It’s no secret that Christmas is a major time for sales for almost every ecomm business out there. But businesses can often make costly errors in their Christmas marketing.

Here are 6 mistakes to avoid in your social media marketing this Christmas.

(you can watch the video or read the article, both have the same information)

 

1. Forgetting to maximise on all the other seasonal events.

We know Halloween, Black Friday and of course we are mainly talking about Christmas in this blog but there are other events you could be planning content and marketing for. 

For example, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday (8th December), and Green Monday (second Monday of December) are all big news in the US where stores like Amazon, eBay, and Target take part. As with everything in the USA, the UK is never far behind so make sure you are ready to target your customers on these days too. 

Make sure you check for awareness days, and other smaller events as all of these events give you an opportunity to promote your business with a new angle.  

You don’t have to offer a discount to take part in these events.  They are really just a prompt for your marketing.  If you don’t want to jump on the discount band wagon, think of how else you can maximise on it –  this article has some ideas. Anti-Black Friday is almost as big as Black Friday these days!

Check out Janet Murrays podcast for tips on content for Christmas.

 

2. Not advertising early enough.

Facebook and Instagram ads require a strategic process of testing, optimising and scaling so if you leave this process too late you won’t be able to get the maximum return on investment from your ads.  

Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about ads, let alone testing them.  Even an ads expert won’t be able to hit the ground running without the testing phase.  

Ensure you allow time for that process to ensure maximum return on ad spend.

 

3. Not retargeting your warmest leads.

You’ve spent all year warming your audience up on your social platforms so when it comes to your Q4 marketing, make sure they are front of mind.  Give them the best deals and exclusive offers, to reward them for supporting you all year.  

Retarget your warmest leads in their email box and with Facebook and Instagram ads to ensure that you are the one they spend their money with this Christmas.

While we are talking about retargeting… have you got the Facebook Pixel on your website yet? If not prioritise it right now or you’ll be leaving money on the table.

 

4. Having a sucky offer.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with offering discounts. It’s effective. Always has been, always will be.

But on social media, at Christmas, discounts will be filling peoples newsfeeds. So how do you stand out?  One way is to make sure your offer is different, and isn’t just the usual 10% off, or free postage, that everyone else is also offering.

Other than offering a financial saving, how else can you solve your customers pain point? Is money even a pain point for them?  Maybe what your customer really wants is someone to wrap the gift for them to save them time? Or a free gift with purchase?  Or a personalised service of some sort.

Best way to find out?  ASK THEM NOW!  While you still have time to research and implement, find out exactly what would tick all the boxes with your customers.

 

5. Not spending enough.

Costs will rise in Q4.  There’s not getting around it.  The world and his dog wants to get their products in front of the world and his dog!  

So if you want to use Facebook and Instagram ads you are going to have to suck it up and spend more money if you want to stand a chance of winning in the auction process.  

There are ways to bring your ad costs down of course, like maximising on story ads if your clients use stories, ensuring your ads get great engagement by investing in great copy writers, and having a fantastic offer that your customers REALLY WANT (see point 4).  But the facts remain, costs WILL rise in the run up to Christmas as space becomes saturated.  

 

6. Not working with an expert

Look, we aren’t all experts in everything. We can’t be.  So if Christmas is one of the most important periods for sales in your business you are going to need experts to help you.  Whether that is Facebook ads strategists to run your ads (heads up… that’s me), copywriters to create incredible content for you, SEO experts to ensure you show up in search… get the experts in to help you maximise on this time.

On that note… if you are thinking about working with an expert for your Facebook ads, find out how I work here

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by Laura Moore

Laura is a Facebook marketing consultant specialising in Facebook and Instagram ads.  She works with businesses to help generate leads and increase sales.  To find out more about how Laura can help you click here

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