How social advertising can boost your festive sales this Christmas

Please can someone explain where the year has gone?!  For us marketers, that means Christmas marketing is well and truly underway, and it’s all about that push for sales during the next few weeks. 

Statistics from Twitter’s Christmas guide show that, in 2021 the holiday conversation in August was up 61% vs previous year. That number shows us two things: that you need to be on social media, and that it’s hard to be seen. That’s where social advertising comes in to help you break through the fog, to get your products in front of the people who want to buy them. 

It’s more than people just seeing your products. With social media advertisements, people actually buy your products too. We know this because brands keep spending, with spending forecast to reach over £200 billion in 2022.

What is social advertising? 

Today, you’ll struggle to find anyone who doesn’t know what social media is. But social media advertising? That’s a bit more niche.

Social advertising is using advertisement platforms to promote your content across various social media channels. This could include Facebook advertising, LinkedIn pay-per-click, and more. You will have to pay the appropriate platforms to appear in certain places based on the audience you define. 

Advertising on social media allows you to reach new audiences that your organic posts wouldn’t get seen by.

Why a good social campaign is important at Christmas 

No matter how much you love the festive season, buying Christmas presents can be difficult. There are so many options that it becomes hard to choose. According to a One 4 All survey, 66% of people struggle to choose a Christmas gift for at least one friend or family member. 

A quick Google search of ‘Christmas present ideas’ returns approximately 316 million results. 316 MILLION 🤯 

That’s an awful lot of competition, and a good social media advertising campaign helps you to stand out. By ‘good’, I mean a consistent, creative campaign targeting a defined audience and their needs.  

Examples of social media advertising campaigns 

If you have social media accounts, you are being advertised to every day and you might not even realise it. 

By opening the LikeMind Media social media channels, these are the first adverts I came across. 

Audible UK advertising on Twitter 

Fortnite’s promoted Twitter hashtag 

A Facebook advertisement from WWF

Nike advert on Instagram 

While these examples are all from large businesses (likely due to their hefty budgets), social media advertising has a place for businesses of all sizes.  

The benefits of social media advertising to promote your products at Christmas 

Expand your reach 

Organic social media is a great tool for building a relationship with your audience, but building that audience takes time. Advertising provides an opportunity to expand beyond your usual audience and quickly.  

Depending on your ad spend, you can show your product to thousands, or even millions, of people who would otherwise be unaware of your brand.  

Target people at the right place in the buying process 

In the run-up to Christmas, people are prepared to buy, more so than almost any other time in the year. When you’re targeting an audience, they are further along the buying process than they might otherwise be. They may have already researched similar or alternative products and are nearing the point where they are ready to commit.  

Create a sense of urgency 

At the time of writing this blog, there are 12 weeks until Christmas. Does that invoke a slight panic in you? Christmas has a very set deadline which creates a natural sense of urgency when it comes to buying gifts. 

Social advertising is a cost-effective marketing method 

It’s possible to spend as much or as little as you want on advertising. Not only is it a budget-friendly method of marketing, but it achieves a good turn on investment when done in the right way.  

When it comes to Christmas social advertising, you get even more value for money. If you sell the same products the following year, you can amend and update your existing Christmas advertising, and you’re ready to go. 

Christmas is a naturally busy time for advertisers all trying to sell their thing. This means that pricing may be slightly higher than the rest of the year. However, it’s still very cost effective compared to say, fighting John Lewis for the Christmas TV Ad spot?

It’s flexible and agile 

Unlike more traditional forms of advertising, social media gives you huge levels of flexibility. By analysing key metrics throughout a Christmas campaign, it’s possible to make changes that impact its overall success.  

“Does that image resonate with my audience?” 

“Is my messaging concise enough?” 

“Is it clear what the call to action is?” 

All these things (and more) can be amended and updated during your social advertising campaign. 

Social ads don’t need much upkeep 

Other than making changes that improve your results, a well-performing advertising campaign requires very little upkeep. The social media ad platform you’re using will continue to present your advert to the desired target audience, driving results to your Christmas products.  

This is even more true if you’re outsourcing your advertising. 

Need help with your social media advertising this Christmas? 

There are lots of benefits to using adverts on social media to promote your products, especially during the Christmas period when purchasing is particularly high. It’s also a very busy time, and we can make advertising one less thing for you to worry about. Send us a message below to discuss.