the potential for ad revenue swells.

Enter the self-serve advertising platform: your tool for precision during this critical time. It’s not enough to simply ride the wave of increased traffic; success lies in your ability to adapt quickly to the changing content landscape and consumer behavior. With self-serve platforms, you can recalibrate campaigns in real-time, refine audience targeting, and blend advertising seamlessly with affiliate revenue opportunities. But how do you go about it? Here are 7 tips to make the most out of the holiday season using self-serve advertising platforms:

1. Offer exceptional user experience to advertisers

With a platform that’s swift to load and straightforward in detailing your ad offerings, you empower advertisers to easily tap into the festive market. Optimize your ad pages and self-serve tools with a holiday twist, and make these enhanced options instantly accessible worldwide. The essence of user experience lies in clarity and simplicity; give advertisers a crystal-clear understanding of your offer.

Remember, the mobile experience is crucial. With 45% of consumers expected to shop on mobile devices, a mobile-friendly user experience is essential. Responsive design caters to every screen, ensuring that users won’t struggle with scrolling or zooming. Google tells us that 79% of users are more likely to return to and share a mobile-friendly site. By enhancing the mobile experience, you’re not just meeting a standard; you’re elevating the potential for advertiser success.

2. Know your audience (for real)

Understanding your audience is the cornerstone of maximizing ad revenue, especially during the holiday season. Take the eCommerce sector, for example, which sees a significant uptick in activity during these months. Advertising naturally follows this trend, with key metrics scaling up to match the demand. It’s especially crucial for B2C businesses, where up to 50% of annual revenue can be realized in the last quarter alone. This surge isn’t spontaneous; it’s the result of planning and strategizing that starts well ahead of the holidays.

To truly understand your audience, you need to dive deep into their behaviors and preferences. Here are actionable tips for you as a publisher to get to know your audience better:

• Data analysis: Employ analytics tools to examine user behavior on your platform. Look for trends in page views, time spent on site, and click-through rates on ads. 
• Audience segmentation: Segment your audience based on demographics, interests, and behavior. Tailor your ad placements and content to these segments.
• Surveys and feedback: Use surveys or feedback forms to gather insights into your audience’s holiday shopping plans and preferences.
• Competitor analysis: What strategies are competitors employing during the holiday season? Analyzing their moves can provide you with valuable insights into what the audience responds to.
• Social listening: Use social media to listen to the conversations around the holiday season. What are the pain points? What are the trends? Use these insights to adjust your ad strategy.
• Historical data: Review the performance of past holiday seasons. Which strategies worked? Which didn’t? This historical insight can guide your current season’s strategy.