Stats are falling all around me, not engaging isn’t fun 🎵
Spending storms such as Christmas and Black Friday are colossal events for brick-and-mortar stores whom anxiously begin preparations months ahead. Incurring a huge pressure on businesses to make sales, the Christmas period can be not so jolly for companies who fail to implement a full-proof marketing strategy across all outlets.
Is your business prepped enough online as it is offline this winter? 
A survey conducted by Statista last year, recorded the behavioural results of consumers who preferred to shop online as opposed to offline: 68% of consumers said they preferred to shop online to “avoid busy crowds”, with 62% adopting ecommerce as opposed to shopping instore to “dodge long queues” and 23% choosing to steer clear from “repetitive Christmas music in stores” – bunch of scrooges.
But with online discounts and free delivery direct to your door, Christmas shopping online is for many, the way forward.
Have you underestimated your online marketing strategy?
John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, and Coca Cola’s marketing campaigns are masterclasses in how brands can adapt their messaging to generate mass media appeal during Christmas time – last year’s John Lewis advert #MoztheMonster accumulated 10m views on YouTube alone.
Now, we’re not suggesting you direct a TV commercial, a film crew may be a little out of budget, but outsource or think outside the box. Generate pathos-invoking video content, tailored to your product and to the season of capitalism. Share it across your social platforms and upload to YouTube to target a wider net of consumers – did you know, that “YouTube is the second most trafficked site, after Google.” – Alexa
Limited budget? It is Christmas after all, but don’t neglect your online presence
We understand that sourcing digital services may not be realistic, particularly for small businesses during the build-up. However, refrain from solely relying on instore promotions. By neglecting marketing strategies online, you’re potentially losing hefty consumer conversions from webrooming and showrooming practices.
Keeping up with competitors in general can be overwhelming, but Christmas is another level. So ensure you don’t lose out to similar offerings with a flat seasonal marketing approach. Check out our top-three, affordable marketing tips that will put your brand in the race, boost your services across the net and increase sales both online and offline this winter.
1# video content
2018 has marked the explosion of video content; animated content has become an integral approach to online marketing. And, simultaneously, video-for-mobile is on the rise. With recent stats from comScore revealing “80% of social media time is spent on a mobile device” it seems that adapting graphic content to suit mobile social platforms has never been more essential.
Did you know there’s an integrated tool within Facebook for all levels of tech user to create and manipulate video content? Visit ‘Publishing Tools’, ‘Video Library’ and click ‘+Use Video Templates’ to gain access to Facebook’s Video Creation Kit. The handy feature is free, and collates images to create short, animated video ads or page posts.
This, prevents the need for costly alternatives such as outsourcing a Graphic Designer or signing up to Premiere Pro software – which would require extensive training and incur monthly usage fees.
Easily and effortlessly, design adverts to cater for mobile and social platforms, with square and vertical templates. And there’s more, embrace the joys of Christmas with seasonal themed models that tailor your brand effectively. Produce festive ads that enforce product discovery, plug multiple products at once and catch attention.
#2 Carousel sponsored ads
Similar to the above, users are favouring and engaging the most, with ads that are more interactive and entertaining as opposed to standard, static images. This enforces marketers to become more inventive with sponsored ads.
When creating page posts through ads manager, select the carousel option to execute ads innovatively. Display multiple images / videos at once that add aesthetic-value to your branding. Try splitting one image into three images for a panorama effect- using the carousel ad, run the images in chronological order so that the images flow consecutively across multiple posts.
This highlights the different features of the product using an illustrative method. The order of frames also allow businesses to visually tell a story or describe a service in an order. Additionally, brands can edit video content so that it runs seamlessly throughout joining frames – this is a particularly effective way of getting your ad / products noticed.
#3 Household targeting
Internet marketing has surpassed TV marketing as of last year and it’s not surprising when there are nifty features available to marketers such as household targeting. Similar to TV ads, a business can market the same ad to multiple members of the family who belong to the same ‘household’.
This, effectively generates conversations regarding promotional product prompts between all home residents. Netflix and Airbnb were cited as being very excited about the release of the Household Targeting option, via the prospect of advertising their family holidays and films to Mum, Dad and the kids.
Facebook forms relationships by extracting information from users such as: relationships on profiles, common last names, home locations such as ‘check in’ destinations, life events and IP addresses.
To market to a household, you will need access to consumer data that is in CSV or TXT format. Simply choose to create a ‘custom audience’ via Ads Manager, or Business Manager, and select the option ‘Customer File’. After importing your data, simply select ‘Create a household audience’. This audience can take up to 1-2 days to build.
Are you building a content plan for your business in preparation for Christmas? Let us know your thoughts on merry marketing this winter.