The Advantages of Social Media for your Holiday Campaign

Retailers have benefited from holiday marketing campaigns for decades, and the launch of major social sites has only enlarged the campaign. Social giants FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest have added Buy Now buttons on their social platforms, making sales easier than ever for social followers. Businesses also benefit by sharing links on company social channels that direct followers to webpages containing info about holiday specials and sales.

If you want your posts to get the most engagement this holiday, make your social posts stand out as something more than mere holiday “noise.” Structure the text around feel-good holiday traditions, pair it with classic holiday imagery, and spread holiday cheer with great sales your audience won’t want to pass up.  

Check out these 5 advantages to using social media in your holiday campaign!

1. Listen to Social Cues

The holiday season is all about showing love and support to others. When your followers use social media, they unknowingly leave cues that hint at what they think or feel. Social listening gives you the opportunity to discover what your end users think/feel about your product. It also allows you to demonstrate that you really care about their opinion.

More → How a Traditional Marketing Campaign Benefits From Social Media

Make sure you’re listening to what end-users say about your brand. Do they like what you post? Do they leave positive reviews? What kind of feedback do your receive on your products? Which posts get the most interaction? Is your competition posting better information?

The Deloitte Review claims 47% millennials and 19% non-millennials are influenced by social media when making buying decisions. Pay attention to what’s happening on your company’s social channels and you’ll better understand your target audience, their needs, and how you can cater to them.

2. Announce Holiday Specials

Your customers are on social media. According to Statista, 78% of US citizens in 2016 have a social profile, up 5% from the previous year. Your company’s social profiles allow you to meet your audience where they are. When you’re ready to announce holiday specials online, social channels deliver your message where it will be heard.

But a note to the wise: don’t limit your posts to product specials. Talk about how your products can benefit consumers. For example, if you’re promoting food products, post recipes, cooking tips, quick meal fixes, anything that helps end-users know the advantages of your product. And be creative! Clothing stores can depict their holiday clothing line with “ugly” Christmas sweaters – a timeless tradition that evokes a sense of sentimentality.

More → 5 Tips to Increase Your Holiday Traffic

The holidays present the perfect excuse to establish a sense of urgency in your sales. The clock is ticking. Sales will be ending soon, so act now. Reposts and retweets make sure your audience hears about your deals in time to make a purchase. Cha-ching.

3. Connect with Your Audience

During the holidays, people want to connect in a heart-warming way. Social media gives you the opportunity to create leads that last beyond the holidays. Ask questions that encourage end users to connect with your brand – “What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?” or “How do you spend the 12 Days of Christmas?”

Even if you have products that you want to push this holiday season – “Still looking for that perfect gift for that perfect someone? We have some ideas.” – interspersing your marketing campaign with real-life, feel-fuzzy social posts can encourage new leads to “like” your brand and eventually convert into loyal customers.

More → Why Care About Social Media for Your Business?

By the way, if you start a conversation on social media, don’t forget to follow up with it as people engage. When you create company profiles on social platforms, you should be simultaneously committing to social media management. If people comment, reply to them. Someone uses your hashtag, share their content. Social media is a valuable way to generate interest, so don’t miss out on the chance to keep followers engaged.

4. Solidify Sales and Increase Revenue

Sales surrounding the holidays increase dramatically for the retail industry, accounting for 19.2% of the industry’s total annual revenue. Social media is one way to tap into this income.

Remember that all social posts need a direct call-to-action that incite a response. Don’t make your followers guess what you want them to do. Make it clear in the post by including action words like click here, buy now, learn more, etc. Consumers will be more enticed to make a purchase, solidifying the sale.

5. Promote Brand Awareness

Although the holiday season is clambering with competition, especially for retailers, social media offers you an effective avenue to display your brand. Social giveaways, contests, collections for charities are all examples of yes, leveraging social media, but also increasing knowledge about your brand.

When you welcome social channels into your holiday marketing campaign, you help end users find you online, which promotes your digital presence. As your following grows on social channels, Google acknowledges your company brand as an industry expert, resulting in a boost in ranking.

People generally like to feel included. Encourage followers to use your brand’s hashtag, take photos of how they use your products, and share your content on their own social platforms. Make them feel like they’re a part of your brand family, an exclusive club. And show them how they can have fun with your products online!

Interested to learn how you can take advantage of social media for your marketing campaign? Contact us and we’d be happy to discuss your marketing options with you!