Believe it or not, the holidays are right around the corner. And as we gear up for holiday campaigns, analysts are predicting that this year social and mobile will play a larger role than ever.

The stats are staggering: 66% of Black Friday purchases last year were the result of a social media interaction, and mobile is expected to have an impact on 87% of all holiday purchases.

The stakes are now higher, and brands and retailers will need compelling, omni-channel campaigns that go beyond traditional coupons and sale notices to engage connected shoppers this season.

But how do you make the transition from marketing strategy to actionable tactics in time for the holiday season?

Well, if you need some inspiration, here are three ways you can integrate social—and mobile—engagement into your holiday campaigns for that magical "snowball effect."

1. Make your customer's life easier

Interaction via a wish list can help keep your customers organized and happy, not to mention helping to ensure that your brand stays top of mind. Wish lists also encourage users to explore products, share with their networks, and provide a convenient utility when consumers are shopping for your product or when visiting a retail location.

Sephora, for example, executed such a program brilliantly with its 2009 "Sephoraclaus" holiday campaign; fans posted their wish lists of products, the social feeds were aggregated for awareness, and Sephora granted one wish per day for 30 days.

The integration of mobile throughout your holiday wish list campaign can yield even higher returns as users engage with their list during a critical phase of the purchase cycle: in the store.

Other strategic uses include location-aware coupons or sale notices for items on their gift lists, which can be deployed for added convenience when they are at or near a retail location.

Another way to assist customers when the holidays get especially hectic is with product exploration. Have fun with it, as Capital One did in 2012 with its 12 Days of Pinterest campaign, in which sponsors could feature products to be discovered, pinned and won. Just be sure that the solutions are cross-platform and device-agnostic to allow the products to take center stage while consumers shop till they drop.

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Use Social Media to Create a Snowball Effect for Your Holiday Marketing

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Jed Singer

Jed Singer is director of client engagement at Stuzo, one of the original five Facebook Preferred Developer Consultants. He specializes in social strategy, management, and social+mobile solution development.

LinkedIn: Jed Singer

Twitter: @jedsinger