It might not be winter yet, but it’s definitely starting to feel like it. The weather is cooling off, the malls have Jingle Bell Rock on repeat, and you could’ve sworn that it snowed yesterday… or were those just unique and beautiful remnants of last night’s cookie binge? I mean, that would explain why a seemingly-heavy snowfall was entirely localized to your hands and t-shirt… and also why this scenario is actually just a description of how I woke up this morning. Insert Beyonce quote about waking up flawless here.
Anyway.
With the holiday season around the corner, there is one thing that should be on your mind – and it’s not trying to figure out how many immediate family members will accept LCBO gift cards as presents. Optimizing your social media campaign for the holidays is a great opportunity to expand your online presence and generate leads while having fun at the same time! And you know what’s even more fun than that? Using popular Christmas movies to explain how you can transform your social platforms into real winter wonderlands (and I’ve got plenty more terrible puns where that came from). So here we go:
A must-see Christmas classic (and not just for its Tyrion Lannister/Will Ferrell fight scene), Elf actually contains a great deal of insight into giving your social media platforms a holiday boost. Start by remembering what Buddy the Elf loves the most (besides Zoeey Deschanel, Christmas, and putting syrup on spaghetti): Decorating!
Remember how Buddy gave Gimbels a holiday makeover? Well, you need to deck the halls of all your social platforms (fa la la la la la la la la)! This means holiday themed cover photos, profile pictures, and even Pinterest boards. Make sure that any images that you use are in tune with this most wonderful time of the year – think of toqued-out couples drinking hot chocolate on a skating rink. Your audience will be like “I, too, wear a toque sometimes” and they will love you forever. Give your holiday homies some festive branding to connect with!
“The best way to spread holiday cheer/generate leads is singing loud for all to hear.” – Buddy the Elf
Besides causing an entire generation of children to be confused about the spelling of Santa Claus, this fantastic Tim Allen movie can also teach you a thing or two about social media marketing (despite coming out way before even MySpace existed… which is like before I can even remember). Note to self: The Land Before MySpace = terrible movie idea, but I needed to write it down. What was I talking about again?
Right. Social media marketing. The Santa Clause.
Well, if I remember correctly – and I might not – Tim Allen became Santa because he didn’t read the fine print on a legally-binding business card he found in a pair of pants (happens to the best of us). If you think that you need to pay extra attention when dealing with mysterious pants on your front lawn, you need to be even more attentive when dealing with your social media audience during the holidays.
Interacting with your followers is crucial – 80% of Facebook users that receive responses to their posts make a purchase as a direct result, so don’t leave anyone hanging! This can even give you an edge during Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales since 66% of social media users make purchases during these events as a direct result of social media interactions with brands or family members. Respond to everything and engage with your audience as much as possible!
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Just like Jack Skellington inspired Halloween Town to ruin Christmas for everyone, you need to inspire your followers to turn to you for all of their holiday needs! We all know that Jack, the Pumpkin King, grew so tired of the same old thing and your fans are no different, so give them some new and exciting gift ideas. Shoppers are heading online more than ever and a recent study even found that 64.8% of holiday consumers report using social media to find the perfect gift.
Facebook remains the most important platform for influencing gift purchasing, but Pinterest has surged ahead for inspiring gift ideas. Take full advantage of your Pinterest presence by creating holiday-specific boards with gift ideas that will lead your followers back to your brand. This means more than just pinning pictures of your products, you need to inspire a lifestyle and show your audience exactly who your products would be perfect gifts for.
Consider creating special coupon codes or a holiday contest to maximize engagement and brand awareness. Users have reported that they would be more likely to share these two types of content on their personal Facebook pages during the holidays. Start up one of these campaigns and you’ll be Making Christmas in no time!
Still curious about how you can optimize your social media campaigns for the holidays? Give us a shout! We’d love to help.
