After Halloween on October 31, it's time to enter the most festive Holiday Season of the year, one of the busiest times on Twitter. In the U.S., there were 88 million tweets about the 2021 holiday season, and in the U.K., there were over 16 million tweets about Christmas.
So, what can brands do to get the most out of the holiday season to stand
out from the crowd and catch the last train of the season?
Recently, Twitter launched a blog post with the latest holiday season
marketing guide to help brands develop their tweet marketing strategies,
which is distilled and shared today in the hope that it will be helpful to
some brands.
contact@bclinked.com
I. What do Twitter users care about regarding the holiday season?
To improve the ROI of holiday season marketing campaigns, Twitter
summarized the top 5 keywords this year and last year's popular hashtags:
1.
1. buy gifts
According to official Twitter data, there was a 22% increase in gift-giving
conversations on Twitter during the holiday season this year compared to
2020 and 2021. Also, according to a 2021 internal survey, 89 per cent of
consumers used Twitter to discover new products, and 76 per cent agreed that
some posts on the platform drove them to purchase.
Meanwhile, another third of users use Twitter to find deals and promotions,
and a quarter uses it to inspire gift ideas.
@BlueWillowBooks engaged with fans in the run-up to Christmas to ensure they could find the perfect gift for a loved one in-store.
2. T.V. and Movies
A classic topic, movies and T.V. feature prominently on Twitter during the
holiday season - especially at Christmas.
In the U.K., there are 2.5 tweets about T.V. every second. This statistic
makes sense considering that 70% of users surveyed used Twitter while
watching T.V. Last year, movie conversations in the U.S. grew +268%
year-over-year.
Like hot chocolate and marshmallows or gingerbread and frosting, Twitter
and T.V. go hand in hand. People turn to Twitter to see all kinds of
conversations about the T.V. they're watching - further enhancing the
viewing experience.
3. fashion and beauty
By the first half of 2022, more than 28 million tweets about beauty and
beauty were posted by users in the United States and more than 4 million by
users in the United Kingdom. If you're a beauty or fashion brand, start
tweeting about your holiday products early to make life easier (and more
beautiful) for your followers.
Among other things, posting about gift guides, beauty kits, beauty
calendars, and seasonal series of tweets are great ways to get people
excited. Retweeting your followers' outfits and beauty images is another way
to increase your brand's reach.
4. World Cup and sports-related
A study conducted by Twitter in partnership with GWI found that 75 per cent
of people on Twitter are fans of the World Cup, so 13 per cent and 61 per
cent of fans would like to see brands combine that World Cup with holiday
shopping campaigns. Similar to T.V. and movies, the event can be an
opportunity for brands to show some personality and connect with fans
authentically.
@Art_of_Football combines Christmas with the gift of soccer. 5.
5. SMBs and local shopping
The growing trend of local shopping is perfect for promoting various
products and services during the holiday season. Last year, small business
conversations grew 64% year-over-year in the U.S. and 55% year-over-year in
the U.K. during the holiday season. Here are some great ways that small and
medium-sized businesses can connect with potential users during the holiday
season.
1. Share product updates early and often - let people know that inventory is
limited to increase the sense of urgency.
2.
Show the people behind your business.
3.
Use hashtags like #TweetASmallBiz and #ShopLocal to attract more
people.
4.
Add your hours of operation and last delivery date to your Twitter
profile.
If you have a Pro account, you can also use Location Spotlight, which
allows you to display your business location, hours of operation and contact
information.
5.
Use your Pro account to turn any of your existing tweets into ads on Android or desktop with Quick Promotion. It's a quick
and easy way to launch promotions to a large audience.
@SlatedIreland uses the #ShopLocal hashtag to promote one of their
Christmas products and suggests that there are a limited number of products
available.
6. Popular Christmas hashtags
In the U.K., the most prominent hashtags for the Christmas 2021 period are
#Christmas, #Win, #Giveaway, #Xmas, #Competition, #MerryChristmas, #Gift,
and # ChristmasIsComing - using these as a guide for themed hashtags. These
hashtags will likely be popular again in 2022. You can also expect to see a
lot of #GiftIdeas, #HolidayShopping, #HappyHolidays, and
#ChristmasDecor.
II, rubbing it in? What can you do to make your holiday season marketing
stand out?
1. 4 tips to prepare for the campaign
1) Don't leave it to the last minute
It takes time to plan, produce creative content and execute, so start your
campaigns before the holiday season.
Key dates you need to prepare for include：
·Thanksgiving Day (November 24) and Black Friday (November 25)
·Small Business Saturday in the U.S. (November 26)
·Cyber Monday (November 28)
·Tuesday Giving Day (November 29)
·Small Business Saturday in the U.K. (December 3)
·Green Monday (December 13)
·Hanukkah (December 18-26)
·Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (December 24-25)
·New Year's Eve (December 31)
2) Don't try to appeal to everyone
When it comes to marketing, not all audiences are created equal. Before you
start planning your holiday season marketing campaigns, you must understand
who your target audience is and what they are looking for. This will help
you create messages and provide incentives that are relevant and appealing
to them. Trying to appeal to everyone will only lead to distracting and
ineffective campaigns.
3) Videos & images are more persuasive than text alone
Official Twitter data shows that tweets with video attract 10 times more
engagement than tweets without video. This is because attractive visuals,
such as photos or videos, tend to perform better on social media.
Five ways to use video & images in your holiday season tweets.
① Create a gift guide
Wrap your products as holiday gifts and make a video, funny image or GIF to
post on Twitter.
② Holiday tweets with fun/humour
Funny emojis, promotions with holiday flair, and creative holiday messages.
For example, @Marvel on Easter, with a sense of humour and Easter eggs to
express the holiday greetings to fans.
③Take a moment to say "thank you."
Don't forget to take a moment to appreciate and thank your customers.
Whether they are following you online or buying your products, customers are
the heart of your business.
④ Share your brand culture and values
The holiday season is also a great time to take a fresh look at your brand
values. From videos focusing on your company culture to your organization's
charitable or CSR initiatives, help your audience understand your sense of
social responsibility.
4) Track, measure and adjust
With so much competition during the holiday season, it is important that
you continually test all aspects of your advertising materials (e.g. copy,
visuals, types of offers, etc.) and track, measure and adjust based on the
results achieved to find the best fit for your business and audience.
Brands can use Twitter Analytics to track key metrics, such as web traffic,
conversions, engagement, etc., by monitoring the results and making changes
to optimize their ad materials for maximum ROI.
2. 3 creative ideas to break your brand's circle quickly
1) Run Twitter shopping promotions
Whether it's free shipping or an unbeatable promotion, your customers can't
resist everything on their list this season! Twitter shares 4 tools for
getting products in front of customers.
① Twitter Shops
Merchants can display up to 50 items in this feature, which is available in
both free and custom versions and is currently only available in the U.S.
market and only to local iPhone users.
② Product Drops
This feature allows merchants to preview limited-edition products that will
be available soon. It allows buyers to preview product details and be
alerted to purchase products as they become available.
③ Twitter Shop Spotlights
This feature allows brands to showcase five essential products on their
profile page, and users can click on them to jump directly to the brand's
website for purchase.
④ Live Shopping
The live shopping feature helps brands better combine products and content
to reap higher conversion rates.
2) Use the right ad format
Here are some of our most popular ad formats for Twitter holiday season
campaigns.
① Photo Ads
Use a photo to showcase your product or service.
② Video Ads
Show product information to entice people to visit the website or app or
interact with your brand message.
③ Rotating ads
Provide advertisers with up to six images or videos that slide horizontally
to showcase multiple products or promotions.
④ Takeover ads (Open Screen Ads)
Place branded ads at the top of the day. People come to Twitter to find out
what's happening, and with Timeline Takeover, your ad is right at the top of
the headline when someone opens Twitter.
3) Don't forget about post-holiday marketing
Your holiday season marketing doesn't need to end after Christmas. Stand
out from the crowd by offering post-holiday deals or running campaigns to
build your brand to rule the upcoming New Year.
The holidays are a critical time for your business, so it's essential to
ensure your holiday marketing campaigns are well-planned and effective. By
starting early, focusing on your target audience, and personalizing your
message, you can run a holiday season marketing campaign that gets
results.