Summer has said its goodbyes, and the
road to the holidays is just around the
bend.
As marketers, planning ahead is
crucial, and given that most shoppers
start their holiday gift gathering just
after Halloween
, it’s not too early to hang the social
media ornaments. (Not to mention
that Hanukkah begins the night
before Thanksgiving
this year.)
The holidays are the most crowded
time on social media. It can be difficult
standing out in the marketing frenzy
before December, but it is essential
that you get it right. Here are some
tips and platforms that can help
marketing, PR, and social media pros
harness the power of the holidays:
The more the merrier: Plan multiple
campaigns to increase engagement and
sales. Design them to target niche
audiences with specific rewards and
gifts. Space them out, though; don’t
release six different promotions in
one week. Social marketing platform
OfferPop reports that while brand
holiday campaigns spike in the second
week of December, there is a high fan
participation rate in early and mid-
November. That’s a great window to
kick off holiday campaigns or
introduce a heavy hitter, such as a
holiday shopping spree contest or a
one-day, half-off coupon special.
Coupons: Speaking of coupon specials,
no, they’re not just for the crazies
on TLC. Fans love getting discounts
from brands during the holidays, and
it’s an easy and obvious incentive to
shop at a specific establishment for
gifts. Coupons should have a small
shelf life during the holidays, and can
be offered in the form of codes (make
graphics fans can share) or you can
plan a more complex process, such as
codes that, once used, unlock more
savings.
Mobile coupons are essential. Make
them easy to pull up at the register
from the Facebook page or Twitter
account. As OfferPop’s Mark Cooper
states, “The download-and-print
coupon days are well behind us. Make
sure you’re making mobile a priority.”
Don’t neglect channels: Facebook is
the network to focus efforts on, but
don’t forget to use popular sites such
as Instagram and Pinterest for
holiday-themed campaigns. Niche
campaigns specific to the networks
are an obvious choice, such as winning
a dream “board” or an outdoor photo
and hashtag contest.
Allocate big budgets to social media
during the holidays: Planning ahead
means setting budgets for
advertising, design, etc. Allocate the
greatest amount of ad dollars for
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the
second week of December, as they are
the highest traffic times. Give your
campaigns plenty of attention, but
also use your dollars on tactics aimed
to increase your overall fan base.
Sponsor posts, and buy ads.
[RELATED: Ragan's new
distance-learning site houses
the most comprehensive video
training library for corporate
communicators.
]
Run Timeline contests: Facebook’s
recent announcement that contests
no longer had to be run through a
third-party app opened a door of
opportunity for fan pages. Take
advantage by running holiday-related
contests on the Timeline to engage
your fans. Ask for shares and “likes”
so it’s more likely to be seen by
friends of fans.
If you’re dry for contest ideas or you
have a variety of pages you must
monitor, consider using Post Planner.
It just launched a feature that has
more than 300 built-in contests you
can pick from, quickly edit, and post
directly to your page. Make sure they
are holiday oriented.
The main idea is to plan far ahead and
get creative. Give everything you do
on social media a little touch of holiday
magic or cheer. Don’t forget the
green and red—not to mention the
blue and white—holiday colors.
Abbi Whitaker is the president of The
Abbi Agency . Follow her on Twitter @
abbijayne or @theabbiagency , and visit
her blog, where a version of this story
first appeared.
road to the holidays is just around the
bend.
As marketers, planning ahead is
crucial, and given that most shoppers
start their holiday gift gathering just
after Halloween
, it’s not too early to hang the social
media ornaments. (Not to mention
that Hanukkah begins the night
before Thanksgiving
this year.)
The holidays are the most crowded
time on social media. It can be difficult
standing out in the marketing frenzy
before December, but it is essential
that you get it right. Here are some
tips and platforms that can help
marketing, PR, and social media pros
harness the power of the holidays:
The more the merrier: Plan multiple
campaigns to increase engagement and
sales. Design them to target niche
audiences with specific rewards and
gifts. Space them out, though; don’t
release six different promotions in
one week. Social marketing platform
OfferPop reports that while brand
holiday campaigns spike in the second
week of December, there is a high fan
participation rate in early and mid-
November. That’s a great window to
kick off holiday campaigns or
introduce a heavy hitter, such as a
holiday shopping spree contest or a
one-day, half-off coupon special.
Coupons: Speaking of coupon specials,
no, they’re not just for the crazies
on TLC. Fans love getting discounts
from brands during the holidays, and
it’s an easy and obvious incentive to
shop at a specific establishment for
gifts. Coupons should have a small
shelf life during the holidays, and can
be offered in the form of codes (make
graphics fans can share) or you can
plan a more complex process, such as
codes that, once used, unlock more
savings.
Mobile coupons are essential. Make
them easy to pull up at the register
from the Facebook page or Twitter
account. As OfferPop’s Mark Cooper
states, “The download-and-print
coupon days are well behind us. Make
sure you’re making mobile a priority.”
Don’t neglect channels: Facebook is
the network to focus efforts on, but
don’t forget to use popular sites such
as Instagram and Pinterest for
holiday-themed campaigns. Niche
campaigns specific to the networks
are an obvious choice, such as winning
a dream “board” or an outdoor photo
and hashtag contest.
Allocate big budgets to social media
during the holidays: Planning ahead
means setting budgets for
advertising, design, etc. Allocate the
greatest amount of ad dollars for
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the
second week of December, as they are
the highest traffic times. Give your
campaigns plenty of attention, but
also use your dollars on tactics aimed
to increase your overall fan base.
Sponsor posts, and buy ads.
[RELATED: Ragan's new
distance-learning site houses
the most comprehensive video
training library for corporate
communicators.
]
Run Timeline contests: Facebook’s
recent announcement that contests
no longer had to be run through a
third-party app opened a door of
opportunity for fan pages. Take
advantage by running holiday-related
contests on the Timeline to engage
your fans. Ask for shares and “likes”
so it’s more likely to be seen by
friends of fans.
If you’re dry for contest ideas or you
have a variety of pages you must
monitor, consider using Post Planner.
It just launched a feature that has
more than 300 built-in contests you
can pick from, quickly edit, and post
directly to your page. Make sure they
are holiday oriented.
The main idea is to plan far ahead and
get creative. Give everything you do
on social media a little touch of holiday
magic or cheer. Don’t forget the
green and red—not to mention the
blue and white—holiday colors.
Abbi Whitaker is the president of The
Abbi Agency . Follow her on Twitter @
abbijayne or @theabbiagency , and visit
her blog, where a version of this story
first appeared.
posted from Bloggeroid
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