‘Tis the season to be Social

By Denar Brown

With the Christmas season upon us, the ideas for content to post on social media are flowing in. Not only are the ideas flowing, but new stock, discounts and services are seeing a change for the merrier. Let us explore some of the dos and don’ts for your social platforms this holiday season. But before we get there, we first need to get a better idea of what makes a successful social media campaign.

Social media campaigns usually start with a thorough brainstorming session.  It’s good to highlight a clear path on how to campaign will get people in the holiday spirit and draw more awareness which in turn increases engagement and helps to generate quality leads.

It’s important to set attainable goals in the brainstorming sessions and have a clear idea of what the different stages of the campaign will look like.  For Christmas themed campaigns, you are looking to inspire, to showcase family and community, and express through your creatives what the “most wonderful time of the year” means to your business and its customers.

A successful campaign will be unique and speak to the hearts and minds of everyone it encounters.  A successful campaign will create unity and echo timelessly even though set for a specific season of the year.

In our current global climate, being able to effectively create intangible moments that generate tangible actions is key to your business’s growth during the holiday season. Although the holidays are fun, and the content being created will reflect this warmth and togetherness, your content will also be competing in the digital sphere and needs to rise above the rest.

Short holiday video ads, sized properly for all placements on social media, can be very   effective   during   the   holidays.   Consider   implementing   new   video creation techniques   and   platforms   like   Tik-Tok.      Ensure   that   your   videos   adequately represent your target demographic and convey the messages you decided on in your brainstorming session. Creating an excellent video will not be easy; it will take time, effort and a few extra pennies but will be worth it if executed properly. Think of it as equipping your social media base with all the hymnals they would need to go door by door and sing the tunes of your product or services.  You are giving consumers the tools they need to help you market, by creating videos, by documenting moments that they can share with family, friends, and everyone else.

After you have made this incredible video, it is important for your social feeds to reflect what is currently happening in the digital climate.  Consider allowing the aesthetics of your feed to reflect the different seasons using post templates and graphics that represent such. One of the dos for the holiday season is to implement festive colours that represent the season. Colours such as red and green are perfect examples. You can also jazz up your feed by introducing wreaths, bells, whistles, and other ornaments.

Advertising during the holidays can be a task.  Try separating your objectives and allocating ad spend to meet each of these objectives. For instance, allocate a majority of your advertising budget to brand awareness, however, be sure to include traffic, reach and lead generation in your spend.  Although the budget for these other objectives   may   be   small, the   diversification   of   your advertising spends in the crowded marketplace can benefit you with greater insight, larger reach, and more placements.

Run some a/b testing to determine your best ad.

Another good tip is to save your best social media ad for last. The creative elements of an ad also determine how far Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn’s algorithm will push it.  Having your best ad compete during the busiest holiday week (the week of Christmas Day) is a great way to concentrate spend in diversified digital advertising. No good campaign is ever complete until you have reviewed your reports and see what worked and what didn’t.  Evaluation of a campaign is as key as creating it; all aspects   need   to   be   evaluated   at   the   end, and   even   a   few   weeks later.  When advertising on social, it is key to keep in mind that the sales, leads, benefits and other ROIs may not be as instantaneous as you would hope. Some of your ads, posts, information on products and services, may have been saved by potential customers looking to shop after the holidays.

Be smart with your advertising during the holidays. Think of it as putting up  a Christmas tree. Brainstorming is your tree stand or base; make sure it’s sturdy. Your videos, images, and graphics form the bulk of your tree. Then you dress up your social feeds with creative ‘ornaments’ to make it more appealing to customers.

Next, imagine your advertising campaigns to the lights on the tree; they’re a surefire way to pull attention.  Finally, after that has been done and you have gathered your audience around  to  view  the  tree  that  you  have  created  (driven  traffic to your page with social media ads) it’s time to add the tree topper. The tree topper in is the ad you have saved for last, the one that is an absolute showstopper. Then you sit back with your team and evaluate the Christmas tree you have created.