The other day I was chatting to a friend who was telling me how she wouldn’t forget this plumber anytime soon because of a brilliant online campaign he had run during the festive period last year. The small business had used a bit of “clean” toilet humour (if that is at all possible) to get the word out to the fact that he was open throughout Christmas and the New Year. The whole theme was based on the build up to Christmas etc etc.
Themed campaigns around special events, if done properly, can work wonders for brand awareness and lead generation. Here are 3 things you must consider to run a #themedcampaign on social media:
1. Hashtags – The hashtag is here to stay but now it is being used with more purpose. But what is that purpose, you may ask? The hashtag is used to organise, promote, and draw attention to whatever it is you are campaigning about. It is therefore extremely vital to hashtag correctly. When it comes to special events, you should always hashtag the event itself as well as the date. For example, #FreedomDay #27April. Also, make sure that you are hashtagging the day correctly.
In other words, does the most common hashtag being used for Freedom Day look like this #FreedomDay or this #freedomforall. Maybe both are being used in which case you must decide which works best for your campaign. Do some homework! You can also create some of your own hashtags for the campaign but be sure to use them consistently throughout your marketing otherwise they become irrelevant. For example, if you are a debt counselling firm you could hashtag a service quite cleverly like this: #freefromdebt or #debtfree this #FreedomDay #27April.
2. Memes – Firstly, what are memes? They are those images, videos and pieces of text which make you think or laugh on social media. They can be shared very easily. And if you get it right they can spread quickly and even go viral. So, you can only imagine how well memes work for #themedcampaigns. Make sure that you have your logo / web address on every meme you create and post so that when people share it your brand keeps popping up. Be smart and subtle and your memes will work wonders for your brand.
3. Specials – This goes without saying; you should always run with a special of some kind when you do a #themedcampaign. And it should be pretty easy to come up with specials around events such as Easter and Mother’s Day. Be visual when running your specials. Don’t be pushy. Be enticing and make sure that people end up being rewarded with the special only once they have provided you with their details (don’t expect them to do that directly on social media). Create a landing page on your website and steer people there with a hyperlink provided in your social media posts. Be clever in the way you phrase your posts to get people to click on the link.
Of course, you should theme your online marketing around the big events such as Christmas, Easter, Eid, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and the likes but how about celebrating the smaller events, too. This way you’ll stand out from the rest as the business that remembers the quirky celebrations, too. One thing to make sure of though is whether the event is relevant to your brand in some way. So, for example, if you were a psychologist who deals with depression, it may or may not be a good idea to run with National Smile Day. Or, if you were a business dealing in biodegradable goods it would work in your favour to promote a day that celebrates trees, for example. The point is people need to see that your brand is somehow connected to the event you are using to campaign with.
Click the button to download a calendar of offbeat events for your #themedcampaigns in 2017.
#themedcampaigns can be extremely successful for promoting your business and generating new leads but the trick is to get it right and to plan properly. We can assist you with integrated and strategic #themedcampaigns. Contact us for a free consultation.