Brands with social media presence should not miss out on creating buzz and awareness during special occasions and popular holidays.
Take for instance Halloween, one of the most awaited occasions in the Philippines. It’s a time for adults to dress up and party, and for children to roam the neighborhood while trick or treating.
Last Halloween, Ardenites donned their horror costumes and participated in a Facebook contest dubbed, “Post as Your Creepiest”. Participants posted their Halloween-worthy pics on ArdentComm’s Facebook page. The three photos with the most number of likes from November 1 to 6 were declared winners. The prizes were GCs to one of Metro Manila’s most popular eat-all-you-can buffets.
The contest was a success as it pulled in sweet numbers in a mere five days: 116 new fans, 3,873 reach, 709 engagements and 43 comments. All these at practically no cost except for the GCs. The online banter between staff and their friends also showed the intangible but vital elements of fun and creativity.
Any company or brand can do such easy holiday-themed contests with great results. Make sure your contest has the elements of:
1. Timeliness. Everyone wants to part of something. More so when that something is currently in the air. Special occasions give us that opportunity to unite in celebration and be part of a community. Companies should take advantage of popular holidays to mobilize their fans. They already like the brand and they’re just waiting to be engaged. Make them do fun stuff. Stir the nest. Create excitement. There are holidays happening year-round that offer tons of contest ideas aside from Halloween such as New Year, Valentines Day, Easter, Mothers’ Day, Independence Day, and Christmas.
2. Simplicity. Make it easy to join and spread the word. Throw out the complicated mechanics. It kills the mood. Keep the excitement alive by increasing who can join. Don’t alienate a particular segment of your fans by, say, barring students, especially if your brand is patronized by this group. Rules should be easy to follow and remember. Fan the flames further by making use of the Share button.
3. Champions. Every company has a ready pool of champions just waiting to be tapped and that’s none other than their employees. What’s more, these employees have social media platforms with several layers of friends. If the staff understands that it is in their interest to promote the company or the brand, they would be more than willing to do some heavy lifting. They’d be proud to showcase to their friends how they are an active part of a company. The promise of a price or incentive is only added motivation.
Social media is effective when companies keep things social. Popular occasions are social events that bring everyone together. Get your brand involved in the celebrations. This makes it easy for people to get behind your brand. Your employees get to do something that is visible to external audiences. And netizens who would not encounter your brand otherwise get to be new fans.
While your competitors wrack their brains trying to think of new gimmicks, you have your social media campaigns lined-up for the next 12 months thanks to popular holidays that happen year-round.
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