How to Get Your Content Marketing Campaign Holiday Ready: Social Media

This is the second post in a three-part series.

More consumers are expected to shop online this year instead of in-store. Roughly 47 percent of consumers reported online shopping as their number one choice for this holiday season, beating out in-store shopping for the first time ever, according to the Deloitte Annual Holiday Survey released earlier this month. Ready for an even better statistic? Nearly two-thirds of shoppers use social media to find the best deals on holiday gifts.

Flash Sale

So, how can you use your social media sites to get the best response this holiday season? Simple. Pretend you’re Santa. One of the main reasons people follow brands on social media is to receive exclusive deals. This is especially true around the holidays. If you really want to get their attention, offer a flash sale to your followers. Share a status with a special discount code during a high-traffic time. This serves as a thank you to followers for keeping up with your brand on social media. Once word gets out about what great deals you offer, it’s a good motivator for more people to start following you.

Holiday Countdown

Another good idea for brands on social media is to have a holiday countdown. You can go the traditional route with the 12 days of Christmas, or you can take a cue from ABC Family’s playbook and stretch it out to 25 days of Christmas. Get your countdown trending by using a special hashtag and post something special on each day, like clips from your favorite holiday movies or gift ideas. Bonus points if you can post statuses that tie in to your industry! For example, a content marketer in the hospitality industry can post a new holiday recipe each day.

Favorite Memories

One of my favorite holiday social media tips is to encourage your followers to share their favorite memories. Create a special hashtag for users to upload holiday pictures from when they were kids or tell funny stories about their best/worst holiday experience.

Contests

Perhaps the most popular use for social media during the holidays is contests. Challenge your followers to create a video talking about their favorite part of the holidays or singing their favorite holiday songs. Award prizes in categories such as most creative, most festive and best story. Like with the countdown posts, try to find a way to tie the contest into your business. Content marketers in the craft/DIY industry can challenge their followers to create and upload a photo of a tacky Christmas sweater.

Whatever you choose, just remember to keep it fun. Check back Tuesday to learn how to adapt your mobile strategy this holiday season.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/get-content-marketing-campaign-holiday-ready-social-media-0705122?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-content-marketing-campaign-holiday-ready-social-media