Google shares five tips on maximising Father's Day search marketing

1. Follow your customer online

Follow your customers who are online and searching by using search-engine advertising, such as Google AdWords. You create ads and choose keywords, which are words or phrases related to your business, and when people search on Google using one of your keywords, your ad may appear next to the search results. 

2. Keywords: choose wisely but get creative

You can take advantage of seasonal searches by choosing the right Father’s Day-related keywords. Anticipate what your customers will search for, including obvious terms like “父親節禮物” (father’s day gift), “父親節卡” (father’s day card), “父親節活動” (father’s day activities) and “餐廳” (restaurant), as well as less obvious searches such as “古董” (antiques) or “推拿” (massage).

Keywords should change with the season: a restaurant wouldn’t target “父親節大餐” (father’s day feast) in July, but it makes a lot of sense to do so in May and June.

3. Get ready for mobile

Businesses should be ready with mobile-friendly websites that prominently display store hours and locations to accommodate people looking for their stores, and consider allocating search ad budget to mobile as Father’s Day approaches and shoppers begin using their smartphones to search for brick-and-mortar stores.

Even if your business doesn’t have the resources to build a mobile site, you can still take advantage of mobile search with “click to call” ads that allow customers to call you directly from the phone number listed in your ad unit.

4. Use online ads to drive foot traffic to your store

Many people turn to the web to research store information. AdWords allows you to include information such as location, opening hours, and phone number so that you can use your online ads to drive traffic to your store.

5. Anticipate key shopping days

Retailers should aim to anticipate when their customers will be searching for gifts or looking for stores and adjust their online advertising budget and message accordingly.

Father’s Day e-commerce traffic usually peaks in the week before Father’s Day (44 per cent of the consumers select gifts around this period), Father’s Day (18 per cent of the consumers select gifts on the day), and two days before Father’s Day (17 per cent of the consumers select gifts around this period).

For next year, retailers should start to think about how to implement their advertising strategy two weeks before Father’s Day. As shipping takes time, retailers can consider either to launch an online shopping promotion in the week before Father’s Day, or a 24-hour next-day delivery service to grasp the business opportunities around the two days prior to Father’s Day, along with related promotions for stores.