Seize the days

As your campaigns run this winter season, keep these opportunities, trends, and important dates in mind.

Holiday gift add-ons

Tech gadgets topped many wish lists this past holiday season. Now, recipients are looking for accessories to complement their cameras, mobile phones, mp3 players, computers, and more. A recent study showed that revenue from camera accessories increased more than 50 percent from September 2006 to September 2007.¹ And, the mobile phone accessory market is expected to generate $80 billion in revenue in 2012, up from $32 billion in 2007.²

If you offer accessories, peripherals, or add-ons for tech products or gadgets, tap into this market by targeting people looking to enhance their holiday gifts. Make sure your campaigns cover all the accessories you sell, both large and small, to take advantage of this opportunity. Also, be sure to capture all possible descriptions of your product in your keywords, so as not to miss out on traffic. For example, if you sell cases for mp3 players, consider including keywords like mp3 player holder, mp3 player cover, and mp3 player skin in addition to mp3 player case.

Super Bowl

In preparation for the switch to digital television signals in 2009, many households are looking to purchase new TVs. Digital TV unit sales are expected to increase by 17 percent and revenues are expected to grow 13 percent in 2008.³ And with the Super Bowl airing on February 3, many consumers are adding high-definition TVs to their Game Day shopping list. In 2007, 2.5 million consumers planned to purchase a new television for Super Bowl Sunday, up from the 1.7 million who said they would in 2006.⁴

This is a key opportunity if you sell TV units and related add-ons or services. Highlight any promotions or special deals you're offering for Game Day in your ad text.

Valentine's Day

It may come as a surprise, but Valentine's Day is the second-largest spending holiday after the winter holidays.⁵ While shoppers are on the prowl for presents again, they aren't always looking to give traditional gifts, such as flowers or candy. Your tech offerings could make for innovative Valentine's gifts – be sure to use your ad text to help people understand why.

Also, target people shopping for a certain someone by using recipient-specific keywords, such as valentines gifts for women or husband valentines gift. Mention specific recipients in your ad text, such as "Gifts For Her," to get people thinking about your products as great gift solutions.

[1] NPD, "Digital Camera Market Basket Report," 2007
[2] ABI Research, "Mobile Phone Accessories," July 2007
[3] Consumer Electronics Association press release, December 2007
[4] Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, "2007 Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey," 2007
[5] National Retail Federation, September 2006