Ho! Ho! Ho-oh, no! It’s not that time of year again, is it? Well, not quite – but it is already October, and that means that it won’t be long before the C-word will be spilling glitteringly from the lips of every man, woman, child and marketer (for I’m not sure we qualify as being any of the above) from London to Brisbane and back again.
Yes, the holiday season is just around the corner, and that means you’re going to have to pull something a little special out of your social stockings as the Yuletide beckons, and the whole of Facebook seems to become one massive battleground-bazaar of offers, deals, adverts and tinsel.
As a consumer, you no doubt feel as tyrannised by the early annual onset of Christmas as everyone else. But, as a marketer, you are at the same time acutely aware of the need to be tyrannical and strike just as early – not least because your competitors will soon be decking the halls with seasonal sales even if you’re not.
Of course, Christmas is the biggest time of the year for retailers – both on the high street and online. And so it’s the perfect time for brands to up their social media strategies and promotional activities to get a piece of the action. Put simply, come November onwards, people are looking to spend money, and so it’s your job to give them the best reasons to do so.
And so, it is with jolly and joyful pleasure that I get the opportunity to bring to you 5 great tips for planning your Christmas campaigns on Facebook and other social media. Ho! Ho! Here we go!!
Planning Your Campaigns For Christmas
#1. Start Early NOW!
There’s not a moment to lose now as we head into November. Christmas marketers will be rearing their red-hatted heads all over social media soon enough, so make sure you’re one of the very first. Ideally, you’ll want to start launching your Christmas campaign into the wild about 6 weeks before the big day. This year, that sacred day falls on Friday the 13th of November, and so you have 2 options:
- Avoid this date at all costs – especially if you’re superstitious. Go for the Wednesday or Thursday instead, or, at a push, leave it until the following Monday.
- Embrace the date. Use this feared day as a foil to bring unrivalled cheer and happiness to your dedicated followers. Tell them not to worry, because Christmas is just round the corner, and you’ve got the perfect gifts for each member of the family.
Either way, you need to start planning your promotions and giveaways right now in time for launch.
#2. Decide On Promotional Offers
Everyone loves a Christmas special offer. Last year, Fabric posted a blog citing some interesting research, which revealed the following:
“Festive shoppers are most receptive to free shipping offers, exclusive offers for that particular social network and also loyalty points and rewards.”
#3. Create Festive Imagery For Your Posts And Website
Christmas is special, and you’re going to have to pull out all the stops. You’re going to have to talk to your design team tomorrow and get them thinking about the special snowmen, reindeer and/or St. Nick images that are going to be accompanying your product promotions.
And, when it comes to your website, it will pay dividends to pull the Christmas decorations down from the loft as well. This isn’t actually as complicated as it sounds, as there are many plugins available that you can simply install on the backend of your site that will display snowflakes falling, fairy lights, advent calendars or a Christmas countdowns. Check out ‘10+ Free WordPress Plugins To Add Christmas Cheer To Your Site’ to see what tickles your tinsel.
#4. Host A Competition
Competitions are always a great way of grabbing attention, no matter what time of year it is. But at Christmas, offering a particularly generous giveaway can be the perfect way to stand out from the crowd.
Facebook and Instagram are the perfect platforms on which to post a nice Christmassy picture, and you can ask for likes and shares for people to enter. On Twitter, you can get your followers to answer a question, and you reward the best answer with your prize. Just remember to make it Christmassy!
“If there was a 10th reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh, what would you name him? Top answer wins best prize ever!! Answer with #10reindeer.”
There you go – 136 characters and all yours if you want to use it.
#5. Analyse Results For Christmas 2016
Christmas happens every year, you know. And so, when the silly season has calmed down a little, take the time in the New Year to analyse the results of all of your special Christmas campaign efforts, so you are better equipped for next year’s festivities. Furthermore, it is likely that you will have generated some extra leads with all your extra endeavours, so January is a great time to start trying to convert these fresh little snowflakes in an effort to kick off your New Year sales.
Got any more Christmas campaign tips? Please, be generous this year, and share your secrets in the comments below.
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The post Getting Festive On Facebook – Planning Your Christmas Campaigns appeared first on GetResponse Blog - Email Marketing Tips.
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