Ready or not, the holidays are here! With Thanksgiving officially behind us, it’s time to start hanging the social media ornaments. Translation? Whether your goal is to increase sales this season or simply create playful and engaging content, now is the time to put a holiday content plan into place. After all, social media plays a significant role in shaping the opinions, preferences, and shopping behavior of consumers during the holidays. Here are five ways your brand can get savvy with social media marketing during this year’s holiday madness.
Spread The Holiday Cheer
If nothing else, your company should incorporate some holiday cheer into its content strategy. Consider switching up your profile picture or banner photo with something festive, or sharing a few articles related to the season – whether it is your content or someone else’s. This is also an ideal time to showcase your company culture, giving your audience an inside look into how you celebrate this time of year. Not only does this spread the cheer, authentic and personal content encourages an emotional attachment between customer and brand.
Be Generous
Everyone is in a giving mood around the holidays, and your company should be too! Get creative with ways to show extra kindness this season. It could be as simple as spending a little extra time engaging with your customers online or offering a coupon or special promotion. If you prefer something with more involvement, consider holding a contest or giveaway. This is a great way to engage with customers, especially during the holidays as it keeps your brand top of mind with your audience. These seemingly small acts of generosity can go a long way in the minds of consumers!
Take Advantage of User Generated Content
While advertisements can be effective, remember that your audience is being inundated by ads during this time. If you want to stand out, leverage user-generated content. Many people are programmed to ignore ads, but if you can relate to your audience with real people, in real moments, you have a better chance of creating a deeper connection with fans. Not to mention, it’s a great way to drive engagement numbers and curate unique, quality content.
Launch A Campaign
Launching an effective holiday campaign takes time and effort, but it can be extremely beneficial when executed effectively. Personalize the ad campaign by inviting your audience to get involved. The more creative and fun the experience, the more likely your audience is to participate and share. Starbucks does this exceptionally well each year, integrating all three of the tips above into their annual Red Cup Contest campaign. The coffee giant asks users to share images of how they celebrate the red holiday cups and encourages users to tag photos with #redcupcontest and the winner receives a Starbucks gift card. The campaign has seen huge success, from increasing engagement, building brand awareness, driving sales, and of course, spreading holiday cheer. Everyone is jolly!
These are just a few of the many approaches you can take in developing a social media holiday marketing strategy. Think of your social media channels as your very own elves and put them to work this holiday season! For more social media tips and tricks, explore our blog or follow us on Twitter!
