11 Social Marketing Tips for the Holidays
Once Halloween wraps up the holiday season officially begins. Retailers’ brick-and-mortar stores and merchandising efforts reflect all that's merry and bright. There are many ways to ensure your online social presence sings a similar tune. But when it comes to social media, what's naughty and what's nice? Follow this list of 12 holiday dos and don'ts for social marketing success (and of course, check it twice).
What's Nice
1. Up the customer service. Now more than ever, Facebook and Twitter are consumers’ go-to platforms for customer service-related inquiries. Consumers are increasingly skipping the phone lines in favor of asking their questions/venting their frustrations in a public setting, thus eliciting a public and often speedy response. If you haven't already, develop a customer service protocol for your social media managers. They must know the answers to frequently asked questions or where to go to get the correct answer if they're unsure.
2. Get a makeover. Make it obvious that you're staying current by updating the look and feel of your social media pages. Liven up your Twitter page's background or swap out your Facebook photo for something more festive.
3. Offer something tangible. Keep up with the fierce competition this time of year by doling out digital gifts and rewards. This can mean printable coupons, special online sales, check-in specials on foursquare, or other promotions such as holiday-themed contests and giveaways.
4. Offer advice. One of the biggest challenges for holiday shoppers is what to get everyone on their list. Now is your chance to highlight which of your products would make great gifts and for whom. Publish this content anywhere you can — on your pages, in your streams, on your blog, right down to the comments sections of online gift guides and articles.
5. Link up. One of the neatest things about social media is how viral it is, and the holidays are the perfect time to provide spreadable content. Include links in your messages that directs users back to your website, to review pages that mention your products (e.g., yelp.com, insiderpages.com, citysearch.com), to specific Facebook tabs you've designed for the holidays and anywhere else you want your customers going.
What's Naughty
6. Don't be a Scrooge and dismiss the holidays altogether. A huge social snafu this season is to continue on robot mode — i.e., changing nothing about your streams and avoiding Christmas, Hanukkah and so on. When prospects visit your pages, they should see that you're staying fresh. This is also a great example of why a real, live conversation manager at the helm is essential to a functioning community.
7. Don't separate social and traditional marketing. 'Tis the season for togetherness, after all. On direct mailings, TV ads and other traditional marketing assets, mention where consumers can find you online.
8. Don't ignore the rules. It's tempting to run a simple contest right on your Facebook wall. But did you know that's actually against Facebook policy? Guideline No. 1 states: "Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or an app on a Page Tab." Don't risk your page's dignity by trying to fly under the radar.
9. Don't forget to give back. To spread brand good will, team up with a charitable effort or good cause to show your fans why your company is worth their money. For example, donate a certain amount of money for every 500 "Likes" you get on Facebook or send messages that spread awareness of a cause that's important to you.
10. Don't forget the trumpet players. These are the mommy bloggers, the gift guide editors, the voices heard round the world that deliver information on where to find deals, specials, discounts and great ideas. Seed your messaging to them all by posting on their Facebook pages, tweeting to them, writing to them, sending smoke signals — whatever works!
11. Don't skip the conversation. As a retailer and a shopper, you know how overbearing ads and marketing speak can get throughout the holidays. Don't flood your customers’ inboxes and news feeds with only sale information; remember to interact. Engage your fans by asking questions, responding to their questions, retweeting, polling and more. In other words, have fun!
Got anything more to add to this list? Leave your comments below.
Melissa Fiorenza is a conversation manager at Media Logic, an agency specializing in marketing for a social world. Melissa can be reached at mfiorenza@mlinc.com.
