“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”
– Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Christmas is a time of laughter, love, and most of all, listening… Well, at least that should be the case for your Social Media marketing. Don’t get us wrong – that doesn’t mean you should shy away from posting. On the contrary your yuletide campaigns need to be even more fun and engaging than the rest of the year; they need to offer something truly special to stand out from the crowd. But to do that you need to listen to your audience…
At Christmastime our Social Networks become fabulously saturated with glitter and noise. Not to ruin anybody’s dreams but that has nothing to do with the Magic of Christmas (not that we are debating the existence of that – we all know that is most definitely a thing). What we witness every year around this time is brands making use of real-life trends in the digital world. Many are incredibly successful, others not so, some don’t even bother.
Out of those three, we’re guessing that you want to be incredibly successful, right?
“But wait – It’s December – surely it’s too late to work on a Christmas Campaign?!”
May I remind you of a certain red nosed reindeer? He was solitary and let’s be honest, not great in social situations – but he stayed true to himself, and do you know what happened!? BOOM. He got the biggest lead of his life – guiding Santa’s sleigh.
Ok, so that sort of thing may be unlikely to happen to you, but the point still stands. You can still take advantage of Christmas for Social Media.
Around late November/early December human beings undergo a mystical transformation from perfectly normal, everyday people to festive fanatics. This metamorphosis from reasonably minded and calm to irrational and excitable is an inexplicable phenomenon that baffles even the finest scientific minds. It affects us all to one extent or another. One can only guess it has something to do with the fact that SANTA IS COMING TO TOWN SOON!. Whatever it is – it’s the perfect opportunity to have fun and get engagement. Keep in mind the wise words of Charles Dickens that we quoted at the beginning of this article and your posts will be contagious.
If you are going for festive gold and putting everything into your Christmas Social Media, there are a few things you keep in mind…
Christmas people really don’t care about business updates and testimonials
When it gets towards the big day people are looking for fun and value. If you can offer them both, you are onto a winner. But make sure you don’t saturate people’s feeds with updates about how great your business is doing. This will most definitely turn them off and could do you more harm than good. It’s the season of giving after all – so look to help people, not bombard them with information, as that will only frustrate them.
Christmas people care about style and substance
Whereas throughout the rest of the year you can, to an extent, allow your content to be driven by either style or substance such as creative content or discount offers, Christmas content needs to be both to stand out. Give your all to your Christmas content and it will pay.
Christmas people are busy
Perhaps most importantly, remember just how much festive folk have got going on. Your Social Media needs to be digestible and incredibly engaging. Social Networks are covered in gold and glitter and people hardly have the time to see anything. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that means you have to work extra hard.
Now that is sorted, here are some top tips to help you on your merry way…
Deck your Social halls
Everyone decorates their home, office, car, pets even, yet too few companies decorate their social space! Spending a little time editing your logo to make it festive is a great idea – it’s as easy as clipping a Santa hat on the edge. Your cover photo is the first thing that users see when they land on your page as well – so make sure that this is festive and highlights any offers you are running.
Ho Ho Hashtag
Think about using a festive hashtag across each social network you use to help with continuity and promote a conversation. Remember to include this in your graphics as well – graphics are far more easily digested than great blobs of text.
Roast some discount chestnuts
As we mentioned earlier, to get engagement and really ride up those metrics you need to offer substance as well as style. Offering a discount to your Social followers will certainly help boost inward traffic to your website and ultimately increase sales. People naturally spend money at Christmas – so help them direct that money in the right place.
Everybody plays games at Christmas
Christmas competitions are extra special as they are fun – and people love fun at Christmas. Competitions are a great way of getting user-generated content and increasing your brand’s reach.
Inject some holiday magic into your posts and get people talking
It’s so important to let your brand be filled with the Christmas spirit. Start discussions! You could ask people to get nostalgic and share childhood memories, or ask them for their best (worst) cracker jokes. Food is a big part of it all – ask for family recipes and get people sharing their favourite choices for a Christmas day spread. December is the perfect time to remember that Social Media is a telephone – not a megaphone.
Even if you are a Scrooge at heart, it’s impossible to ignore the potential for impact that the season can have on your marketing. Don’t let yourself be snowed in – and have a very Merry Christmas!
