Google's holiday gift-giving tips could spark better sales

We're heading into the holiday season, which, for a lot of consumers, means a rush to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. You can help undecided gift-givers find your products by using some of the latest features available through Google and its platforms.

Here are some holiday gift-giving ideas from Google that can spark more sales this holiday season. Combine them with holiday marketing tips from Facebook to make your year-end merry and bright!

Entice shoppers with video ads on YouTube

According to Google, almost two-thirds of shoppers browse videos to discover new finds for themselves, their friends, and their family members. That means that you should definitely consider publishing videos about your products on YouTube this holiday season. Even though there has been a noticeable decline in the number of retailers who advertise on YouTube, it's still a prime spot for marketers, too.

YouTube has rolled out some consumer-friendly features to make it easier than ever for shoppers to find and buy straight from the app. To start with, Google is rolling out shopping campaigns on the YouTube platform to help retailers reach a larger audience. This means YouTube will display your video ad to viewers who like products and brands related to yours. The videos will be featured on the YouTube home page and on search results.

(courtesy of Google)

YouTube ads are becoming more interactive, which is better for users. Viewers can now see useful information such as store locations and hours to help retailers drive conversions. 

Sitelink extensions will be rolling out for TrueView for action ads in the coming months, which will make it easy for viewers to navigate from your video ad to other landing pages. They'll be able to easily access your home page, holiday catalog, store hours, and more. 

In Beta testing, advertisers that added sitelinks had an average of a 23% increase in conversions, so be on the lookout for this new feature. 

Make sure to read up on how much YouTube ads cost before diving in.

Rich imagery is more enticing

Back in the day, consumers would peruse a massive paper catalog to find things they wanted to buy for the holidays. Today, we scroll through our feeds, looking for advertisers to show us all the cool things we didn't know we needed. Consumers might start with a general search, like "backpacks," and then filter down into more specific searches based on what shows up.

To make sure your ad stands out in general searches, use rich imagery that highlights your brand. For instance, Showcase Shopping ads allow you to highlight specific products and features when a consumer searches for a general topic. 

Say for example you sell outdoor goods, including backpacks, and you want your ad featured when someone searches the term "backpacks" and also when someone looks for "outdoor gear." You can create a Showcase Shopping ad that highlights all of the unique features your backpacks have, as well as lifestyle images that represent your brand. When a consumer clicks on your Showcase Shopping ad, the ad will expand and show the consumer more products that are relevant to their search query.

(courtesy of Google)

The great thing about Showcase Shopping ads is that you can make them as broad or as narrow as you'd like. In the backpack example, you can have one showcase ad specifically for backpacks. You can create another one for more general "outdoor gear," which might showcase backpacks, water bottles, and other hiking and outdoor gear. 

The holiday season is a great time to get creative with your ads since this is when a lot of people are performing general searches. Highlight best sellers, on-sale items, and unique products consumers can't find anywhere else in your Showcase Shopping and YouTube ads.