Noisy, overly complex Christmas Ads, busy, screaming email campaigns and predictable sales techniques are what reign over December. Is this the atmosphere you want your Social Media Ad to circulate around? We didn’t think so.
But how do you get your brand seen and heard in the chaotic hoard of companies rushing to sell, sell, sell? It’s not what you’d think. You know how you’re told to stay calm in a stressful situation? Well, your Social Media Ad should do the same. It should allow your audience to take a breath between all the fast-paced, busy Ads that get slapped over their social feeds.
Many brands have an old view on things: People want to buy gifts fast and cheap, therefore they create campaigns that give them this.
But every business does this.
Instead, think of how you’d prefer to shop. Easily and without feeling rushed. Businesses often take advantage of the stress that accumulates around Christmas. They do this by shoving gift ideas and limited sales down consumers throats. So, let’s not wait any longer – here are some top tips to smash your social media ads this Christmas.
Target different demographics with related ads
Targeting more specific groups by segmentation is a fantastic way to tailor your ads. Target people by age, gender, parental and marital status, likes and hobbies. This is especially useful for Christmas because people are constantly getting stuck on what to buy for specific people.
Benefits of demographic-specific Ads
- precise and accurate targeting
- easier gift buying for the consumer
- relatable ads = higher conversion rate
- feels more personal in the consumer’s eyes
notonthehighstreet.com
Notonthehighstreet.com posted the perfect example of a demographic-specific Ad. They posted an image of a baby fashioning one of their baby onesies for Christmas, along with the wording ‘thoughtful family Christmas edit’.
This is targeting groups of people who either have children themselves or know someone who does. It also includes an exclusive 30% off with an exact time period during which it can be redeemed.
As you can see, people have commented, sparking user interaction which is exactly what a great social media Ad campaign should strive for.
Re-marketing
Remarketing is a technique that works towards collecting non-converters and, you guessed it, turning them into converters. This is done by targeting social media Ads to an audience that has previously had products in their online basket but failed to purchase, visited the site or interacted with the company in some way.
This can also be targeted to previous customers/clients that have not returned to use the brand’s service or to further buy their products. Remarketing is so effective because the audience your brand is targeting, has already expressed interest in your products.
Remarketing Campaigns can be done through the Ad Manager on Facebook. To do this, your business will need to acquire Facebook Pixel, which is a tracking tag specifically for Facebook. The snippet of code that you will be given to include in your website, will determine your remarketing audience as it tracks users that have visited your site previously.
You can learn more about Facebook Pixel and how to start using it in your social media campaign, here.
Targeting based on buying history
Whereas Remarketing is based on targeting an audience that has expressed interest in your site or brand specifically, basing an audience on their buying history is built up of people that have expressed an interest in products relevant to your brand or product. In other words, remarketing is much more specific to people already interested in your brand and targeting based on buying history is broader and built of people interested in a product, that you stock.
Adwords has a tool called In-market audience that allows businesses to build up an audience of users that have shown the intent to purchase a similar product. It tracks over a dozen sections like apparel & accessories, autos & vehicles, business services and financial services.
Under each section will be a target audience that has been collected via their purchase history. An example; A pet store could target Ads to an audience that has recently searched “large vivarium” or “pet bed”.
This H&M Instagram Ad is a perfect blend of simplicity, subtly hinting towards their Christmas fashion line without being too pushy with their products.
Omni shopping
Don’t miss out on the 90% of UK shoppers that either looks for products in store but later buy online or those who search online and then buy in store. For a successful social media Ad that targets those Omni shoppers, specifically focus on making it simpler for them to shop, the way they want to shop.
You can do this by offering printable vouchers or QR codes that can be redeemed in store, and advertise these on your brand’s social media channels. Or you can do what Harrods have done this year; enticing their audience to come along to their store for a number of fun Christmas activities for their kids.
Let us know if you found this guide to Social media Christmas Ads useful! Would you suggest any more tips for creating a successful Christmas Ad?