With Navratri around the corner, the festive season in India has almost begun. It is that time of the year which is a cause for celebration for both brands and people alike. While the former aim to add on to this holiday cheer by putting their best foot forward, the latter goes on a shopping spree.
As Indian brands gear up for the forthcoming festive season, marketers must understand the importance of social media in affecting purchase decisions. With several conversations taking place around the festive season on social media every year, it’s vital for marketers to create effective campaigns that connect with their target audience. It is, perhaps, a wonderful time of year for brands who approach it with the right strategy in place.
Here’s how you can warm the heart of your audiences and make the most of this festive season through your marketing campaigns by incorporating a mix of authenticity & individuality:
- A display of static images and videos and tips for DIY homemade decorations:
Putting up static images, videos and tips for DIY homemade decorations certainly leverage your brand’s individuality. You can incorporate your brand’s product(s) in the videos, tips & images that may end up stimulating the audience’s buying behavior when shopping for the festive season. - Advent calendar or, posting a different video every day counting down to Christmas.
Creating an advent calendar is how you can approach the festive season in creative fashion. It lets the social audience to immerse itself in the festive spirit and gives audiences incentive to check in on the brand on social each day. - User-Generated Content (UGC)
Customer-orientated businesses are on the rise because companies constantly have to keep up with the changing trends of their audiences. In this fast-paced, digitally-run world, attention-spans can be snapped away with the click of fingers.
UGC puts customer front & center and thus, user-generated content does help brand campaigns reach a notch above. Let’s take the example of Starbucks campaign. Back in 2015, Starbucks took user-generated content to the next level, inviting customers to share their designs for holiday cups on Instagram. A lucky thirteen were chosen to be featured on Starbucks red cups for the 2016 holiday season. The brand also introduced the artists to the wider public. SBI® statistics indicate that Starbucks’ considerable festive offerings went down a treat with audiences. The brand got a content insights score of 9.1 and an audience insights score of 10. - Live video experience
Not to deny, the video is a powerful storytelling tool. Brands can tell impact and memorable stories in just a minute or two, leaving a lasting impression in the minds of viewers by using music, text, and visuals brands can. Live videos have the ability to create one of the most intimate connections possible between brand and audiences.
For example, in 2016 @HeroMotoCorp tweeted a series of Diwali themed videos in #DilonKiDiwali featuring a couple of their motorcycle models. In each video, they showed that their machines are proficient in letting people carry out tasks and run errands for Diwali. - Create emotion-stirring content
Emotion is a core component of the decision-making process and can help brands drive immediate response. It’s essential for brands to trigger a positive emotional reaction through their campaigns to get the desired response since content that triggers emotion creates deeper connections that help boost engagement and sales.