Cyber Monday and Beyond - Search Marketing is Where Its At

Cyber Monday is just two days away and it appears that search marketing is the place to be on Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday season. According to a report by SearchIgnite, search marketing spending is up 33% in the first half of the fourth quarter of 2009.

Cyber Monday and the entire holiday season is expected to produce lackluster sales for retailers this year, so promotions and discounts are hot with Shopzilla reporting that 83.7% of retailers plan Cyber Monday promotions, up from 72.2% from the prior year.

Seems like a sound marketing strategy. Given the faltering economy, consumers are actively looking for deals and discounts. Look at the horrible incident at a Long Island Walmart on Black Friday when a Walmart employee was trampled and killed as discount-desperate shoppers tried to get into the store to shop.

The economy has forced changes in more than just marketing tactics. Suddenly, consumer safety has been added to the mix, and retailers have another factor to consider in their promotion strategies. That’s one I’m sure no one planned for, but now there is a responsibility to protect consumers as well as make a profit.

Your thoughts…

Image: Flickr

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.