Owned Channels: Ways to Use Them This Fourth of July

In some cases, Independence Day falling during the week can be a blessing for online retailers. More consumers are staying home instead of traveling and are idly checking social media or websites—making this a prime time to target them with ads. On the other hand, it could work against them. Whether you’re running an ad campaign to target those idle web surfers or waiting out the holiday, this is still the perfect time to invest in your owned channels. As a refresher, anything you have full control over is considered an “owned” channel. This can include your website, email list, and even social media like Facebook and YouTube.

Here are four ways to get your owned channels in order and launch new sales:

1. Make Your Website Pop

Your website is the most valuable of all your owned channels. This is where you sell your products, house your blog posts, and ultimately drive most of your traffic. Spend some time optimizing it by considering the following questions:

• Is the messaging on your website still on-brand? There may be room to improve how you describe your products or your brand in general. If you have patriotic-themed products, now is the time to update descriptions and highlight them on your home page.
• Are your brand images outdated? If so, and if you haven’t updated any behind-the-scenes photos in years, it might be time to upload some new images. Keep in mind that you can also add illustrations to your website as well, like how to use products.
• Is your website mobile-friendly? This is one of the biggest factors impacting your search engine rankings. As more visitors come to your site via their phones, it’s worth it to make sure they have a good experience. It’s likely that online shoppers over the Fourth of July holiday will be lounging around and shopping on their phones.
• How is your search engine ranking? If you’re not showing up on the first page of search engine results, it’s time to do some keyword research and update your website with them. Make sure the keywords you use reflect any new products and services you offer. Additionally, spend time optimizing your product pages and landing pages for search engines.

2. Fire Up Your Blog

If you’re not blogging on your website, now is the time to change that. Blog content can help boost your rankings in search engines, establish your credibility, and build trust with your customers. Use the keyword research you did for your website to write blog posts that will educate and engage with your visitors.

Here are a few ideas for blog posts to get you started:

• Answers to frequently asked questions, like how to grill the perfect burger.
• The difference between products—for example, if you sell paddle boards, the difference between surf, all-around, and flatwater/race boards.
• Buyer’s guides that explain what features to look for when considering different types of products.
• Behind-the-scenes looks at your company, like how your team celebrates the Fourth of July.

3. Stoke Your Social Media

While Facebook technically owns your Facebook page (and Instagram feed), and Google owns your YouTube channel, you can still enhance what you’re doing on social media to help attract new visitors to the website you just made pop.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Upload videos of customers using your products on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook (but be sure to ask permission first when you’re posting someone else’s content).
• Post lifestyle photos on Instagram and Facebook, like images of the outdoors if you sell camping gear.
• Include discounts or promotions related to the Fourth of July holiday. Shoppers are always on the lookout for deals, no matter the time of year.

4. Launch Your Email Marketing

If you haven’t sent out an email newsletter in ages, it’s time to dust off your subscriber list. No matter what platform you use, make sure you’re collecting email addresses through a form on your website and offering subscribers special offers. Rewarding former and current customers with exclusive deals is a great way of building customer loyalty and increasing customer lifetime value (CLV).

When you do send emails, make some of them educational—not just a sales pitch or an offer—to help establish your credibility and build your brand. For example, you could include snippets of the blog posts you’ve written about grilling or paddleboarding to entice recipients to visit your website and read the whole post.

Use this quiet holiday time to invest in your owned media. You may find a lot of areas where you can improve, and the foundation you build now during a slower retail season will help you during Labor Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sales. You’ll have a stronger platform and be more top-of-mind with your visitors, which will turn into more revenue.

Last updated on June 30th, 2022.