How to Use Festive Giveaways to Drive Sales on Social Media This Christmas (5 Real Examples)

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How to Use Festive Giveaways to Drive Sales on Social Media This Christmas (5 Real Examples)

How to Use Festive Giveaways to Drive Sales on Social Media This Christmas (5 Real Examples)

The holiday season is a time where people's thoughts turn to giving, and a period where the instinct to be just that little bit more selfless is stronger than it might be at other times of the year. It's also a time where people's sharing activity increases. On Facebook for example, people share 28% more photos and videos on mobile during the festive season, so make sure that you stand apart from other seasonal messages by using visuals that not only encourage discovery and purchases, but also contain an emotional element.

In this post, I'll show you 5 real examples of brands who are tapping into the emotional side of their customers this Christmas, specifically with giveaways; maybe they will inspire you to try something similar, however big or small!

1. Tesco Mince Pies Giveaway

UK Supermarket Tesco is delivering 1,000 free boxes of its mince pies to random people across England, knocking on their doors and wishing them a merry Christmas.  It's a simple gesture that spreads the festive spirit (and helps to promote the brand). 

2. Carlsberg's beer-covered Christmas tree

Carlsberg decorated a giant Christmas tree on the banks of the river Thames in London with beer glass baubles, candle-lit beer bottles, digital festoon lighting and beer hops. The first 100 visitors to the tree were given one of the hand-blown glass beer baubles, or ‘beerbles’, from which to drink free Carlsberg lager.

Carlsberg also used the tree as an opportunity to host a social media giveaway:

3. Harley Davidson's Trike giveaway

#NiceToBeNaughty

Posted by Harley-Davidson Australia on Sunday, December 6, 2015

Harley-Davidson's Australian arm is looking for the “most deserving kid in Australia” to give away a unique custom-built tricycle as part of its holiday social media marketing push. A link from its Facebook Page reads:

SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE NAUGHTY

Milk-spillers, food-spitters and mud-trudgers rejoice - this year we're celebrating all those kids that are curious, rebelious and free-spirited! 

We're giving a custom built Harley-Davidson trike to one lucky little minion of mayhem.

To enter, tell us in 100 words or less why your 3 - 6 year old deserves the most badass 3-wheeler in the Southern Hemisphere.

At the time of writing, the campaign video had racked up nearly 500,000 views and ver 6,000 shares.

4. Shangri-La's #worldofwarmth


Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is spreading a #WorldOfWarmth among its Instagram community. Through an interactive advent calendar, it is offering its 32,000 followers a chance to win prizes for watching and interacting with brief Christmas videos. The continuity of the videos will encourage users to come back, which will in turn help the material go viral.

Each of the videos includes the Shangri-La Christmas star, which glows orange when it is held. Fans are encouraged to screenshot and regram the moment in which the star “glows with warmth” and tag #WorldOfWarmth and @ShangriLaHotels.

Participants have a chance to win 2,000 Golden Circle Award points - enough for a free night's stay at number of Shangri-La locations.

5. Three's Christmas Day Birthdays

The boy who was born on Christmas day

It sucks having a birthday in December right? Know anyone who does? Wish them a merry birthday.#makeitright

Posted by Three UK on Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Having a December birthday shouldn’t suck! Comment below with your name, December birth dateand #merrybirthday to win the BEST.BIRTHDAY.EVER!http://blog.three.co.uk/2015/12/09/merry-birthday/

Posted by Three UK on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Mobile phone company, Three, has gone for a humorous slant with its marketing, tapping into the large group of people whose birthday's fall in December, or on Christmas Day - nothing worse than a combined birthday and Christmas gift!

Over to you 

How will you be making the most of the holiday season in your social media marketing? Let me know in the comments below

Andrew Macarthy is a social media consultant and the author of the #1 Amazon Web Marketing Bestseller, 500 Social Media Marketing Tips.

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6 Easy Steps to Create An Awesome Animated Promo Video For Social Media (Using PowerPoint!)

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Do you want to create a promotional video for social media, to be played on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites?? Not confident or skilled in video-making and editing? Don't worry! I have you covered.

In this blog post, I'll show you, step-by-step how you to create an engaging promotional video for social media using only Microsoft PowerPoint (and a few other, free web tools). I'll be using my own video as an example - a promotion for my new book, Successful Social Media Customer Service, with animated text and background music. In essence, it's simply a video recording of a PowerPoint presentation, but I think it does looks pretty pro! 

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20 Inspirational Ideas to Kick Start Your Fall Marketing on Social Media (With Real Examples)

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FALL-SOCIAL-IDEAS.png

With summer now officially over, the start of a new season is a great time to give your social media profile a refresh and to introduce autumnal ideas into your content strategy. If you're in need of some ideas and inspiration, look no further. Here's how 20 big brands are already making the most of the opportunity:

1. Starbucks uses a time lapse to showcase its new season cup design...

2. Home Depot updates its Facebook cover photo to reflect the fall season...

3. Williams-Sonoma inspires fans with a variety of recipes...

6 simple recipes to celebrate fall's signature flavor: pumpkin! http://wsono.ma/bdMwr

Posted by Williams-Sonoma on Monday, September 28, 2015

4. Dunkin' Donuts injects some humour into an Autumn-themed post...

Even these little guys love our donuts ;) #Autumn

Posted by Dunkin' Donuts on Sunday, September 27, 2015

5. Party City shows off its Fall stock in a collage...

Goodbye summer. Hello autumn! Decorate your home in warm tones with Party City’s fall décor starting at $1.49. Shop now! http://bit.ly/FallDecor_FB

Posted by Party City on Thursday, September 24, 2015

6. Pop Tarts uses humour to promote limited edition products...

This explains why we can only deliver Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts once a year. Totally worth the wait. Get them in stores now.

Posted by Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts on Monday, September 14, 2015

7. Whole Foods welcomes customers into the new season...

It's the first day of autumn... Congratulations on making it through the summer heat!

Posted by Whole Foods Market on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

8. Marks and Spencer uses a photo album to promote its new baby range...

Ensure your baby is the best-dressed tot in town this Autumn. The new baby catalogue is available now > http://bit.ly/1NWy1ud

Posted by Marks and Spencer on Monday, September 28, 2015

9. Levis encourages fans to make the most of the summer rays...

10. Panera Bread shares a soup-y factoid...

Your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents knew how to make a mean Autumn Squash Soup. #FoodForThought

Posted by Panera Bread on Friday, September 25, 2015

11. Avis promotes one of its motors with a splash of fall colours...

Welcome fall in style. #FirstdayofFall #SignatureSeries https://goo.gl/3LtnAd

Posted by Avis Car Rental on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

12. Blistex shares its autumn essentials (including its product, of course)....

Autumn officially begins today! We've got our essentials at the ready - have you? :)

Posted by BlistexUK on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

13. Coppertone provides a blank canvas for colouring in...

Colour this picture of falling leaves and a setting sun.

Posted by Coppertone Canada on Monday, September 28, 2015

14. Folgers gets us thinking about the smells of the season...

Fall is in the air, and it smells like Folgers Gourmet Selections® Caramel Drizzle® Flavored Coffee. http://spr.ly/6188ByuG0

Posted by Folgers on Sunday, September 27, 2015

15. Iams shares a cute and funny pet photo...

It's officially the start of autumn, the hide and seek season.

Posted by Iams UK on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

16. Mod Podge shares some crafty fall ideas...

The only question is, which one will you try with your kids first?

Posted by Mod Podge Rocks! on Monday, September 28, 2015

17. Pillsbury shares a Buzzfeed-made fall recipe...

Fallelujah! Time for pumpkin everything including these 3-ingredient Pumpkin Pie Roll-Ups.

Posted by Pillsbury on Friday, September 25, 2015

18. Tetley Tea plays on the colours of fall for a promotional post...

Just like the trees in autumn, our leaves vary in color as well…

Posted by Tetley Tea on Saturday, September 26, 2015

19.  Thermos shares a fan-made fall-inspired graphic...

Iced coffee with spice will always be in season. Sip on! (Credit: Alysha Dawn Illustration)

Posted by Thermos on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

20. Turtle Wax prepares its customers for seasonal spills...

We’ve got your back for Pumpkin Spice Latte spills. #Fall #FirstDayOfAutumn

Posted by Turtle Wax on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Over to you

Will you be using any of the ideas above, or have you already got your own in the pipeline? Let me know in the comments!

How to STAND OUT on Social Media With Effective Visual Branding (Eve Mattresses Case Study)

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Does your brand have a strong visual presence on social media channels? Do you want to increase brand recognition online?

Using consistent visual design elements in your social media marketing efforts helps people to spot your updates in busy news feeds while simultaneously showing off your business' personality. Ask yourself the following question: Given one quick glance (and that's all most social media content gets!), can people spot your brand amongst dozens of others?

In this blog post, I'll show you examples from Eve, a mattress manufacturer - and how it uses colour, fonts, and composition to make its brand stand out on social, and to convey its core messages. 

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How to Shoot Shareable Instagram Photos: Real Life Good vs Bad Examples

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How to Shoot Shareable Instagram Photos: Real Life Good vs Bad Examples

How to Shoot Shareable Instagram Photos: Real Life Good vs Bad Examples

Do you use Instagram for business? Do you want to shoot photos that receive more likes and shares? The most popular Instagram photos evoke a strong emotion in viewers, are inspirational, aspirational, and eye-catching. With just a few simple tweaks, you can improve the quality of the photos you take, and drive more engagement with your content. Let's take a look, using real life examples to demonstrate. In each case, ask yourself which

1.  Context is important

Let's say you're in the business of selling accessories for the home. Customers will most likely be drawn to photos that show how your items fit into their own spaces. shop_juliecouch's photo is rather uninspiring (the lamp even still has its plastic packaging!), while hkliving's shot is carefully staged, colour co-ordinated, and eye-catching.

2.  Get the lighting right

Taking the time to light a photo properly (or improve the lighting in post production) can make a huge difference to the quality of your content. Both photos above serve to show off a printer, but Canon France's shot - lit well - is much more appealing to the eye.

3. Play with lines and shapes

Some of the most popular Instagram posts include arrangements, patterns, and shapes that are pleasing to the eye. In the above examples, jampaper's photo is colourful and neat, but there's something about the angles and composition of juliamanchik's composition that people find innately appealing.

4. Think about composition

office-dog-2.PNG

When you publish a photo, it should be obvious to viewers what the main focus of the image should be. In kellygerland's photo, the black dog is lost against the dark sofa and dominated by the banner on the wall. Meanwhile, kaianatural's photo has the office dog as centre of attention (even looking at the camera lens!), with very little dead space in the rest of the shot.

5. Have fun and be creative

Above all, the most successful Instagram images from brands are those that connect with  your customers in a way that only you as a business owner know best. Fun, creative, and inspirational, or aspirational content - well planned and shot - is nearly always a winner.

Over to you

Have these pointers inspired you to look again at your Instagram strategy? Or do you already but these ideas into practice? Let me know in the comments below!