As we get closer to the holiday season, many people find reasons to start fresh again — out with the old and in with the new. It’s the perfect time to plan upcoming content with a fresh strategy. As consumers get ready to prepare for the cooler months so should marketers. Whether you’re offering special deals for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday, you can plan ahead to promote all of these exciting sales events with your retailers in mind by getting started early in the fall.
Depending on what your business has to offer, you can put your own twist on the holidays while still honoring the meanings celebrated by your audience. Along with your promotional marketing, share what your brand is doing to celebrate in the form of inspirational content. Show them the values and vision behind your products to form a more authentic emotional connection.
In this example, REI closed its doors for Black Friday and invited visitors to #OptOutside instead of going on an online shopping spree during Cyber weekend. This campaign is successful because it’s built on their long-standing brand value, “a life outdoors is a life well-lived!
With excitement and anticipation building for an upcoming holiday sales event, you’ll want to treat that day like your deadline and plan your content from that day in reverse. Remember to follow the 80/20 rule and create inspirational and educational content to support the holiday you have in mind and consider what themes and lifestyle activities your customers will be considering surrounding the holiday.
Give yourself plenty of time so you’ll have a buffer for any review and approval processes. Next, take a closer look at your retailer network to be sure you’re making the most of your targeting efforts for the most relevant content possible. Remember, the more relevant the content is to the retailer the more engagement you’ll get on a consumer level.
Consistency is key.
With the age of algorithm, you will want to create an upload
schedule that is consistent and follows the 80/20 rule! Be sure to offer automated posts for your retailers so they can easily have content going out while they are on the front lines selling through the busy season. (Our Auto-Share feature can help with this!) And schedule communications to get your retailers excited about all the great campaigns you’ve created for them to share. That way there will be a steady flow of content reaching your audience.
Maximize your busy season by offering special add ons and upsells.
Run exclusive deals and add on deals for shopping in-store and amplify your local reach with Promoboxx Paid Ads. With detailed targeting, optimization goals, and ad types available, Promoboxx Paid Ads co-branded with your retailers reach your consumers where they live, work and shop. All with ZERO ad fees.
Hosting events and creating campaigns that prompt User Generated Content.
Equip your stores with some cool selfie-worthy signage or create a contest that encourages customers to snap photos in your stores. UGC is a great opportunity to get your customers to do your marketing for you. Be sure to interact with what your customers are already sharing and show your customers that you’re listening by interacting with them in the comments and re-sharing their posts!
Remember that Authenticity is IN.
Many of your followers will be curious about the day to day, behind the scenes or the systems and processes you use, especially if it features the local stores they are shopping in. Social media is a great way to share that deeper information about your brand identity and the retailers you partner with. Create branded templates that help your retailers share more of their in-store experiences. Consider using photos to showcase what it’s like to be you and do what you do. Or better yet, do a short video.
Embrace the trends!
If something popular or viral is going around, create your own spin on it. Search Instagram Reels or TikTok for trending audio and use it to create some of your own on-brand campaigns. On social media, the average lifespan of a post is about 48 hours so don’t be afraid if you miss a hot topic going around, there’s sure to be another one on it’s way!
Like any campaign theme, optimize as you learn. Take in these variables and apply them to future campaigns. Use every opportunity to learn about your consumers using the 80/20 rule and of course, take the time to plan ahead to make the most of your holiday initiatives. Be sure to monitor and measure your success metrics on an ongoing basis. We’re here to help along the way!
Now is the time to start planning your holiday marketing! Talk with your CSM about your campaign ideas and work with them to take advantage of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Contact paid@promoboxx.com to get started with $1000 on us in Paid Ads to drive even more local traffic to your stores.
Join our upcoming Campaign Planning for the Holidays webinar on October 25th, at 12pm EST for a closer look into how your brand can maximize the holiday sales events with a full funnel content strategy that keeps local consumers top of mind. Register here and receive a recording of the webinar after, even if you can’t make it!
