Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tis the season: Use the holidays to give your social media presence a boost!

It's the most, wonderful time of the year! The holidays are coming up quickly, and these next few weeks are the perfect time to get that extra boost online presence for your business. Social media is an ever changing and constantly updating ways to interact with your customers and fans. Get into the holiday spirit by following these tips on how to use social  for the holiday season!

1. Show your holiday spirit!
This time of year is a great excuse to change up the look of your Facebook and Twitter pages! Update your cover photo to include a message of Seasons Greetings or Happy Holidays to remind your followers that you are in the holiday mood as much as they are! 
This cover photo is from the Sephora Facebook page. It is a clever way to promote the holiday season, without even using words! The caption on the photo is "This season, everything is a gift and everyone is gift-worthy. We invite you to get in the spirit." This can be done the same way on your Twitter page; post a cover photo and tweet it out to your followers.

2. Seasonal statuses and tweets keep the fun going!
Now that your page is decked out in your new holiday pictures, take the opportunity to create seasonal content! If you have a Fun Fact Friday, make your content relatable to your company and throw in some holiday knowledge along with it! This keeps your followers and fans learning about new things, while also giving it a fun holiday twist.  

Another way to get a conversation starting on social media is by using action words like "post, comment, like or tell us" in your Facebook statuses and tweets. These words have been proven to increase status engagement. Combine these words or phrases with relevant topics about the holidays create fun seasonal statuses! Look at this example on the DSW Facebook page; they combine the holiday shopping season with action words to create engagement with their fans.

3. Win those holiday gifts with Pinterest
Pinterest is a great social media tool, especially when you're promoting your own products! Having pinning contests amongst your followers for a special gift is a great way to get your company more coverage and promotions across the Pinterest website, as well as help your company gain new followers.
This is a current Pinterest giveaway contest being put on by the jewelry company Alex and Ani. This engages your followers and allows them to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit (and who doesn't like to win?). Contests like these can also be done on Facebook and Twitter pages. For example, "The 100th like on this photo wins free shipping!" or "If we reach 100 retweets, we will make all of our merchandise 20% for the rest of the weekend!" Especially around the holidays, everyone is looking for the best deal on their holiday shopping. If your business can incorporate this in with their social media presence, both the company and your customers win!

What kinds of ideas have you done in the past with your social media around the holidays?  Have any more tips and tricks? Let us know and post in the comments below! Happy holidays everyone!


Written by Lauren Cafarell from Rebecca Adele PR and Events.