The leaves have barely begun to change color, but the holiday buying season is upon us. This year, 29% of your customers started their gift shopping before Halloween (Google Consumer Survey, July 2014).

Before we know it, Black Friday will be here. According to Google, consumer searches on that day alone rose 27% in 2013 over 2012. But consumers are starting almost a week earlier to search for Black Friday deals.

A New Term: "Gray Friday"

That's why Black Friday took on a new term last year: Gray Friday. This happened because Black Friday sales were diluted as retailers started Black Friday promotions weeks earlier, and consumers responded.

Christopher Ainsley, Shopper Trak CEO, said it best. "Retailers stretched Black Friday deals and promotions across November, removing the focus from just one big day of shopping."

Local Advertisers: Holiday Conversions Up

At my company (Netsertive), we see online research in Q4 boost buying signals in the form of increased search volumes and conversion rates. A conversion happens when a customers links to your website from an online advertisement, taking action to get more information, call, fill out a form to set up a demo, etc.

At the same time, the cost per conversions go down, since shoppers clicked on fewer ads before taking action. They're in a buying mood.

Clearly a strong online marketing push during the holiday season is a cost-effective method for increasing your sales to meet your business goals.

For custom audio video installers, our data shows that integrators see spikes in research all year round – but especially during the holidays. Search volume in this category increases 30% in Q4. Comparing September to December of last year, integrators advertising online see their conversion rate increase 69%. At the same time, their overall cost per conversion go down 33%.

Home furnishing (furniture and mattress) retailers see a slight dip in search volume during Q4, but local shoppers are clearly in a buying mood. Conversions go up 71%, while the cost per conversion go down 18% when comparing September to December.

Auto dealers get an early Christmas present as well, with our client's December conversions rising 36% over September, at a slight increase in cost per conversion of 11%. (In fact, while July sees the highest levels of online searches for new cars, our data shows that this is preliminary research leading up to a December "sell-down" purchase, with buying levels staying high through January.)

Google Study: How Search Influences Holiday Shopping

Nina Thatcher, Internet Development Manager at Google, went in-depth to report on the impact of online search on holiday shopping in Google's Think Newsletter. Here's an excerpt from the November 2013 issue:

In our study conducted with Millward Brown Digital, we found that searchers are 1.5x more likely to buy than those who don't use search, making them a particularly valuable audience for marketers.

Holiday shoppers use the web — especially search — to figure out what gifts to buy, choose brands and decide where to purchase. In fact, the internet is the top resource for holiday shopping, according to our survey, with four out of five shoppers considering it the single most “useful” resource.

If you want to grow sales this holiday season, people who search are a particularly valuable audience. These shoppers are 1.5x more likely to buy than those who don’t use search. They know what gifts they are looking for and are primed to buy. With pressure to purchase, people who search during the holidays are also much (140%) more likely to buy than those who search at other times of the year.

Google conversion rate of holiday shoppers online

This is rather intuitive, but some of the other findings from a recent study we did with Millward Brown Digital shed some more light on holiday search users, revealing how they behave, when they buy and why they are so important to marketers.

During the holidays, retailers tend to push promotions on key days (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday). But our research shows that shoppers are making purchases throughout the entire holiday season. In fact, conversion rates actually spike at the end of the season, between December 10th and 16th. This is true for both shoppers who used search and those who didn’t.

Knowing this, retailers and brands need to ensure consumers can find their products, services and brands online, among the multitudes of others they see on the “digital shelf.” They need to actively manage their digital displays in the same way they manage their in-store displays.

Read the full report at Think With Google.

Turn Searches Into Sales

My holiday marketing tips dovetail with Google, namely:

Shoppers are starting early and ending late. Implement an “always-on” paid search strategy to reach them whenever they are looking.

Think beyond traditional key shopping days and push promotions all season long, especially towards the end.

Advertise on category terms to capture the attention of those sought-after undecided shoppers. Keep their attention through retargeting.

Shoppers are searching on category terms consistently — whether it’s one month or one day before they buy. Widen your attribution window to account for this.

Knowing the whole path to purchase will help you improve your marketing throughout the holiday season — and throughout the year.

If you own a local business, it's time. Time to stop letting fear of the Internet paralyze your growth strategy.

It's easy to view the online world as an intimidating behemoth of highly advanced technology that's only suitable for use by those who are the most technically knowledgeable among us - or those who can afford to hire professionals who live and breathe all things digital.

In fact, you shouldn't let fear of the Internet prevent you from utilizing it as an effective marketing channel. A monthly marketing game plan that involves using digital channels as a means to promote your products, services, and brands to local customers is not only something you should do, it's something that you must do to thrive in your local market.

Stop The Presses

Yes, technology is changing the face of retailing just like it is changing the face of many industries. However, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports about the death of traditional retail are greatly exaggerated.

There is no question about the fact that e-commerce is growing. Not only that, but it will continue to grow. But it will never replace brick-and-mortar retailing.

E-commerce and online shopping will play an increasing role in the shopping experience. People enjoy the convenience of shopping from their desk or using a mobile device in-store. However, e-tailing is still a long way from dominating most markets.

Online Marketing Leads To Offline Sales

If you think that online marketing is only for huge retail sites like Amazon and Overstock, think again.

When shoppers decide what to buy, they value the opinions of sales associates in stores and information gleaned from television and magazines. However, it should be noted that the local retailer websites are now the top sources of information.

The Internet has completely transformed the way people shop. Web-savvy consumers have become smarter than ever, using the Internet to research goods and products before they buy. Price comparison websites and consumer forums are frequently browsed during shoppers' "path to purchase."

Here's the 5 things that you should keep in mind:

1. A Majority Of Retail Sales Are Influenced By Internet Research

The web's influence is greater than the threat of online sales. The Forrester retail study showed that in addition to the projected $300 billion in online sales in 2014, $1.4 trillion will be influenced by the web.

In fact, in a study of nearly 2,500 people, Yahoo Advertising and Universal McCann published research showing that 69% of people trust the Internet for researching their purchases over TV and magazines. The same study also found that "seeking information is paramount to consumers, making 'discover' tools the most leveraged throughout every step of the shopping process."

Progressive Grocer published studies showing that 50% of purchasers are influenced by online shopping, with consumers searching on the web before purchasing in-store. The influence of online will be driven by the growing importance of mobile marketing. Smartphone penetration and one-to-one localized promotions will continue to enhance online marketing. According to Juniper Research, U.S. retailers are predicted to spend $55 billion on mobile marketing by 2015, which is almost double that in 2013.

By 2017, 60% of all U.S. retail sales will involve the Internet in some way, either as a direct e-commerce transaction or as part of a shopper's research on a laptop or mobile device. That's according to a new report by Forrester Research Inc. entitled "U.S. Cross-Channel Retail Forecast, 2012 To 2017." Approximately 10.3% of total retail sales in the U.S. in five years will be online purchases, or $370 billion in web sales compared to $3.6 trillion in total retail sales. And in 2012, 46% of total U.S. retail sales were either transacted directly or influenced by Internet research on PCs, smartphones and tablets.

In contrast, last year e-commerce accounted for just 5.2% of total retail spending in the United States. That's based on U.S. Commerce Department figures that include items rarely, if ever, bought online, such as gasoline and restaurant meals.

2. 94% Of All Retail Sales Happen In Local Retail Stores

Another study by Forrester Research shows that "94% of retail sales in the U.S still happen 'offline'... just 6% online." Even if online retail sales double in the United States in the next five years, almost 90% of retail will still be done in brick-and-mortar locations.

"Despite the popularity of ordering online, people still seem to have an affinity for bricks-and-mortar stores, and they're using shopping apps creatively to make the experience of local shopping timely and budget-friendly," a Pricegrabber spokeswoman recently said to InternetRetailer.com.

According to Statistics Canada, e-commerce in that country also accounts for less than 6% of total Canadian retail sales. The lion's share of Canadian retail sales, 94%, is still done at traditional brick-and-mortar locations. Sure, in some categories, like books and music, online shopping is an important way people shop, but let's not assume this will be the case in all categories. Read more.

3. 91% Of Local Shoppers "Have Gone Into A Store As A Result Of An Online Promotion."

Shoppers are doing more research before they buy by using the Internet to pre-shop, price compare, and read reviews. They are also responding to promotions.

Online access and usage has increased significantly, even in the past year. Mobile technology has taken this even further, giving shoppers access to the internet and the ability to shop from anywhere. This has changed shoppers' "path to purchase," impacting the way they consider, and ultimately buy, products and brands.

4. Customers Who Research Online Spend More In-Store

The opportunities to grow revenue are quite real for companies in the context of a retail environment. Consumers increasingly expect a seamless, multichannel purchasing pathway that includes online retailing. In the UK, for example, McKinsey research shows that multichannel customers spend nearly twice as much on average as customers who only visit the store. Depending on the circumstana

5. Online Advertising Boosts Local Store Sales

Consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with using digital technology in the shopping environment and presumably will more frequently measure a retailer on how well it supports this change. The challenge for retail companies is how well they can adapt, how wisely they can make spending decisions on new technology, and how best they can use technology to continuously connect with their greatest asset - the consumer.

While multi-channel marketing presents retailers with an opportunity to significantly increase revenues, its complexity also entails challenges. As companies contend with the most diverse set of channels ever - online research, social networks, word of mouth, traditional marketing, etc. - the winning players will develop a consistent strategy to address all of the fragmented new touch points by investing in the most efficient ones while aligning messages across all platforms.

Internally, they will also successfully coordinate messages across the spectrum of channels to ensure that they reinforce and do not contradict one another.

Local businesses have never had access to a more cost-effective and proven method for turning marketing dollars into sales leads. Digital marketing is not only useful, it's essential today. I'd argue that if you don't have an online marketing strategy, you don't have a future strategy for your business. Retailers who hide from using the Web as a marketing outlet and rely on newspapers, radio, and word of mouth will see diminishing revenues over the long term, while their savvy competition puts marketing messages in front of prospects the instant they're researching a new purchase online.

To see what impact digital marketing done right has had on local SMBs, watch these short videos from Google Premier SMB Partner Netsertive. They'll open your eyes to the usefulness of online marketing.

Today's marketing teams are being tasked with a growing roster of activities all designed to sell their company's products and services.

Blogging, print, live events, email, SEM, display, mobile, PR, this list goes on and on.

In 2014, add a new entry to this crazy Chinese menu: video.

Next to mobile, it's the next big thing for B2B and B2C marketers alike.

Here's the thing about video: It's tough to do well. No one starts a video unit in their company and creates an instant viral hit on YouTube.

Enter WistiaFest

At the inaugural WistiaFest gathering this week in Boston, I learned that most successful companies using video have NEVER had one go viral.

(And most don't use YouTube as their primary hosting or sharing solution. Why? There's no easy way to link YT videos to your marketing automation/analytics tools to track prospects or do enhanced video SEO. Wistia is the go-to solution for corporate video hosting and marketing analytics.)

In fact, those who had a video go viral say it's the worst thing that could have ever happened.

Why? This single video gets your CEO addicted to quick hits of massive attention, which come and go. One viral video doesn't build an audience over time who believe in your mission, come to trust you, and eventually do business with you.

The successful companies using video, 200 of whom attended WistiaFest this week all say it's a slow grind. And it's worth the investment.

Wistia, the host of the event, offers a perfect example of how to do video marketing successfully. Sitting in a workshop with Chris Savage, Wistia's CEO @csavage made the entire trip worthwhile.

How to Market Boring Companies

The most powerful quote from his session? "Our customers don't buy our (video hosting) product immediately. They buy our mission: We help you do more with video. We solve their problems first, then they find our product and subscribe later."

Some other excellent takeaways:

"We have one goal for our content: build an audience. That's our email list. When someone signs up for a free trial of our software, they're added to the list. Every week the team strives to create 4 new pieces of content, including video, blog post, social content, etc."

"The Wistia video hosting product only solves 3% of the video "problem" for our clients. The content we create helps address the rest of the pain points around video marketing."

"Your mission must be bigger than your company and its solutions. The mission is the seed for all of the content you create."

"The goal for your content should be to sell your mission to build an audience. As you flesh out your content and publish consistently, it will attract an audience, who will then discover your products and services down the road."

"Resist the urge to sell. Teach and help people. Don't talk about features. Create an emotional connection to your company. Every piece of content should make the reader think: 'This helps me.'"

This is the kind of intelligence all modern marketers should take to heart before they ever pick up a camera.

There's lots more to share from the event. If you're like me, you prefer meaty, pithy quotes to long paragraphs of prose. With that in mind, here's a buffet of filet mignon for you to feast on:

From Video Content to Video Strategy

Next up was Phil Nottingham, Senior Consultant at Distilled, presenting "From Video Content to Video Strategy." How to go from investing in video initially and having a few pieces to developing and implementing a fully-fledged strategy.

Start with the end in mind. All content must be goal driven. Is it to get more people on your email list? Get a white paper?

Context is king. Understanding your audience and making content to match their needs is key. Hyper-targeted content > one size fits all.

Go beyond buyer personas. See which users influence your prospects with FollowerWonk then influence the influencers.

Create a content matrix with this trio of levels:
Early: "See" (Brand awareness)
Mid: "Think" (Consideration advocacy)
Bottom/End: "Do" (Conversion)

The average YouTube click through rate (CTR) is 0.72%. You won't get clicks to your website from a video. Think brand awareness, engagement over clicks.

Use real people in your company in your video who have real expertise giving real advice. Don't hire actors, want genuine stuff. Think uncommon expertise and insight. Don't overly brand your video if you want links and shares. Embedding will be diminished.

Don't duplicate same video across multiple pages. Don't reinvent the wheel every time. Recut and reedit to get there and be efficient.

Don't be afraid to paste video transcripts into the HTML of the page where you embed your video. This is the key to better video SEO and addressing Panda issues. Keep in mind that some people can't watch videos at work, so they need quick access to your script.

SERPTurkey can help you test organic search results to see if your video SEO work will help or hinder your click through rate.

Consideration and advocacy videos need paid traffic boosts - check out Taboola, Outbrain, StumbleUpon, Reddit - to seed views. They cost money, but ramp eyes-on quickly.

Unruly media will seed your video socially, pay per share is the new PPC. Viral booster: http://www.unrulymedia.com/

How often should you publish videos? Consistent quality > consistency of publishing schedule. Less done right is more.

Time / Money / Talent = Need at least 2 to make good videos.

20 Ways Moz Makes Video Work For Our Marketing

Rand Fishkin, Founder & CEO at Moz, presented "20 Ways Moz Makes Video Work For Our Marketing." Tactical tips on how to make a video reach a bigger audience, plus the broad strategy of how Moz has used video to reach millions of eyeballs.

We've never had a viral video at Moz. Never once has a Whiteboard Friday had more than 30K views in first week. Don't invest in viral video, invest in a video production flywheel that keeps building value over time with consistently produced, high-quality content.

You can easily outpace and crush your competition by investing in the turtle, slow gains over time, rabbits hate you! Everyone wants the rabbit/trackable wins and data and viral FAST, but ignores the slow growth impact over time.

If you were to judge our efforts in first 2 years, we'd be shut down. It's expensive, takes time, money.

Because we stuck with it to get better, Whiteboard Friday is the top content we produce in the entire company from branding and engagement standpoint.

It takes 7.5 measurable visits to Moz before they take a free trial. If they convert earlier, they'll be a poor client. Would rather them come 10-20 times before they convert.

Like Wistia with their Learning Center the Moz Academy is available in the product with in-depth video content to help users.

Videos help keep people engaged. It's the grain we grow to feed our social media efforts. We earn a broader following over time, so we have more people to promote to, more visits, grows over time.

Videos help with product demos, but grows audience for these views.

You can't track value branding effect of video work, but we know it's there. Higher recall and engagement of all content produced

Can't do video in a silo. Connection between SEO, social, video, events is key.

Flexibility of video to adapt and help across the company came because we invested in dedicated resources. Full time, focused on video. Dedicated to the craft to leverage across the organization.

We can and do measure return on investment (ROI) on video via Google/Wistia analytics, but the value is serendipitous and largely unmeasureable.

An Integrated Approach to Video

Mack Fogelson, Founder & CEO at Mack Web Solutions, took the stage next with "An Integrated Approach to Video." How to convince your boss, develop useful KPIs, and succeed in your larger marketing goals.

Have a plan to get a YES from your boss. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for integrated efforts. Bosses like plans. Bosses like numbers.

Not just one video on one channel. Takes many channels and effort, accomplish goals for you business. Be forward thinking with a human-centric approach to integrated marketing.

Tactics aren't strategy. What we're doing to do/the tools are tactics. Strategy is a result of goals.

Grab Mack's full presentation to see a fully fleshed out campaign for a whitepaper download that's driven nearly 4,600 conversions in the year after launch.

The Future of the Wistia Product

For anyone using Wistia today - or thinking of using it tomorrow - Brendan Schwartz, CTO and Co-founder of Wistia, offered a sneak peek at "The Future of the Wistia Product."

We want to move beyond Wistia being a simple video hosting solution. We want customers to use it to curate their videos. So many of us put our videos on our blogs. After a few more posts, the video slips to page 2, and it's gone.

That's why we're adding "Sites" to product. Essentially, we're productizing the Wistia Learning Center in our platform. You'll be able to create custom embed of views like Learning Center on your website.

In addition, Brendan is no fan of video embed codes. His team is working on a browser extension that will enable Wistia users to drag and drop a video into any kind of medium - email template, blog, webpage, etc. No more copying and pasting of HTML code, instead drag and drop and let the technology create the correct embed code for the destination.

After three days on the ground with the Wistia team and 200 hardcore video marketers, I'm more convinced than ever that we're in the early days of the corporate video explosion. Wistia is doing a tremendous job offering educational content for the masses, and I know next year's WistiaFest will see a bigger crowd who will come away with the hands-on tips they need to leverage video to build and engage with audiences in lots of industries.

That and give everyone a chance to mingle with the young, hip team behind the Wistia product itself. Getting inside the startup bubble with this young team who's absolutely rocking a product that solves real business problems, while being unafraid to share their culture and quirky personalities in person and online, was a massive breath of fresh air for this veteran marketing guy.

Wistia, keep rocking your mission: We help you do more with video. Talk about useful. Insanely useful is more like it.