The holiday season is a great time for marketers – and not just because of all the eggnog! During the holidays, everyone is out for a great deal, meaning potential buyers are more likely to consume marketing messages and provide valuable information about their needs and buying habits.
Social media is an excellent place to connect with holiday buyers, both B2B and B2C. Here are a few ways you can ensure your social media presence doesn’t become a scrooge for anyone who follows you.
- Don’t force yourself into the conversation
One of the worst things you can do is try to insert your brand where it doesn’t belong. If you can’t think of a way to respectfully incorporate your company and its offerings into a holiday, don’t try. You might end up with something like Betabrand’s 2013 Santa ads based on Jabba the Hutt. It wasn’t pretty. Try to find ways to tie your offering into what people normally do during the holidays, like traveling or spending time with family.
- Stay positive
Not every ad or piece of marketing content you publish has to always be positive; a well-done blog post or infographic showing how your offering is superior to a competitor’s can help you build authority and win customers. But the holiday season isn’t the time to attack or bring down other businesses. Most people like to use the holidays as a time to reflect on positive things and help others – you should do the same with your social media presence.
- Give back
Another well-known tenet of the holiday season is giving back. It’s a time of year when many people donate time and/or money to charity efforts like food drives and soup kitchens.
You can also use your social media presence to give back to fans and followers. Besides promoting holiday-specific offers (more on that below), you can simply spread cheer by wishing people who follow and interact with your page a happy holiday season. You’d be surprised how much of an impact you can have with a few kind words.
- Suggest seasonal offers
Almost every type of business runs some kind of seasonal special, from retailers to property management companies. Even if you have a more complex offering related to business services, you could consider offering a free trial or assessment that could be a powerful lead generating tool for your primary service. Besides social media, don’t forget to also promote these kinds of deals on your newsletter and blog.
Focus on helping
The most important concept to keep in mind for using social media successfully during the holidays is to try to add value. While the holidays are supposed to be a peaceful time of giving and togetherness, they can also be stressful. If you use your social media presence the right way, you can help people better enjoy the season while winning new followers and potential customers.
