Christmas is fast approaching, and for small a business that signals the start of their busiest trading period of the year. It also means that it is time to plan their seasonal marketing campaigns, and nearly 65% of shoppers use social media to find a gift for a loved one, a festive social media strategy could be key to a bumper festive season. The key to any effective marketing strategy is to be clear about the business objectives.
It is crucial for businesses to monitor their social media activity closely over this period. However, choosing the right channels is also important. For B2C businesses, Facebook is a good platform for running a festive marketing campaign. Another top site is Twitter, which is often used for the reviewing of products in the lead up to Christmas. Many consumers use Twitter to help with purchasing products and reviews.
However, image-based platforms are growing in popularity and during the festive period, customers will be using these platforms to gain new ideas and inspiration. Creating boards on Pinterest or uploading product images on to Instagram are great ways to engage with modern, image-centric consumers. And during the festive period when decorations are a common sight and gifts are beautifully presented, you can encourage your network to share their photos with your small business through social media channels.
Facebook and Twitter’s ad exchanges are another way for SMEs to engage new and prospective customers at Christmas by deploying retargeted ads on these social media channels. Timing is everything in social media, and there is a wealth of information available online about social media site trends and optimum interaction opportunities.
It is also worth remembering how big a role social media plays in customer service, which comes under increasing pressure during the busy Christmas period, when customers tend to have a higher than usual number of questions, requests and issues. This is where using a social media management platform is beneficial as it allows community managers to view interactions, engagement and conversation in one place. Not only will you need to keep an eye on engagement and interactions between followers and your page, you’ll also need to ensure that your employees are sufficiently trained and confident to respond and engage with any posts or questions submitted via social media.
Have a great day, and happy social media planning strategy!
Buzzoole Team
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