The Christmas and the festive season is the time when most brands swing into action and unleash a marketing blitz to grab customer attention and a slice of the festive spends. As a small business owner with limited budgets, it can be very easy to be dejected because it would seem that there is very little chance to compete with the big businesses. However, it can be a better strategy to learn from the tactics that the big businesses adopt rather than copy them and structure your own social media marketing campaign in such a way that it has a better chance of success.
Get an Emotional Connect
As Digital Storey's founder, Ben Storey points out you need to study the values on which the marketing campaigns of the big players are based on. If you discover them to be emotive or linked with a social cause or a deserving charity, you can also make your small business similarly aligned and make your marketing campaign on the social media thought-provoking. The run-up to the festive season invariably sees a heightening of emotions among people and thus you should attempt to drive action by tapping into these emotions. If your consumers feel connected to your brand it becomes easier to persuade them.
As much as it is necessary to tweak campaigns to suit conventional mass media, it is also important to adjust the marketing campaign depending upon the social media platform which is being employed. For example, Instagram followers may want a piece of the inside action, while Facebook followers may ask questions and Twitter fans may be more inclined to post content. According to the Iconosquare CEO, Romain Ouzeau, Instagram permits customer engagement that is impossible on other social media platforms. Brands on Instagram can share posts, videos, and images in a bid to engage customers. Travel and tourism brands, for example, can ask their Instagram followers to share images of Christmas celebrations in various countries, while apparel brands can encourage their followers to dress up in their festive outfits and share the pictures online. Providers of SEO services can also be approached for ideas on how to make your brand resonate more with customers.
Focus On Customer Retention after the Festive Season
While undoubtedly getting new customers during the festive season is important for brands, businesses should also focus their social media marketing campaigns to build customer loyalty in such a manner that Christmas customers keep on transacting with them long after the holiday season is over. Businesses can undertake a lot of very simple things like organizing contests, using festive hashtags or using profile graphics that are festive-themed to keep customers engaged. While social media interaction can always be automated, it is better if your social media campaign is coordinated by a human being during the festive season for a more superior level of engagement. After the end of the festive period, the momentum should be carried over with regular posts and conversations of interesting happenings around your brand.
Still Not Too Late To Kick Off a Festive Marketing Campaign
To prompt people into taking action think about creating time-sensitive or limited period offers. You can create a little bit of excitement by making such offers even on products that are not normally discounted during the festive season but are in good demand. Use as many social media platforms as possible to showcase your products and services and the benefits they bring to the table. You can get more traction by making the products relevant to the Christmas and festive season on which you can add on a time-sensitive offer.
Other smart ways include running a social media poll that can get people thinking and make participation fun. By linking topical events with your brand, you can create memorable engagements that will be associated with your brand. Also, think about using hashtags to create a special appeal with your target audience.
Conclusion
Using social media strategically can get small businesses the customer engagement that they desire without having to spend big money chasing the big businesses and trying to beat them at their game.
Author bio: John Martins works for a leading SEO services agency. John has advised a number of small businesses how to tweak their social media presence to attract more customers during the holiday season.
