As of this writing, Christmas is just 10 days away and holiday marketing is still going full steam ahead. Email inboxes all over the world are being flooded with promotions for last-minute holiday deals, not to mention the display ads crowding every website and newspaper page.

Execution is one thing. But between now and the New Year holiday, it’s equally important to focus on augmenting and amplifying campaigns based on customer reaction — especially if your campaign uses social media as its foundation.

But getting customers to go beyond just reacting to becoming a brand advocate is difficult. Here are five tips you can use now:

1. Tailor Content. If you’re asking your customers to share content, optimize it for discovery. Be sure you’re using the best hashtags on Twitter and Instagram and tagging the right people or organizations in Facebook posts. When it comes to Pinterest, hashtags aren’t as necessary. Instead, be sure to use high-quality images, a clear call to action, and tight, compelling descriptions of less than 200 characters.
2. Make It Relevant & Timely. Customers simply aren’t interested in content that’s not relevant to their interests or timely enough to resonate with their concerns. And if they’re not interested, they won’t share it. Find creative ways to align your campaign with their interests, and don’t hesitate to jump into the conversation to address concerns. But remember to follow the Golden Rule of social media: be genuine above all else.
3. Incentivize Your Content. Asking your customers to create and share a status is a bigger “ask” than asking them to simply share or retweet your content. Consider using incentives to drive content. Ask your customers to create a status and tag your organization and reward them with an instant win, such as a coupon code. Don’t forget that the best “asks” are made in the context of the customer’s overall experience with you — for example, in a “thank you” email post-purchase.
4. Review Your Contingency Plan. Evaluate your metrics frequently. Create a backup plan, complete with solid, real-world ideas and a modest budget, in the event your advocacy campaign needs to be re-energized. Always keep ideas in your back pocket that’ll pique your customers’ interest if the initial reward didn’t.
5. Set Goals. Even if this year’s brand advocacy campaign is your first, set goals — and make sure they go beyond simply tracking results. This will enable you to think more critically about what you’ll adjust for future advocacy campaigns — and how you’ll do it.

There’s a lot to consider in the days between now and the New Year holiday. But if you start now, your efforts will have a measurable impact. And if you need help, let us know — it just so happens that this is one of our specialties! Give us a call at 716.433.7688 or contact us and we’ll be happy to help you get the most out of your holiday advocacy campaign.