As we move into the holiday selling season, brands are planning their marketing tactics. No doubt that 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. The 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.
For those who may not be familiar with digital gift guides here a quick explanation. Digital gift guides are a collection of favorite or newly discovered products created by social media influencers and content creators. 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, event boosting the placements with paid advertising. They have a strong following and many shoppers consult them, particularly on Pinterest for product ideas. BSM Media research shows that 85% of moms consult at least 2 gift guides each shopping season. Product placement in digital gifts guides range from free to a few thousand dollars. Currently BSM Media has a list of over 200 content creators or influencers working on their 2021 Holiday gift guides. These influencers are actively seeking product samples from brands.
The magic and effectiveness of digital guides is that they are produced by influencers with large followings and the cost is significantly less than 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 thru 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 meaning it has a very long shelf life. Best of all, the product has the inferred endorsement of an influencer with a strong following which means a great deal to moms shopping for the perfect gift.
Earning placement in 20-25 digital gift guides can be as powerful as a single mention on an Amazon or Target list because mom shoppers have become smart to the commercialization of those lists. 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 large 3rd party site.
If your brand needs helps connecting with digital gift guide publishers, shoot an email to Maria@bsmmedia.com. We will be happy to get you started on your journey to holiday sales success.
BSM Media, Inc. is an award-winning and internationally recognized Marketing to Moms agency specializing in strategic outreach, influencer engagement, and content creation. BSM Media also owns and operates MomSelect Influencer Network, MillennialInfluencers.com, GenZInfluencers.com, and Mommyparties.com.
Maria Bailey is the CEO of BSM Media and the author of “Marketing to Moms: Getting Your Share of the Trillion Dollar Market,” “Power Moms,” “Millennial Moms: 202 Facts Marketers Need to Know to Build Brands and Drive Sales,” and the soon to be released “Marketing to Gen Z Moms.” She is a frequent keynote speaker and media expert. She can be reached at Maria@bsmmedia.com. Learn more about Maria Bailey at www.MariaBailey.com.
