Christmas trees, gifts, and... campaigns! The holidays are the perfect time to ramp up your social media strategy. Whether it's Black Friday or the busy December month, it's crucial to develop a strategy that makes you stand out in the crowd. But which channels do you use, and how do you get the most out of them? In this blog, we share insights on various social media platforms and relevant trends for the holidays to make your campaigns a success.
Time to Take Action
No less than 65% of consumers start buying gifts for the holidays 1 to 4 months in advance. This means holiday preparations are already in full swing. Moreover, research shows that 61% of holiday shoppers make unplanned purchases during sale days. This offers companies an excellent opportunity to capitalize on spontaneous purchases through effective holiday promotions.
The First Step of Your Strategy
Pinterest is a platform where people find inspiration and come up with ideas. Inspiration is also found for holiday gifts. As seen in the graph, Pinterest searches lead the way over leading search engine queries. This indicates that Pinterest can be an interesting platform to make the first connection with potential customers. In this way, Pinterest can be a valuable addition to your Black Friday or holiday strategy.
Buying Behavior and the Right Tools
Consumer buying behavior via META is well represented in the graph below. It shows that the conversion rate increases towards Black Friday and the holidays, and that the cost per purchase is relatively low from November to mid-December. Furthermore, you see an increase in the cost per 1000 impressions (CPM) towards the holidays, with a peak during the Black Friday period. This indicates that there is more competition, making a well-thought-out strategy crucial to distinguish your company. Due to the higher CPM, it's also extra important that your budget is used even more effectively. A strong strategy is therefore essential to get the most out of your advertising spend.
Additionally, using the right tools can not only further stimulate consumer buying behavior but also help you stand out from competitors during this busy period. By using smart tools, you optimize your budget, improve campaign efficiency, and increase the chances of success, even in a competitive market. An example of this is the live countdown feature, which allows both the ad visuals and texts to count down to the end of a promotion. This way, the ads remain current and relevant.
Also Think About Your Organic Strategy
A strong organic TikTok strategy can be essential to stand out during the holidays. It's not just about paid ads; by consistently sharing valuable content, you build a community that is engaged with your brand. This can enhance the success of your overall strategy. Users who watch creator videos, for example, are 60% more likely to follow your brand account. Additionally, interaction with hashtags ensures that users click on links from your ads 50% faster. For live streams, users are 70% more likely to click on an ad after interaction. A well-thought-out organic TikTok strategy thus lays a strong foundation for both organic reach and higher conversions during the holidays.
The Role of Snapchat During the Holidays
Snapchat offers opportunities to boost brand interaction and purchases, especially during the holidays, although it may not be equally interesting for every company. The majority of users (38.1%) are between 18 and 24 years old, which means Snapchat is ideal for companies looking to target this younger audience. The platform plays a key role during the holidays by occupying the number 1 spot where users share what they've bought. This makes Snapchat perfect for promoting holiday campaigns. Moreover, Snapchat users are 45% more likely to recommend brands to friends, offering a great opportunity to increase brand awareness. They are also twice as likely to post about gifts they've received, making Snapchat a powerful channel for stimulating word-of-mouth and strengthening your holiday campaign.
Conclusion
The holidays offer a unique opportunity to make your brand stand out, but the competition is fierce. To effectively position your brand, it's crucial to deploy a well-thought-out strategy for both organic and paid social media. Choosing the right platforms and leveraging targeted tools can help you stimulate buying behavior and differentiate your brand from the competition during this busy period. By making smart use of these opportunities, you can elevate your holiday campaigns to a higher level and achieve maximum impact.
Download our Holiday Playbook for even more trends and insights on various social media channels and a checklist for optimal advertising towards the holidays.
Download Holiday Playbook 9 MB
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