The holiday season is upon us. This means plenty of baking, decorations galore, and of course, increased spending. How will you take advantage of holiday shopping habits in 2016?
According to Think with Google, “7 in 10 holiday shoppers say it’s important that a retailer offers multiple ways for customers to interact with it”. Shoppers expect to find everything they’re looking for on your website, exclusive deals via email and social media posts with the “inside scoop”. Many retailers utilize social media during the holidays to build brand awareness and boost sales. Yet, some advertisers miss the mark when it comes to social. To help you get ahead of the game, here are six do’s and don’ts for using social media during the holidays.
1. DO be cognizant of your audience’s religious affiliations
Keep in mind that not everyone celebrates Christmas. Unless you are positive that 100% of your audience celebrates the Christmas holiday, consider avoiding holiday-specific posts. Or you can simply do a good job of mixing in other holiday posts such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to keep up the holiday spirit.
2. DON’T be afraid to spend money to make money
Believe it or not, the biggest shopping days in sales this year aren’t Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They’re actually the Friday before Christmas, December 23rd, and Super Saturday, December 17th (Business Insider). With huge sales on these two days, retailers are competing for shoppers’ attention. Since the competition is so high, you have to spend money to make money. Consider advertising on social media this year. All it takes is $10 to get the ball rolling on Facebook. And if properly optimized, you could see an impressive return on investment (ROI)!
3. DO implement a cohesive, cross-channel campaign
Utilize all of your social media channels this holiday season. If you’re running a contest on Facebook, link to the contest from your Twitter account. If you’re posting your holiday commercial on YouTube, share it on all of your other platforms! All of your digital marketing tactics (including email and blogging) should work together to convey your targeted holiday message.
4. DON’T forget about customer service
Customer service is a big part of social media marketing. And it becomes even more important during the holiday season. Your customers are busy, impatient and stressed. At the end of the day, your job is to make their lives easier! Don’t underestimate the effect that good customer service will have on your sales.
5. DO schedule posts for Christmas and New Year’s Eve
It is okay to post a nice holiday message on the major holidays. But don’t worry about logging in to your company Facebook page while at your family Christmas party or when counting down to midnight. Give yourself a break and use a platform like HootSuite to schedule your holiday posts ahead of time.
6. DON’T overdo it on product promotions
We understand that the holiday season is the biggest shopping season of the year. Yet, you need to understand that your customers are over-exposed to advertisements. While you should certainly feature your top deals and promotions on your social media sites, don’t forget to add in some fun, non-sales posts. Wish your customers a Happy National Eggnog Day or share a delicious Christmas Cookie recipe. Don’t be afraid to mix things up!
If you need assistance with managing your company’s social media strategy during the holidays and beyond, contact Informatics today.
