Are you wondering how to get your Facebook fans excited about Christmas? Here are a few ideas that will help you think about how your brand can connect with your fans in the last few weeks of 2013. It’s that time of year again, and the pressure is on to grab the last few sales of the year. I don’t know about you, but I feel Christmas starts earlier every year!
An interesting report from the Irish Times says that Irish households will spend on average €484 on gifts this Christmas. The majority of women surveyed said they would have their shopping done early (I am not one of them). Top purchases this year will include books, vouchers and cosmetics.
Even though time is short, there are still a few weeks left to capture your fans attention and maybe it would be nice to reward them for their loyalty all year. It’s not too late and here are a few things that you can do to engage your fans in the final weeks of 2013.
#1. Great Graphics
Using good quality graphics is really important, at this stage in the year many of us are tired and looking forward to the break at Christmas, so in my opinion anything that makes you feel close is a winner!
Do you shop at Tesco and Aldi? They both have different banner images for Christmas. Tesco’s effort made me laugh, and it actually makes me think of my family. It’s emotive and engaging and yes “there’s nothing better than Christmas”.
Using good graphics in your posts that will inspire and engage is really important. I can totally identify with the Aldi Polar bear post, and the update is written in such a compelling way that I can almost feel the fire and smell the baking in my mother’s kitchen. It also reminds me that I need to get down to Aldi and avail of all their great Christmas treats and deals.
Notice how Aldi have asked me what my favorite Christmas tradition is, the post is engaging and allows the company to find out what is important to their fans about Christmas.
When you are crafting Facebook copy, make sure you capture the imagination and emotion of your fans and include calls to action to get a better reaction.
Some handy tools you could use to inject some festive spice into your images and graphics include PicMonkey, Canva, Gimp and the best part is they are all free!
#2. Competitions
Competitions are a great way to attract new fans, build a valuable and relevant list and re-engage your fans. Think of the reasons that your fans love you in the first place.
The phrase “there’s one for everyone in the audience” springs to mind and the excitement people feel when they have the opportunity to win something is almost tangible.
There are a few ways you can run competitions over the coming weeks and here’s an overview.
Timeline Competitions
If your goal is to have a little fun, engage your fans and reward them, timeline contests are a quick and simple way to get results, especially if you are short on time.
Here’s a great example from LittleWoods Ireland and Kudos to Amanda Webb from SpiderWorking for pointing this one out. See how they have included the t&c’s easily by adding it to the notes section of their page – simple!
Littlewoods got great engagement (likes, comments & shares) from this post. Even though they have not asked you to share the post, people are almost conditioned to doing it, the page hasn’t broken any rules, but fans still share great content.
If your goal is to build a list for e-marketing purposes and attract new fans, then an app is the way to go. There are lots of great software solutions out there and most of them have a free trial option.
Recommended Facebook Apps
I started using AgoraPulse when they launched their new version, and it is an amazing platform, not only can you develop great apps, but you can publish from within the dashboard and measure right across the board to see what is working for you, enabling you to easily create more great content and interactive campaigns and if you are looking after a number of clients it saves lots of time with it’s great reporting feature.
As with all contests on Facebook make sure you follow the guidelines to avoid the risk of having your page closed down.
Final tip for Facebook competitions, why not team up with another local business and cross promote on both of your platforms to leverage each other’s fan bases.
Great example from the Daily Mirror and ToyMaster, and notice how the link goes straight to the Irish Daily Mirror website, another way to drive traffic to your site and capture the information you desire. Again, a great use of compelling graphics.
#3. Exclusive fan offers
Genuine Facebook fans have liked your page for a reason. Either they shop in your store already, were referred by a friend or found you via other sources. Giving to your fans should be a big part of your Facebook Marketing strategy, whether it’s a free download or a discount code makes sure it matters.
Top Tips for Fan Offers
- Limit the time that the offer is available
- Keep it relevant
- Use great graphics
- Include Terms & Conditions
- Fan Gate – use an app that asks people to like your page to claim the offer
- Don’t forget the call to action
#4. Facebook Ads
Here’s the thing, Facebook is always updating their algorithm, and it’s getting harder and harder for fans to see your content. Facebook ads as a rule can be a really successful and can be a cost effective way of advertising as long as you are running them effectively.
My biggest tip for Facebook ads is “DON’T HIT BOOST” or “PROMOTE PAGE” this will not generate the quality fans or engagement that you desire.
You have two options:
Facebook Ads Manager
You can use the Facebook ads manager to target specific demographics, locations and promote specific posts, links, conversions, app installs etc.
If you are promoting a post with an offer or contest update you can choose to only promote that post, or keep the ad updated every time you out new content on the page – that’s up to you.
Biggest tip with ads is split test lots of smaller versions of your ad on small budgets to see which formula gets the best bang for your buck! Try different combinations of images and text to see what your target actually responds to and create more of that type of content.
Power Editor
The Facebook Power Editor in my mind is still a little clunky, but you can do a whole range of things with it –
- Better Facebook Ad Management
- Duplicate and analyse ads all in the same place easily
- Mobile targeting (189 million users access Facebook via mobile ONLY source: Fast Company)
- Newsfeed targeting
- Lookalike & Custom audiences (although this is now a feature in the ads manager) – upload your list and target your customers and people who look like your customers
I plan to write all about my experiences with Power Editor in 2014 but for now just know that it’s there, and you should plan to utilise it in 2014!
To summarize and get focused for the coming weeks and to make that Facebook page sizzle remember these top tips:
- Update your Facebook banner and join in the seasonal spirit
- Use engaging and emotive graphics in your posts
- Use strong calls to action – don’t broadcast, engage your fans – CARE!
- Offer something of value to your fans – competitions & offers
- Use Facebook ads to amplify your message and reach your perfect customer
Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and start thinking about what you can do to build your fan base, engage them and how you will monetize your Facebook marketing efforts in 2014.
Images: ” Merry Christmas Like Concept /Shutterstock.com“
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