Black Friday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day – these aren’t just dates on a calendar; they’re golden opportunities for savvy marketers.
A well-planned pay-per-click (PPC) strategy can mean the difference between riding the wave of seasonal demand and getting lost in the holiday noise.
Seasonal PPC isn’t about simply increasing your ad spend when the leaves start to fall. It’s a specified approach that aligns your Google Ads campaigns with the rhythms of consumer behavior throughout the year and your inventory strengths and seasonalities.
This article will show you the key components of an effective seasonal PPC strategy, including:
Identifying seasonal trends in your industry.
Adjusting budgets and bids to profit from peak periods.
Crafting strong ad copy that resonates with seasonal intent.
Leveraging advanced features in Google Ads for seasonal success.
Understanding seasonality in PPC
Seasonality is not just about Santa hats in December or beach balls in July. In PPC, it’s the rhythm that drives consumer behavior throughout the year.
What is seasonality?
At its core, seasonality refers to predictable changes that happen at specific times of the year.
Think of it as the business world’s version of nature’s seasons. But instead of leaves changing color, we’re looking at spikes in search volume, shifts in buying habits and fluctuations in ad performance.
Take the fashion industry. As surely as birds fly south for winter, shoppers start hunting for cozy sweaters and boots when the temperature drops.
Or consider travel. Come January, you can bet your bottom dollar that searches for “summer vacation ideas” will start ticking up as people dream of escaping the winter blues.
But it’s not just about the weather. Seasonality can be driven by:
Holidays (Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day).
Annual events (Super Bowl, Black Friday).
Academic calendars (back-to-school season).
Financial cycles (tax season).
Each industry has its own unique seasonal patterns. The key is recognizing yours.
How seasonality shakes up consumer behavior
Consumers are a fickle bunch and seasonality plays them like a fiddle.
One month, they’re all about fitness gear and diet plans (hello, New Year’s resolutions); the next, they’re loading up on chocolates and flowers (looking at you, Valentine’s Day).
These shifts in demand aren’t just minor blips. They can cause bigger changes in search volumes, click-through rates and conversion patterns. For example:
Searches for “air conditioner” skyrocket in the summer months.
“Tax software” becomes a hot topic when the tax submission deadline comes nearer.
“Halloween costume ideas” explodes in popularity come October.
Understanding these patterns is like having a crystal ball for your PPC campaigns. It allows you to anticipate changes and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Why you can’t afford to ignore seasonal trends
If you’re not factoring seasonality into your PPC strategy, you’re essentially flying blind. Seasonal trends aren’t just nice-to-know trivia. They’re the bread and butter of effective PPC management.
Recognizing and adapting to these trends lets you:
Allocate your budget more effectively, ramping up spend when it matters most.
Craft more relevant ad copy that speaks to seasonal needs and desires.
Adjust your bidding strategy to stay competitive during peak seasons.
Avoid wasting money on campaigns that are out of sync with consumer demand.
Think of seasonality as your secret weapon. While your competitors use the same strategy year-round, you’ll pivot and adapt, always one step ahead.
Remember, in PPC, timing is everything. Understanding seasonality is your ticket to being in the right place, at the right time, with the right message.
Preparing for seasonal PPC campaigns
Prepping for seasonal PPC campaigns isn’t about guesswork or shooting in the dark. It’s about arming yourself with data, insights and rock-solid goals. Let’s break it down.
Data analysis: Your crystal ball
First, dive into your past campaign data. Pull up your reports from previous years and look for patterns.
When did your clicks spike?
When did conversions soar?
When did things go quiet?
These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet; they’re breadcrumbs leading you to PPC gold.
For example, if you’re an ecommerce store, you might notice that your “women’s boots” campaign goes through the roof every September. That’s not a coincidence, that’s valuable intel.
But don’t just look at the wins.
Those campaigns that tanked? They’re just as important.
Maybe your summer swimwear ads flopped in June but killed it in April when people were planning vacations.
Lesson learned.
The goal here isn’t just to reminisce about past glories or cringe at old mistakes. It’s to build a roadmap for the future.
Your past performance is the best predictor of future success – if you know how to read it right.
Next to the campaign report, a product ID report and category report are also valuable.
Depending on the inventory size, ID reports might get a little out of hand, and you should consider using more enterprise tools instead of a Google spreadsheet, but for most use cases, that should work just fine.
Personally, I’d like to include the last 12 months in a separate column and pull the IDs in rows. That way, you can easily scan through months and find patterns.
In the Google Ads interface, this can be done via the Shopping Products report, where you can add a Month column and clearly split it.
Google Ads ID report with monthly segmentation
Google Sheets ID report with color scale
Market research: Spy games
What are your competitors up to?
You can use various PPC tools to see what kind of ads your competitors are running during different seasons.
Are they ramping up spend for certain keywords? Are they using specific ad copy during holidays?
Don’t copy them outright, but do take notes.
But don’t stop at your competitors. Look at the broader market conditions.
Could economic factors impact your seasonal performance?
Are new trends emerging in your industry?
For instance, if you’re in the travel industry, monitor fuel prices, as they could impact people’s vacation plans and, by extension, your PPC performance.
Remember, you don’t operate in a vacuum. The more you understand about your market ecosystem, the better positioned you’ll be to carve out your niche.
Dig deeper: Top 5 ways to stay up to date on paid search trends
Goal setting: Your North Star
You’ll need concrete, measurable objectives to guide your seasonal campaigns.
Start with the big picture.
What do you want to achieve this season? More sales? Higher ROI? Increased market share?
Then, break it down into specific, measurable goals:
“Increase conversion rate for our Christmas campaign by 15% compared to last year.”
“Achieve a 20% higher click-through rate for our Back-to-School ads in August.”
“Reduce cost-per-acquisition by 10% during our slow season in February.”
These goals aren’t just numbers to impress your boss (though they might do that, too). They’re your North Star, guiding every decision you make in your seasonal campaigns.
Review your goals regularly as the season progresses. Be ready to pivot if needed. Flexibility is key in PPC.
Remember, preparing for seasonal PPC campaigns isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process of learning, adapting and refining.
But with solid data analysis, shrewd market research and clear goal-setting, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle whatever the seasons throw at you.
Designing seasonal PPC campaigns
Alright, we’ve done our homework. Now it’s time for the fun part – actually designing those seasonal campaigns that’ll make your competitors wonder what hit them.
Keyword strategy: Surfing the seasonal wave
First up, keywords. You might think you know your keywords inside and out, but seasons have a funny way of shaking things up.
Time to put on your detective hat and do some seasonal keyword research. Tools like Google Trends are your best friend here.
For instance, if you’re selling fitness equipment, you’ll see searches for “home gym” spike every January. But come summer, “beach body workout” might be the phrase on everyone’s lips.
But don’t just stick to the obvious. Look for those hidden gems – the long-tail keywords your competitors might be missing.
Maybe it’s “last-minute Valentine’s gift ideas” or “affordable Christmas decorations.” These could be your ticket to standing out in a crowded market.
And remember, it’s not just about finding new keywords. It’s about adapting your existing strategy.
That evergreen keyword that performs well year-round? It might need a seasonal twist. “Men’s shoes” could become “men’s winter boots” or “men’s summer loafers,” depending on the season.
The key is to think like your customer:
What are they looking for right now?
What problem are they trying to solve this season?
Your keyword strategy should reflect that.
Ad copy and creative: Dressing for the season
Now that we’ve sorted our keywords, it’s time to dress them up in snazzy seasonal outfits. I’m talking about your ad copy and creative.
Your ad copy needs to do more than just mention the season. It needs to capture the customer’s mood, urgency and excitement.
For a summer campaign, don’t just say, “Buy swimwear.” Try “Make a Splash This Summer – New Swimwear Collection.”
For Christmas, instead of “Holiday Sale,” how about “Unwrap Joy: Christmas Deals That’ll Make Santa Jealous”?
But it’s not just about clever wordplay. Use your ad copy to address seasonal pain points.
“Stay Warm and Stylish” for winter clothing.
“Ace Your Finals with Our Study Guides” for the exam season.
Show your customers you understand what they need right now.
And let’s not forget about ad extensions. Use them to highlight seasonal offers, limited-time deals or special holiday services.
“Free Gift Wrapping for Christmas Orders” as a callout extension? Yes, please!
For visuals, if you’re running display ads, make sure your imagery matches the season. Snowflakes in winter, beach scenes in summer – you get the idea.
But don’t be cliché. A unique, eye-catching image will always outperform a generic stock photo.
Budget allocation
Seasonal PPC isn’t about spending more – it’s about spending smarter.
Identify your peak seasons.
When do you make the most sales?
When is customer interest at its highest?
These are the times you want to go big.
Don’t be afraid to significantly increase your budget during these periods. If December accounts for 30% of your annual sales, maybe it should also account for 30% of your annual PPC budget.