Gobble Gobble! Each year Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday season. Black Friday madness means a good majority of consumers are planning to fulfill their Christmas shopping list and businesses are attempting to capitalize on every purchasing opportunity.
From retailers to the automotive industry and everything in between, the off-the-hook deals are creating plenty of havoc for shoppers to deal with. The last thing you want is your business to get lost in all the noise. Luckily, social media offers a prime avenue for targeted consumer engagement and untapped potential for driving promotional campaigns around the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to recent comScore statistics, Thanksgiving online purchases jumped 21% in 2013 compared to the prior year. That’s “online purchases” only! E-commerce brands can most definitely cash in on this opportunity by leveraging the unusually large consumer demand.
Fall Into the Thanksgiving Spirit
In order to promote Thanksgiving campaigns and get a buy-in from potential customers, focus on sparking up chatter around the holiday itself rather than “buy me, buy me!” posts. Sharing of other articles from the web that discuss Thanksgiving endeavors, shopping, holiday spirit, etc. is a good way to generate buzz within your social community. Additionally, discussing things that your company is looking forward to during the Thanksgiving holiday is a great way to make a personal connection with your target audience. One of our favorite platforms to utilize during the holiday season is Twitter, follow us.
Involve Employee Engagement
If your employees are avid users of social platforms including Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, or even Facebook, focus on creating a showcase. Encourage them to get involved in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday by engaging in relevant content publishing. Using the content from employees as a companion helps create a great collaborative environment by outlining a team-focused approach.
Emphasize Black Friday Deals
Emphasizing Black Friday deals is ideal for e-commerce businesses. For example, if you’re selling men’s clothing online and seeking to maximize sales potential, consider a promotional social media campaign comprised of a variety of special pricing. Doorbuster deals that enforce time sensitivity are a great way to establish a targeted approach and providing percentage-based discounts you can’t get after Black Friday presents another enticing opportunity for increased sales volume. Obviously, don’t forget to keep tabs on profit margins is critical to the general well-being of your business.
Don’t Treat Your Website Like a Brick-and-Mortar Store
That being said, the comScore statistic we sited above states that online sales jumped on Thanksgiving Day. Due to the national holiday, most stores close for Thanksgiving and open again on Black Friday out of respect for their employees. However, your e-commerce site is open 24/7, allowing you to optimize your sales even when your brick-and-mortar store is closed.
Share Helpful Thanksgiving Travel Tips
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Thanksgiving is one of the busiest holidays of the year. Offering travelers helpful tips may help position your brand as the go-to source. You don’t have to give expert Thanksgiving travel tips or anything, but merely providing more value on a topic people care about can really boost awareness about your brand and build a loyal following.
Run Sweepstakes or Special Contest
Everybody loves sweepstakes or contests, especially around the holidays. They reinforce community interaction. As a matter of fact, sweepstakes tend to have higher levels of consumer engagement than any other similar promotional campaign on social media. For example, using a newsletter feature on your Facebook brand page backed up by a seasonal discount offer may be an enticing proposition for a consumer buy-in. If anything, this is a great opportunity to build-up a user database comprised of personal information on potential customers who you can later market to with targeted products or services.
Each year Thanksgiving invokes untapped potential for brands across all industries. Maximizing the potential of increased consumer engagement gives brands more proactive marketing techniques, ultimately opening a doorway to higher sales volume.