ALLISON LACEY

Bloomingdale’s Digital Marketing Strategy

Like No Other Store In The World

When people think of Bloomingdale’s, one of the first thoughts that pop in their minds is high-end, trendy department store. Bloomingdale’s is more upscale than a JCPenny’s, Sears, or even its parent company, Macy’s; it is less posh and ostentatious than a Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus. Bloomingdale’s falls perfectly in the middle and has become the symbol of classy, fashionable, American department store.

Who is a Bloomingdale’s Shopper?

Bloomingdale’s appeals to a younger target audience in their advertisements but that does not mean that an older audience does not appreciate the lengthy list of designer handbags, shoes, clothing, jewelry, makeup and more offered. The Bloomingdale’s shopper is up on the latest trends and designer fashion. They appreciate quality products and value nice things. However, these shoppers can’t afford to walk in and not look at a price tag. Bloomingdale’s acknowledges this and offers their customers numerous sales, free returns, special shopping events, and more.

2012 Digital Strategy Proposal

Bloomingdale’s already has a strong social media presence, a solid website, and invests in Internet marketing. The next step is to take a specific department within Bloomingdale’s – something that makes it stand out from its competitors – and build a campaign around it.

The first part of the campaign to be rolled out will be focused on Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry. This idea is one that is specifically searched for online and that an entire social media campaign can be devoted to. Bloomingdale’s will be able to reach a wider audience that may not have been aware of Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry or is unsure of where to register. This campaign will feature social media, Internet marketing and mobile strategies.

Social Media Strategy

Bloomingdale’s is currently active on Facebook, Twitter and foursquare. While they are successful with engaging with their target audience through these channels and conveying the essence of the Bloomingdale’s brand, it would be a huge mistake for the company not to create a Pinterest account.

Pinterest exploded onto the social media scene within the past year and, even more amazing, customers are turning to brand’s Pinterest accounts to shop online. Bloomingdale’s could have different boards for each of their departments, the latest trends, inspiration for their style, and even special boards devoted to brides and weddings. When someone views a pin on one of these boards, they are taken to the retailer’s site, which then suggests that the customer make the purchase.

The main focus of Bloomingdale’s 2012 Social Media Strategy is to create a Pinterest account just as engaging and appealing as their website and current social media accounts. This will allow for the brand to reach a larger audience and show up in results when users search for specific terms, such as “wedding ideas” or “bridesmaids’ gifts.”

Google AdWords Campaign

An AdWords campaign will allow Bloomingdale’s to reach their target audience as they are searching for products they need. Whether customers are searching specifically for Bloomingdale’s or generically for “bridal registry,” an AdWords campaign will guarantee more visits to the Bloomingdale’s website, a larger target audience reached, higher search result ranking, and ultimately more online and in-store sales traffic. One example of an AdWords advertisement for the Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry is:

Bloomingdale’s Bridal

Register and receive special offers!

Click to see today’s exclusive perk

Bloomingdales.com/bridal

This advertisement catches the eye for many reasons: the word “bridal” appeals those searching for bridal needs, not just for Bloomingdale’s. Also, it has a call to action to register, and includes language about special offers and perks.

Mobile Strategy

For the mobile strategy, a Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry smartphone app will be created for soon-to-be-brides. Brides with smartphones will download the app and, once registered, will be able to do all of their gift registering and other bridal essentials from their phone.

This makes Bloomingdale’s even more appealing by making it most convenient for the bride – she doesn’t even have to come in the store to do her registering! This way, she is able to easily share ideas with her family, friends and fiancé on-the-go and will be able to complete her registering in what normally takes hours in minutes.

Measurement and Results

There are several ways to measure the campaign’s success. For the Google

AdWords Campaign, a special formula can be used so that every time a consumer

clicks on the ad, they can be tracked for 30 days to see if they make a purchase.

We will also analyze page views and sales results to see if there is an increase in

both of those. This AdWords campaign will not only increase traffic to the

Bloomingdale’s sight, but will also reach a broader target audience and increase

sales.

The Pinterest account will be measured similarly to other Bloomingdale’s social

media sites. An increase in traffic to the Pinterest site, “likes” or “repins,” and

traffic and sales from the Pinterest account to the Bloomingdale’s website will be

factored in to the measurement.

As for the Bridal Registry smartphone app, the number of downloaded apps, an

increase in Bridal registration, and an increase in traffic and sales from the app to

the Bloomingdale’s website will all be used to measure the effectiveness of the

app.

Timeline and Budget

Due to the projected size of the campaign and the benefits for Bloomingdale’s, the budget is currently set at $250,000.

Wedding season is year-round – there is no seasonal peak or best time of year to promote Bridal Registry. Instead, this phase of the campaign will focus on different seasons, for example, “Winter Bridal Needs and Registry.”

Once the Bridal Registry campaign evolves into another department, for example, Designer Handbags, the timeline will revolve around the new seasonal product lines.

Each seasonal part of the campaign will be allocated $62,500. The majority of the budget will go toward the Google AdWords campaign and the creation the Bloomingdale’s Bridal Registry smartphone app.

Conclusion

It is the hope that through the 2012 Bloomingdale’s Digital Strategy that there is an increase in sales, website traffic, social media engagement, and brand awareness and loyalty.

With the extensive research done on the Bloomingdale’s brand, their target audience and current strategies, this campaign encompasses everything that will take Bloomingdale’s to the next level.

Through social media, Google AdWords and mobile marketing, Bloomingdale’s is sure to be America’s top department store and an iconic brand.