It’s Not Too Late! Five Ways to Make This a Social Holiday Season
Written on December 7, 2011 by Nicole Hopkins
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone and holiday shipping deadlines are beginning to loom. You’ve got your email marketing campaigns designed and scheduled (you do, right?) and have already dusted off and set up the seasonal decorations in your store or office. While it might be tempting to think that it’s time to pour a hot toddy and watch the sales roll in, there’s still time for one critical part of your marketing mix. One of the most powerful aspects of social media marketing is how truly real-time it can be, and right now is the time to use that to your advantage. Here are five ways to go social this holiday season:
1. Drum Up Some Excitement With Countdowns
Twelve days of Christmas, eight nights of Hanukkah, 31 days of the awesomeness that is December; reward your customers with perks spread across the holiday season. Think about how you might use a daily deal strategy like Invino does with their 12 Days of Access promotion.
Countdown rewards don’t only have to be discounts and deals, though. Get into the giving mood and reward your customers with a series of perks. From prizes to tips to exclusive content, there are plenty of options out there. TastingTable does a great job of this with their 12 Days of Cookies recipe campaign. Not only are they treating their customers to some great content, but they also win by driving repeat traffic back to their website and using placeholder countdown slides to keep anticipation building.
2. Use “Last-Minute” to Your Advantage
If you think you’re running out of time to drum up holiday sales, you better believe your customers are feeling the pressure too. Tap into this sense of urgency by actively communicating shipping deadlines, product availability and other time-sensitive information across all your social networks. I may or may not have taken advantage of this last-chance offer tweeted by the New England Patriots.*
*Full disclosure: Go Pats!
3. Let Your Fans Get In On the Action
The holidays are a perfect time to get your fans to share in the conversation. Ask questions on your social profiles and tap into the holiday buzz, like Gilt Man does here. Who doesn’t want to talk about Champagne this time of year?!
You can also ask fans to submit pictures or videos of anything from their favorite gift to what the weather looks like where they live. This is a great way to let your customers know that your brand is engaged and interested. Take it to the next level and use a custom Facebook app from a company like Wildfire and turn it into a contest.
4. Do the Work for Them
Chances are, if someone is still looking for gifts at this time of year, they could probably use some inspiration. That’s where you come in! Tweet links to your products or set up a regularly updated gift guide on your Facebook page. Think about how you might position your products based on who your fans might be shopping for. This tweet from Flour & Water, a restaurant in San Francisco, appeals to all the foodies out there.
5. Pay It Forward
Does your company do any charitable giving, employee donation matching, or community service efforts for the holidays? If not, bah humbug. If yes, awesome! Why not share your efforts with your social community? This is a great opportunity to give your brand a bit of personality beyond business as usual. It’s also a fantastic way to recognize your employees for the efforts they make. Win-win!
Do you have any special last-minute social media plans up your sleeve before the year ends? We’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment here or on one of our social profiles and we’d be happy to share!
Ellery Long is the Social Media Manager at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things social. Connect with him on Twitter at @EL.
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