‘Tis the Season to Get Social

6 Ways To Capture Customers’ Attention This Holiday Season

 

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The winter holidays may feel far away, but consumers have already started their holiday shopping and planning. To help with holiday gift, decorating and entertaining ideas, 55% turn to social media for inspiration¹ —making social the perfect way to capture prospective customers’ attention. Follow these tips for a holiday social media marketing campaign that will make your season merry and bright.

 

1. Choose the right social networks. Facebook is the best place to start, but don’t stop there. A whopping 93% of active users of Pinterest use the site to plan purchases, and 87% have made a purchase because of Pinterest². Meanwhile, Millennials are 3.19 times more likely than other age groups to visit Instagram for holiday ideas³. And while most people don’t check Twitter for gift ideas, it’s a great place to promote limited-time offers (“Hurry in for Holiday Happy Hour: 30% off all gift sets 4-6pm today!”).

 

2. Think visual. Videos, photos and other images get the most attention on social media—especially during the holidays. In fact, 75% of Facebook users say they’re more likely to engage with product photos than with any other type of content⁴. Share photos of your store’s hottest gift items, before-and-after shots of your hair salon customers primping for parties, or delicious dishes from your restaurant. Consumers share 49% more videos on social media at the holidays than at other times of year⁵, so post videos of employees decking the halls (of your business) or showing off popular presents.

 

3. Be helpful. Useful content is more likely to be shared, so help customers out! A catering business could post “10 Hacks for Hosting Thanksgiving.” A home alarm company could share “5 Secrets to Protect Your Home from Burglars at the Holidays.” A boutique could post how-to videos demonstrating creative gift-wrap ideas, or create Pinterest boards with different gift ideas—last-minute gifts, gifts under $20, teacher gifts, hostess gifts, children’s gifts, etc.

 

4. Hold a contest. People love to share contests on social media, and they’re a great way for businesses not directly holiday-related—like dentists or real estate agents—to get in on the holiday spirit. Ask people to like, comment, retweet, share or post a picture to enter the contest. (Follow each social media site’s contest and promotion rules.) Create a unique hashtag to help you track entries. Choose a winner at random, or base it on number of votes—as people urge friends to vote for them, you’ll boost awareness. Why not hold a contest for the ugliest holiday sweater, sweetest holiday tradition or funniest photo with Santa? 

 

5. Tap into nostalgia. Social media posts that spark emotion get customers talking. Start a conversation by asking people to share their best or worst holiday memory, favorite holiday recipe or most memorable Christmas gift. Tie it into social media themes. On Thursdays, ask customers to share their #TBT Santa photos; on Sundays, ask for #sundayfunday holiday party photos.

 

6. Do a countdown. Whether it’s the 12 days of Christmas, 20 shopping days left until Christmas or an Advent calendar, holiday countdowns get customers to interact with you on social media over and over. Promote a Deal of the Day or hold a sweepstakes with a new winner every day.

 

Celebrate on social media this holiday season, and you’ll win new followers—and customers—you can keep long after the New Year begins.

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