Here comes the Christmas and there is magic in the air! One may think that it’s the season to be jolly, but brands are probably thinking it’s time to begin engaging people by spreading some Xmas cheer. One of the best ways of doing so is by launching interesting contests relevant to the upcoming holidays.
Many brands have performed this in the past and are proceeding with it. Organizing interesting and interactive contests and campaigns is an excellent way to get people’s attention. If you are a new startup, you should consider making the most out of the holiday season by investing in contests, games, and promotional competitions.
If you are wondering how to perform that, I have got a few ideas to help you use the holiday spirit to engage the audience and gain their loyalty.
Run a holiday-themed campaign
By this time of the year, you can run a campaign to use the holiday spirit for promoting your brand on Instagram. Consider adding elements from the holidays into your campaign and marketing strategy. Tie up with charities and offer to donate a part of your holiday sales to their cause. This is really useful in bringing about a sense of harmony, unity and good cheer. Also, this sort of contest is excellent because they target families and not just a restricted section of your audience.
Run a Christmas quiz
Enter social media to create and run an interactive quiz. This way, you can find out what your audience is looking forward to during the Christmas and employ this information to your own advantage. Ask different questions to let them select the answer they feel most related to. Make sure to use simple participation rules to encourage maximum engagement. Ask questions in a way that enables you to get insights into customer’s preferences.
Make a wish come true
The holiday season is the time when we all like to send gifts to the ones we love. Use this information to your advantage by running a campaign around this idea to show off your good intentions. Ask your followers to reveal their holiday wishes to their loved ones in comments. Announce that for every wish sent, your brand will donate a specific amount of money to a good cause.
For example, UPS produces millions of gift packages, which start with a wish. In keeping with this, UPS began the “your wishes delivered” campaign, through which they inspire their followers to share their Christmas wishes. For every wish shared on their website with the hashtag #wishesdelivered, UPS donates $1 to charitable organizations.
Holiday selfie contest
Who doesn’t like taking selfies? You can turn this fun activity into a contest, right? You can ask your followers to get into the holiday spirit and take selfies with their Christmas tree, snowman or a Santa Claus while showing off your product. Ask them to share their selfies to your Instagram page with your branded-hashtags and win prizes.
A Christmas gift with a message
You can use the holiday season to spread the message of preserving the environment. This is an excellent time to get your works to protect our planet noticed. This will not only bring you enormous customer goodwill and trust but also improves your brand credibility. You can do this by a simple, direct message campaign.
Name your favorite Christmas movie campaign
We all have at least one specific Christmas movie that we like so much. This is the movie we watch every year on holidays. Your followers will definitely love to talk about their favorite Christmas movie. All they should do is tell you the name of the movie with the reason to be able to sin some great prizes from you.
Caption contest
A good caption can promote your campaign as nothing else can. Are you having trouble coming up with a good one? Get your followers to create one for you, as you keep them engaged with your brand at the same time. Just post an engaging photo on your Instagram account and ask your followers for an exciting caption, which will qualify them for winning a good prize.
Video sharing contest
The holiday time is when most people fill their Instagram accounts with holiday videos about the celebrations at their office and home. Focus on this and ask your followers to share a video of their Christmas decorations to win prizes.
Christmas game campaign
An excellent way to use Instagram to keep followers engaged during the holiday season is by getting them to participate in holiday-themed online games that are related to your brand.Ted baker’s Instagram game for the Christmas has been a great hit. It features Santa’s seven elves, who have gone missing. They were last seen in an #elfie taken by Santa.
Users can find the elves by visiting @tedsElfie on Instagram and participating in the game therein. The three-week campaign offers many chances to win prizes.
Vote contest
You can set up a new vote contest every day and ask your audience to choose between two products and mention the reason for their choice in the comment section. The product can be related to the Christmas, such as eggnog vs. hot chocolate, stocking vs. Santa hats, or candy cane vs. gingerbread man.
Conclusion
Running a good Instagram campaign can help brands and audiences connect better. Holiday campaigns can be beneficial in not only keeping followers’ engaged but also in sneaking to their emotional side and capturing their heart. Christmas serves as the perfect chance to get in touch with your existing followers and gain new ones.