We’ve all seen ads on our own social media channels go from Halloween Extravaganza to Winter Wonderland in the matter of a few days. It’s actually reported that one of the many things 2020 brought on was an earlier than usual holiday market. And, just as physical retail stores are planning to get the most out of their holiday sales, digital marketers are too. Facebook is already preparing for the 71% of US adults who plan to only shop online this year, by creating tools like the socially distanced Facebook Shops.
Tis’ the season to strategize your social media advertising holiday ad plans, and we’re offering 5 ways to deck the halls, and your ads, with some holiday cheer.
As a social media manager, I remind my clients everyday that we don’t need to be everywhere. The “but what about TikTok” phase still haunts me.
Choose the platforms that your target audience engages on. Looking for ways to identify where your target is? Here are the social media demographic bullet points:
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When advertising on social media, each channel has unique ad placements. On Facebook, you can place your ads on in-stream video, feed posts, stories, messenger, audience network and more. When creating an ad, most channels have it set to automatic placements. But, I like taking control of where my clients’ ads go by letting the data drive the decision. Experiment with different placements, see which ones are driving the highest ROI, and change your strategy from there. Keep in mind that when advertising on multiple placements, design the ad for the specific purpose of that placement. For instance, your ad shouldn’t look the same when being served to Instagram feed and Instagram stories.
You may be drawn to tell your consumers that “it’s cold outside, warm the spirits of your family with gifts from us”. But, it is unlikely that cliché copy will stand out from the rest of your competitor’s who are using variations of the same language. It’s okay to use holiday cheer in your copy, but don’t overdo it. As we say at Slice Communications, different is better than better.
Depending on the objective of your ads, expect your ad metrics to be a little different than usual. This is the time of the year where lots of online advertisers increase their spending and the market becomes saturated. To ensure your ad doesn’t get lost in the mix, increase your ad spending if you can, or target a very granular audience to ensure you’re reaching the people who are most likely to engage with your brand. Most importantly, test your audiences and retarget when you can. Want to learn more about how retargeting can help your holiday campaigns? Check out our work with Delaware River Water Company.
During the holiday season, people like to be reminded that we are all in this together. Update your pages with holiday related cover photos. Additionally, use holiday related graphics in your social media advertising efforts with a strategic mix of holiday content in your organic content. Creating a strategy to have your paid and organic social media efforts work together is what Slice calls surround sound strategy.
When you find yourself relating to Cindy Lou Who and her yuletide doubts just remember- your audience is out there and there are ways to find them. Not sure how? Our Back to Basics blog series can help, or contact our team to get help with your social strategy!