New Year’s is a very important day celebrated around the world. The most efficient way to reach out to potential customers all over the world is by using social media that connects all of us. If you are not yet on social media promoting your business, you are missing out on good opportunities to promote your products and/or services. The reason why social networks such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram and others are important marketing tools is that they give you immediate access to your clients in real-time. Social media marketing is especially important for businesses during the festive season than at any other time.
If you are already using social media for marketing, then that is a plus. Now all you have to do is spruce up your efforts a bit to maximise your sales during the New Year celebrations. Here are a few tactics that you should try:
Before you start marketing your business online during this period, you will need to come up with a social media strategy that encompasses a holiday theme. Since Christmas and New Year are very close, you may get so caught up with Christmas that you forget New Year is a different festival all together. So make sure you have a separate theme for Christmas and for New Year.
Once Christmas is over, change all your sales material to reflect the New Year’s theme. Begin this by changing all your cover photos on all your social media accounts. This will act as a reminder to all your followers that the New Year is almost here and prompt them to an action that will benefit your brand. New Year festivities may not lead to huge sales compared to other holidays, as gift giving is not high at this period, but it is a good time to promote brands by engaging followers through online conversations.
During this period, everyone is online taking stock of the year that was or in a race to put up one last update, one last photo of the year, or to simply find out what is going on in the world. Online activity is very high at this time of the year, so you should take advantage of this and get talking with your followers. The goal here is not really to sell but to converse with your followers. It is the time to ensure that you are at the top of the mind of your followers when the New Year starts and they think of you when they require a service or a product from your industry. Then they will remember the funny and interesting banter they had with you and will check out your website or store. This is the period to get noticed. To do this, ensure that you update your profiles with constant and relevant updates.
So you have products that did not run out over the Christmas sale? Take this time to promote your brand by endearing yourself to potential customers by giving them free gift cards. Use your social media platforms to run competitions and have followers to win gift cards. In turn, this will increase engagement on your social media platforms.
Contests are fun, and they increase interaction on your social media platforms. You do not have to offer big prizes or have huge contests. Simply run a contest that is relevant to the season and that your followers will enjoy to participate in. Most people are more excited about emerging winners than in the prize being won. You could ask questions, such as what are their New Year resolutions, what do they regret doing or not doing in the past year, and then ask family and friends to vote on the best answers. You could also run a photo contest, as these are quite popular today.
During this festival period, there will be many inquiries. Since the use of social media is more frequent at this period, you will have more people in need of your assistance. So improve your brand reputation by offering your consumers immediate customer service and support, especially on social media. Ensure that questions are answered promptly and in a polite manner. Keep in mind that a lapse in good online customer service will be broadcasted very far and wide. By ensuring all customer service issues on social media are properly dealt with, you will have a great chance to define your brand and let your followers view your business in a positive way.