Does Your Christmas Marketing Suck?
In this guest post, the CEO at franchise marketing platform Digital Stack, Peter Harris, says Christmas is the time to get your marketing right, but wonders why so many go the other way…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for the worst kind of marketing. Is your brand guilty of producing crappy Christmas content?
Around the middle of December something happens to businesses that inspires them to create the worst, run of the mill content of the year. From ‘how to’ Christmas content, to New Year resolution blog posts, the holiday season spawns content that is probably doing more damage than good for your brand.
Christmas cards aren’t cool anymore, so you’ll probably post a token ‘Merry Christmas’ message on your business page on Christmas Eve… like you did last year. If you’re lucky, you might even get a few likes on Instagram.
Rather than the obligatory season’s greetings, use this opportunity to create content that actually drives some outcomes for you business.
A good Christmas shout-out with a bit of personality does more than spread festive season cheer. It shows customers that you’re passionate, you care, and your customers are the most important part of your business- the kind of message that strikes a chord.
So let’s get to it. Here’s how to sleigh your Christmas ‘thank you’ post and get serious engagement:
Candy Canes are out, eye-candy is in
We all know social media is a visual medium, but don’t clog channels with boring seasonal content that lacks meaning. Post personal photos people resonate with. Familiar faces of staff, customers and your community will always get more engagement and drive brand personality over a stock image.
Video is even more effective, so don’t be afraid to turn on the webcam and pour your heart out. Video is prioritised by Facebook and Instagram in followers’ feeds because it gets better engagement, period. In fact, when our clients post native video content to Facebook via the Digital Stack platform, the average post has 2.7 times the organic reach of other static posts.
Most importantly, make sure you’re using high quality images and video. Nobody wants to look at pixelated shots or videos that were probably filmed using a potato.
Send a Santa-mental message
Impersonal, corporate ‘Merry Christmas’ messages are the worst.
“Happy holidays and best wishes from the finance department.” Cringe.
Remind your customers that you are a business run by humans. Even if you’re a big global brand, it pays to be open, friendly and even a bit vulnerable.
In the body of your message, reflect on the year and mention a few highlights and maybe a challenge or two. Consider writing about a moment that validated why you do what you do. Perhaps your business made a massive difference to someone’s life…or just lit up their day. It could be something as simple as hitting a milestone or remembering a team bonding moment.
It’s a great opportunity to show the world the passion you have for your business and the pride you take in making customers happy. It won’t go unnoticed!
Share a jolly tale
There’s never a bad time to share a laugh, but it’s even more appropriate in a Christmas post. Spread some festive cheer by sharing a funny anecdote from the year gone by. It could be related to a hardship you had to endure (personally or as a business), a staff or customer nickname, or maybe a crazy customer experience.
Often staff and customers bond over shared hardships and inconveniences that, over time and a few glasses of eggnog, can be seen in a funny light.
Maybe it was a renovation that dragged on way too long, or that time you got stuck in the elevator with Susan from accounting. Perhaps you laugh about the freak flood that shut you down for a few days, or the time Gary cooked eggs in the microwave. You get the idea…
Nobody likes a Grinch
Usually you wouldn’t ‘sign off’ a social post, but you can make an exception here and show a bit of Christmas spirit.
A witty, personal message that resonates with your customers is better than a stock standard “Merry Christmas”. For example if you’re in the retail space, try something like
“May your gifts be many, and your returns be few. Have a stress free holiday season, from Andy, Bec and Eric”
This post is essentially your Christmas card to your followers so the aim is to create a personal message your audience will feel compelled to reply to.
It’s the perfect way to end an meaningful post that gets real engagement (and spend the money you saved on greeting cards on the Christmas party bar tab).
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