It’s no secret that the biggest shopping time of the year is just a few short weeks away. As communicators, planning ahead is crucial to the success of our business’ during the holiday season. Most of us tend to prepare for the holiday season at the beginning of November and the most populated days of the year also correspond to the social media realm.
Being a standout in the holiday marketing frenzy may seem like daunting task but it’s absolutely critical to market to your audience on your social media platforms during this peak time. Below are a few tips to help maximize your social media, marketing and PR power during the madness of the holidays:
- Dole out a Deal: Loyal customers love getting discounts from their favorite brands over the holidays. It’s also one of the best tactics to drive traffic. While coupons should only be offered for a short length of time, it’s also crucial that coupons are mobile. Ensure coupons are accessible on all mobile devices as download-and-print coupons are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
- Balance Your Budget: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year, therefore it’s necessary to allocate a portion of your annual advertising budget to these time periods. While your overall campaign deserves attention, it’s vital to increase overall brand awareness with new audiences while also coinciding with your social media and PR efforts.
- Create Contests: A little competition never hurt anybody! Thanks to Facebook’s most recent announcement, contests no longer have to run through a third-party app. Take advantage of this newfound freedom with holiday-related contests on Facebook and Twitter. Kindly ask fans for shares, retweets, likes and comments so your message spreads far and wide.
- Let’s Talk: While your main goal is to “sell, sell, sell,” don’t lose sight of corresponding with your customers. Engaging with your customers adds a personal touch during holiday madness, which many brands forget or don’t make a priority. The holidays can be a stressful time of year so offer helpful advice, gift ideas, entertaining tips and more. A simple post such as, “What’s your favorite holiday tradition?” can easily distinguish you as thoughtful when others simply self-promote.
- Highlight What Makes You, You: Showcase your employees, holiday happenings, decorations, stories and culture that make your brand unique. Humanity does wonders for your brand equity, so take off your corporate hat for a moment and relate to people!
Shine bright in the crowd this holiday season and engage your customers with posts and promotions that strengthen your overall brand and contribute positively to the online community. Short on ideas? If you plan accordingly and integrate these five simple tips, your brand is sure to flourish during the holiday season!
-Carolyn Rasley, Account Executive
