How To Write The Perfect Holiday Gift Guide

We all loved Tierra M. Wilson’s last post on IFB ‘Fashion Bloggers Claim Your Media Credentials Today‘ so I was delighted to get her tips on creating the perfect holiday gift guide…

As a fashion blogger November and December can be record readership and/or subscription months for your fashion blog if you understand holiday spending and consumer habits.  However, more importantly is taking that knowledge and using it to leverage your blog creatively.

Did you know that according to the National Retail Federation 62.2% of shoppers plan to buy clothing or clothing accessories as gifts and 45.4% plan to buy beauty items? That covers just about every topic a fashion blogger could blog about!  Additionally, according to the American Research Group consumers plan to spend approximately $536 each while holiday gift shopping online.  What better way to pull in new readers and promote your blog than by writing the perfect holiday gift guide? Here’s how:

Know Your Keywords

When it comes to creating a holiday gift guide that will tower above your competition’s guide you have to know your SEO keywords.  Some bloggers my choose to use the words ‘Christmas Gifts’ in their title not knowing that ‘Holiday Gifts’ would have been a better choice due to the 8,854 search hits it receives a day.  Other hot keywords include gifts, gift baskets, gift cards, and buyers guide.

The key to this strategy is to combine a unique title with the keywords so you won’t look spammy to Google. For example “Independent Fashionista Holiday Buyer Guide” or “IFB Guide to Fail Proof Holiday Gifts”.

Be Comprehensive and Creative

It’s easy to list a bunch of gifts and link to how to purchase online, but your holiday gift guide can stand out by adding a something that only your fashion blog can offer. For example you can create eye catching collages, include consumer coupons, or describe the product in your own words. It’s important that your guide stand out using your personality and love for fashion.

Create A Strategic Timeline

Spread your guide out over a period of time and offer a set of products every Monday and Thursday, or whichever days or day you choose. Also, remember that most online shopping is done before December 16th due to shipping and holiday discounts.  Therefore, the ideal time to push out your holiday gift guide would be December 1st – 16th.

Stick To Your Mission

Why are you talking about a great foot scrubber when your blog focuses on runway fashion?  Stick to the mission of your site by allowing current readers to be satisfied and give a professional impression of organization.  Plus, people come to your blog to hear what you have to say on a certain topic.  If I wanted to know about how to get the latest purse for a friend this holiday I’m going to visit a purse blog and browse through their guide; it just makes sense.

Network

A holiday gift guide is a great way to advertise your blog and increase your networking opportunities.  There are many ways to do this including the obvious of sending out messages out to all of your friends on Twitter, Myspace, Facebook or your email address book and let them know your guide will be out.  Also, you can let the fashion PR people know about your guide and see if they want to promote any clients.

Have Fun

Everyone loves your blog because of you and what you bring to the table.  They want to hear your voice and personality during the holidays so have fun and enjoy. Let your holiday gift guide be a reflection your fabulousness.