Did you wake up on January 1st 2020 and think, gosh my SME’s identity doesn’t really reflect the kind of company I run now? Have your products evolved or services changed? Maybe your company has radically changed and it may be time to evaluate its brand and relevance in the commercial landscape. If that sounds like you, then fear not. This week’s blog will help you decide if it is time to rebrand and how to kickstart the process.
1. Add Festive Cheer
Let’s face it, all your competitors will be making their social media profiles sparkle. Why? Because for many of them holiday commercial success depends upon it. Whether they visit or view your posts due to sheer festivity or to check out seasonal online offers, your social media will engage with profile photos, cover images, and a selection of informative and even playful content. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and indeed your website should be adorned with bells, baubles, spindles, presents, and glittered marketing collateral for header and footer visuals.
2. Christmas Competitions
People tend to feel lucky around Christmas. If you have some financial resources to spare, create a contest for a voucher, a hamper, or a set of tickets. Ask your followers to comment on and share your posts for maximum distribution effect. Facebook is a great place for competitions, and you could even sponsor the content to target a region, locality, or a specific demographic. What about having a competition for punters to win your products or a client’s product or service? The possibilities are endless, and the brand return in engagement is guaranteed to outweigh the costs.
3. Special Christmas Offers
Research tells us that online shopping will continue right up to Christmas Eve. Reach out to shoppers by sharing posts on gifting ideas that include calls-to-action to purchase your products or services at the most competitive prices. Perhaps offer free delivery or a free gift to match each offer purchase. It’s a win-win situation. You will gain valuable traffic and generate sales too.
4. Countdowns
Countdowns are an iconic social media marketing tool. They attract people day-after-day, and some may keep coming back to your profile to view each nugget. Try uploading a different image or video each day of the countdown and catch the attention of your followers. Doing a 12-Days of Christmas is a classic. Schedule with Hootsuite or Meet Edgar for the entire season if you have those kinds of resources. How about even merging a competition for your products of increasing expense for the 12-Days? It’s sure to be a winner, not to mention prompting adjacent sales and brand engagement.
5. Christmas Quizzes
Online quizzes are always a holiday season gem. You can ask questions about Christmas and reward those with the most correct answers. Quizzes for hampers, vouchers, or sheer intellectual reward, can be a real engagement buzz. Keep in mind that the questions should be quite easy. The overall goal of the quizzes are to create teasers for which the side effect is brand engagement and sales. It’s not really a test of the knowledge of your followers…
6. Opinion Polls
Asking followers for their opinion about a subject will always boost interaction on your social media platforms. You can post polls on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Again, ask simple questions related to Christmas and ask your followers to vote. Why not involve them in the social media plan, and ask them what they want your brand to do on social media during the holidays and give them the credit! This is an ideal way to ask your prospective customers what they want, and investing in your brand will strengthen their path to purchase.
7. Make Lists
Lists! Everyone is making some lists in the run up to the Christmas holidays – things to do, gifts to buy, or New Year’s resolutions. If you’re a beautician, tell people about the Top 10 Products that came onto the market this year. If you’re a travel agent, make a list of the most trendy places people are booking.
One of the best ways of promoting your products on social media is by posting a list of Christmas ideas or Hints & Tips. Customers like these sorts of posts, especially if they are really helpful or a time-saver. Crucially, keep your tips short – not many people have enough time to read long posts.
8. Gift Ideas
Reach out to prospective shoppers by writing posts on gifting ideas, and of course include your products in the list. Shoppers continuously look for gift ideas for the Christmas holiday, and many of them turn to social media for ideas and added value. This strategy can prompt valuable traffic and generate sales too.
9. Influencer Collaborations
Social media posts involving key influencers in a market are the equivalent to liquid gold. Why not partner with influencers and create content related to Christmas with them? Create videos with them talking about their Christmas plans while promoting your products. Even better still, let them take over your account for a day and post content to generate engagement. Alternatively, ask them to create posts that weave your products into them. This can get you significant engagement, brand oomph and sales!
10. Holiday Videos
Finally, holiday-themed videos of any kind usually get the thumbs up from most viewers, even if happenstance. Christmas prize-giving at the office, Christmas messages from the team… You name it, and it will usually incite engagement and good will. Indeed, the more spontaneous the better. Our clients and followers love to see us in our natural habitats!
And that’s all folks. With just two weeks to the holidays, you should have plenty of time to schedule something, whether homemade or professionally choreographed. If you haven’t started planning your social media calendar, it’s not too late!
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