Thursday, September 26, 2013

How to Make Your Holiday Campaigns Mobile

Waiting in long lines – it’s one holiday tradition no one treasures.

But consumers will seek distractions browsing social networks on their smartphones during those long waits at the mall.

It’s a fact: more people will access Facebook and Twitter from mobile than desktop this season. For social marketers, that means thinking mobile-first. These tips will help you engage the mobile masses with your holiday campaigns.

Keep it simple.The best holiday campaigns make it easy to enter on the go. So choose a third-party app that’s mobile-ready. And if fan growth is one of your campaign goals, make sure it supports mobile fan-gating.

Running a sweepstakes? Limit your entry forms to four fields or less. Nobody likes clicking through multiple pages on their phone. The easier it is for your fans to enter, the more sign ups you’ll get.

The same holds true for Photo Contests. Give your fans simple prompts with low barriers to entry. Ask them to snap a selfie with a favorite shopping buddy, or a picture of their favorite holiday treat. Don’t get too specific, and you’ll see great traction.

Hashtag it.Hashtags do more than classify social content – they unite your audience around one conversation. And they help consumers participate in conversations when they’re on the go.
Many brands promote hashtags across social, TV, print and digital advertisements. But you can’t just slap a hashtag on a flyer and call it a day. Give consumers reasons to connect. Run sweepstakes that simply require tweeting a certain hashtag to enter. Or run Photo Contests that allow fans to submit photos via a hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. You’ll see mobile participation skyrocket.

TJ Maxx Photo Contest

The feed is your friend.Reading the news feed is the most popular activity for Facebook’s mobile users.  Shouldn’t they spot your posts when they scroll?

Ramp up your social posting. Communicate frequently about your sales and campaigns. Make sure to grab their attention with big, engaging visuals. And don’t forget to put some budget around it. Promoting your posts will get that extra visibility.

Connect social to the store.If retail sales matter to your brand, then connecting them to social should too.

Give your customers reasons to pick up their phones and follow you, by promoting your holiday sweepstakes or letting them know they can save on their next purchase by liking you. You can even ask them to share pictures of their favorite finds or in-store displays.

And make sure it works the other way too. Use your social channels to distribute mobile-ready coupons and promote in-store deals. Share customer tweets, photos and comments. Convert those fans into in-store sales.

IES Marketing can help your business with mobile marketing this holiday season.  Click here to learn more.

Article curated from Social Media Today

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