Here are our top 10 tips to ramping up your Christmas marketing.
1.Target those last-minute shoppers. Haven’t started your Christmas promotions yet? Rest assured may customers haven’t given Christmas shopping a second thought. Use this to your advantage! Target this audience group with messaging and imagery, make life easier by providing solutions to common Christmas shopping troubles (e.g. “Christmas gifts for your mum/nephew sorted!”) and use promotions such as free express delivery to help lighten the load.
2.Think GLOBAL. Did you know that nearly 210 million people are connected to a business in Australia on Facebook? Consider leveraging Facebook’s multi-country and multi-city targeting tools and dynamic-language tools, to build new customers.
3.It’s all about you. Any large retailer entering Australia may impact your competitor set, but it’s important to remember what’s unique and exciting about your brand and promote it accordingly. Be smarter about who you’re targeting and how. Constantly test and evolve your approach – run A/B tests of static ads vs. a more immersive video format) to make sure that your promotions are effective.
4.Use your budget wisely. One of the most cost-effective ways to advertise during the peak holiday season is focusing on people who are already familiar with your brand to drive them to purchase in store, online or in your mobile app. Use your existing subscriber lists and social media platforms to connect with these audiences.
5.Get even more creative! You’ll already know how hard it can be to cut through the clutter and the Christmas rush doesn’t make this any easier. There are so many creative tools available to take a simple product and make it pop. Plus, with creative apps like Instagram’s Hyperlapse and Boomerang, great natural light, a simple tripod, and backdrops that contextualise your product or service, you can turn any space into your creative studio.
6.It’s obvious… but get on mobile. Last year was the first time we’d ever seen more products sold on Facebook on mobile vs. desktop (53 per cent). And it’s not just us – research shows that we’re entering a new era of mobile-first shoppers, whether it’s researching and deciding on a product to buy in-store, or buying directly from mobile. This year 51 per cent of people expect to complete a majority of their holiday purchases on a mobile device. Ensure that your websites are compatible on mobile and that you’re using social-media platforms to target and engage customers.
7.Don’t forget about your in-store customers. We know that mobile is where people are, and that advertising on mobile drives purchases online, but purchases will still happen in-store. We also know that purchases in-store have been influenced by mobile advertising. On Facebook, you can use the ad formats (Store Visits) that have been created specifically for these potential customers, to advertise the store nearest to their physical locations.
8.Why not tell your story with video? Video is becoming a key marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. Based on our research, most people scroll through their Facebook or Instagram feeds on-the-go and as a result, videos are often viewed without sound. Because of this, try to incorporate captions, logos and products, so your message comes across clearly without sound. Instagram tools like Hyperlapse, Rewind and Boomerang can also help you to create impressive videos.
9.Stuck for stories? Leverage your customers! Thinking about what kind of content will engage your audience can be tricky, but if you have existing brand advocates there is no better time than the holiday period to tell their stories. Has someone had a great experience with your brand or used your product in a creative way? Share their stories and invite your broader community to do the same.
10.It’s not all over after 25th December! After Christmas is an excellent time to deepen your relationship with the customers you worked so hard to acquire during the holiday season and convert them to repeat buyers with the right demand generation and cross-sell programs. Re-target customers who bought before Christmas with an offer, promotion or sale to move excess stock in January.
Kaylie Smith, Head of SMB for Australia and New Zealand, Facebook
