It’s never too early to start planning your marketing strategy for the holiday season!
1. Use seasonal keywords in search ads.
If you run search ads on Amazon or have product pages for your books, insert keywords that shoppers may use when searching for seasonal items. For instance, during October, you might use terms like “children’s Halloween books” or “horror books for Halloween.” Throughout November and December, cookbooks and recipes are popular, so think about ways to incorporate “Thanksgiving dinner” or “Christmas cookies” in your web copy. The final months of the year are also great for holiday romance, holiday-themed fiction, and Christmas-themed books for both children and adults. For instance, if you wrote a romance novel that takes place in winter, you can use terms like “Christmas romance” or “holiday romance” to capture people’s attention.
2. Run a book promotion.
The period of time between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve is the single best time of the year to promote your eBook or Kindle book. The reason that it’s the biggest eBook buying week of the year is because so many people get reading devices for Christmas, and then they want to fill them up with new books. Consider running a price promotion timed with your book promotion to really drive up your sales!
3. Adjust Amazon keywords as needed.
We cannot emphasize the importance of Amazon keywords enough, especially on Amazon. Amazon is the western world’s 3rd largest search engine, trailing behind just Google and YouTube, respectively. Treat Amazon SEO just like you would for Google SEO to match your books’ keywords with the same terms your readers may be searching for.
4. Highlight books that would make great gifts.
If you have books that make good gifts, use keywords in ads and your books’ webpages to specifically call attention to that. Some example categories might include “gift ideas for Dad,” “gifts for Mom,” “mystery books for the thrill-seeker in your life,” or “book series for 6th graders.”
5. Use your online platforms to your advantage.
During the holidays, you really can’t use your platforms and social channels enough. Make sure to prioritize your digital marketing calendar by frequently updating your website, email newsletters, and social media accounts to reach people who might want to buy books as gifts for others or themselves.
6. Update your book’s description on Amazon.
You should regularly conduct keyword research to make sure that your book is appearing in relevant searches. This is especially important during the holidays. Go on to your Amazon page to include some seasonal keywords, such as “winter romance,” “Halloween fantasy,” or other terms that complement your content. While you’re at it, take a moment to optimize your book descriptions as well. Make sure these descriptions are compelling, eye-catching, and similar to bestselling novels in your genre.
7. Select the best categories for your book.
If you don’t choose the right categories for your book on Amazon, readers who might love your genre might never find out about your book. To double-check which categories your books are placed in on Amazon, go to your Amazon book page and look at the “product details” section. See the screenshot below as an example.
If your categories are not the best fit for your books genre, then consider going into your KDP dashboard and changing your book’s categories. You can select up to 3 of them per book.
Conclusion
Taking just a few hours to change up your keywords, optimize your book descriptions, and plan a book promotion can make a huge difference in your sales. The sooner you start preparing for the holiday season, the better!