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The Magic Of Digital Gift Guides As A Marketing Tactic

As we move into the holiday selling season, brands are planning their marketing tactics.  The goal is to create a buzz around products. The more buyers see and hear about your product, the more they believe it makes the perfect gift purchase. 

This is one reason brands hope to land on the top of Amazon’s Top Gift Lists or Target’s Top Ten Toy Guide.  That stamp of approval combined with digital advertising, PR and influencers is the perfect storm for holiday buzz. 

However, year after year, I watch marketers ignore the power of digital gift guides as a mean to ignite the buzz. 

Digital gift guides are created by social media influencers and content creators to showcase their favorite or newly discovered products.  The publishers of these guides highly promote them to their followers by posting them to every one of their social channels -- and in some cases, even boosting the placements with paid advertising.  They have a strong following and many shoppers consult them, particularly on Pinterest, for product ideas. 

Product placement in digital gifts guides range from free to a few thousand dollars.

The magic and effectiveness of digital guides is that they are produced by influencers with large followings, and the cost for being on a list is significantly less than for a single post by that same influencer.

Digital guide publishers typically begin assembling the products they will showcase in September.  Many put out a call for submissions through H.A.R.O (Help a Writer Out), emails or influencer agencies.  The key is to get your product in the hands of these creators early. 

If chosen, the product is highlighted in the gift guide and promoted throughout the holiday season, which means a very long shelf life.  Best of all, the product has the implied endorsement of an influencer with a strong following, which means a great deal to those shopping for the perfect gift.  

Earning placement in 20 to 25 digital gift guides can be as powerful as a single mention on an Amazon or Target list. Seeing a product showcased in multiple Holiday Digital Gift Guides on multiple social platforms sends a strong message that the product is the must-have product of the season.  Best of all for the brand, the return on investment is likely to be higher than single social posts by influencers or advertising dollars on a large third-party site.

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