It's that time of year — our days are shorter, holiday parties are filling up our calendars and the office is emptying as coworkers are flying home to spend time with family. Most importantly, though, this is the time of year when consumers are looking and wanting to consume. People have more time on their hands (and more money to spend). Whether it's spending their bonus to book a vacation, buying presents for loved ones, or simply relaxing and browsing the internet for good reads, people are consuming at a much higher rate than usual.
Hate to break it to you marketers, this is not the time of year for you to check out.
A few weeks ago, we held a Twitter chat to discuss best practices for social media marketing over the holidays. How do you capture the holiday spirit in your marketing campaigns? What type of content are people more likely to engage with at this time of year?
Let's get into it.
What content are people more likely to engage with over the holidays?
A2: Stories of giving, the people behind the products/company, and all things family #SMTLive
— Robin Selvy Re (@RobinSelvy) November 27, 2018
#SMTLive A2: Warm and fuzzy candid photos - behind the scenes at work, or giving back to community.
— Lisa Sierra (@Spanishfood) November 27, 2018
People are more likely to engage with holiday content that is authentic. Engage your customers and employees - request and share their photos and videos from in-store and corporate holiday events or their meaningful holiday memories and moments. #SMTLive
— Greenfly (@greenfly) November 27, 2018
The big A comes up once again: authentic content. People want to see relatable, happy content right now. They want the candid moments, behind the scenes footage of your team and even some quality UGC.
And for those B2B brands looking for blog content ideas, just think about what you enjoy reading right now. Year recaps and 2019 trends are hot at this time of year.
A2 thinking on what I like, read, comment & share I would say top ten lists for what to get done by the end of the year and also exercise challenges starting in 2019 #SMTlive
— Bonnie Sayers (@AriesFitBonnie) November 27, 2018
How do you track the ROI of your social media holiday efforts?
A4: Identify your goals and establish clear KPIs. For instance, if one of your goals is increased website traffic, implement UTM tracking codes to tell which specific social post drove more traffic to your site. #SMTLive
— Markstein (@MarksteinCo) November 27, 2018
Q4: We track traffic campaigns with Google Analytics or a social media platforms analytics, and sales campaigns with a coupon code. #SMTLive
— Bird-in-Hand News (@BirdinHandNews) November 27, 2018
This is the same process as any other social media analytics reporting.
What are your goals? Is it brand awareness, generating leads, selling products, improved customer service, or something else? Identify your goals and figure out what KPI's you will need to track to measure success.
SMT contributor and influencer, Bob Carver put together a helpful guide for anyone having issues tracking their social media marketing performance. Check it out here: 6 Digital Marketing Analytics Questions Answered
What issues may arise at this time of year for marketers?
A5: #SMTLive I think marketers are concerned about WHEN the holiday promotional content should begin. Some people refuse to chat holidays until the week of, while others begin the day after Thanksgiving!
— Vision Advertising (@VisionRockStars) November 27, 2018
Q5: I think many marketers worry about how to make holiday campaigns as inclusive as possible for all traditions and backgrounds? #SMTLive
— Robin Selvy Re (@RobinSelvy) November 27, 2018
The truth is, you can begin sharing holiday content whenever you desire, but I suggest starting when you have some extra time to dedicate to it. So many feeds are being flooded with content right now, so you're going to need to find a way to stand out. Don't post just to post. Get creative and share your best and most uplifting content.
Put on your Santa hat and start spreading some holiday cheer on social.
Want to be a part of an #SMTLive community chat? Join us for our next Twitter chat: RSVP here.