There is no denying that during this time of year, brands embrace holiday marketing campaigns and rightfully so. It can be a great time to get creative with your branding efforts. There are a lot of traditional and even digital marketing staples you can think of that have used holiday marketing campaigns successfully. (ie. Coca-Cola and their polar bears)
So what about holiday social media campaigns? Autumn and winter provided great opportunities for your brand to create a unique voice. It should also be noted, that when executed well, a holiday campaign can leave a lasting impression.
Let’s walk through some tips for creating a unique brand voice and implementing a successful holiday social media campaigns.
Pay attention to colors
Autumn and winter bring out a change in colors across all marketing and with that comes a change in people’s perception of those colors. This can be very advantageous because your brand can easily incorporate silver, green, red or blue for the season. This also affords your brand the ability to remain unique because creativity doesn’t have to be the traditional holiday imagery. It can be reflective of your brand but color conscious to incorporate the holidays.
Partner up for a giving promotion
The holiday season is heavily associated with giving back and giving thanks. Partner with a nonprofit that shares the same values as your company. This can add dimension to your brand and help to reach new audiences. Then promote it. If both your brand and the nonprofit are pushing out the giving promotion across traditional and social media platforms the cause will reach both of your audiences. This really allows your brand to be holiday conscious while incorporating community and the unique connection your brand shares to that nonprofit.
Live video – spread good cheer
Live video continues its trajectory into many facets of marketing, and holiday social media campaigns are no different. Creating a holiday campaign around something like sharing good cheer is great for live video. Video allows brands to develop customer trust, personalize their conversation with customers and work to establish a lasting connection. This can also help your brand show their unique holiday angle. Your brand can elevate a unique message via video or it could show customers and their relationship to your brand. The connection to the holidays is there, but the creativity and distinct aspects can be defined by your brand.
Look for moments of relevance via social listening
Don’t isolate your holiday marketing campaign. There are a lot of good takeaways for your brand during the holidays. These can be discovered via social listening. When you begin to understand how people talk about your brand you can identify moment of relevance for marketing moving forward. This can be everything from tracking demographics around who is tagging your brand as an idea for a holiday gift to reviews, feedback and experiences with your brand. Depending on if your brand is a gift, an experience or something else, listening during a time of significant spending can help you brand understand its uniqueness and maintain it. It can also provide insight for future marketing campaigns.
Create a tagline and #hashtag it
Just like playing with colors during autumn and winter can incorporate holiday flavor into your marketing, playing with taglines can do the same. Maybe your brand already has a memorable tagline that can be tweaked for the holidays and maybe your brand does something unique during the holidays that is worth making a tagline for, just be sure you maintain an authentic brand voice. Once you have identified this holiday phrase, make your own holiday hashtags. It might not be the whole phrase, but enough that it keeps it unique to your brand. Then, start using it and invite followers to use it and engage with your brand. (think REI and their #OptOutside campaign.)
By implementing tips like the ones outline here, your brand is creating their own unique voice within holiday marketing campaigns. These tips are not isolated and can often work together to further your brand's voice during the holidays.
