30-second summary:
To capture consumer attention, brands need to rapidly test and iterate to drill down and find the winning creatives that resonate with their audiences and drive the best performance.
Marketers need to ensure they are breaking through the holiday noise and reaching consumers with relevant and impactful ads.
Before getting sucked into planning campaign structures and optimization strategies, consider your target audience at a high level and how you’ll speak to them.
To craft high-performing holiday Stories, advertisers need to create for context and craft for space.
Marketers must be able to run hyper-targeted and localized campaigns that dynamically showcase information as users close the path to discovery.
The most competitive time of the year is starting earlier than ever before. This holiday season may look different than past years and will either make or break existing brands. Those who invest in testing and personalization within their digital and social media advertising strategies will come out as winners and drive successful business outcomes.
With 76% of Snapchatters saying the majority of their purchases will be online this year, marketers need to ensure they are breaking through the noise and reaching consumers with relevant and impactful social media ads.
From custom audience lists on Facebook to Story Ads on Snapchat, it’s crucial that marketing teams have a comprehensive and multi-channel social media advertising strategy in place ahead of the holiday rush.
For advertisers looking to expand across platforms, here is what you need to know:
Building target audiences on Facebook
Facebook campaigns require a long list of microdecisions that are essential for campaign success.
Before you get sucked into planning your campaign structure and optimization strategy, consider your target audience at a high level and how you’ll speak to them, as Gen X and Boomers will be dominating global mobile and ecommerce growth this season.
When choosing audiences for your Facebook campaigns, always consider the trade-off between splitting into various ad sets versus giving Facebook more data to deliver to the right people.
The most effective way to reach people who’ve shown interest in your brand and your existing customers on Facebook is to create a Custom Audience either using Facebook’s Pixel or SDK, for targeting your ads.
Tackling Instagram Story ads
There has been a drastic shift in the social media space over the past couple years driven by the evolution of Stories.
Consumers now spend more time immersed in Stories than scrolling through news feeds.
According to Instagram’s internal data, 500+ million accounts use Instagram Stories every day. And, given that one-third of the most viewed Stories come from businesses, the opportunity for retailers is clear: reach consumers with creative, compelling video content tailored for mobile.
To deliver high-performing holiday Stories, advertisers need to create for context and craft for space. Decisions such as photographic angles, text, animations, sounds, arrangement, and colors all matter and are the core components of how you direct your storytelling.
Stories are excellent to inspire creativity as they go beyond the conventional square to take on the full screen. Vertical storytelling will ensure that your holiday creative and content is received with unbroken attention.
Pinners are Pinning earlier this year
Previously, Pinterest users started making holiday plans in September.
This year, however, Pinterest noticed that consumers started searching and saving for the holidays in April — five months earlier. As many people have spent much of the year in isolation, they are now looking forward to celebrating the upcoming holidays.
According to Pinterest, holiday searches on the platform in April 2020 jumped 77% higher than April 2019. For marketers looking to reach an inspired audience, there is no time to waste.
Pinterest is all about capturing consumer attention when users are looking for new ideas.
Embracing Pinterest as a performance channel during the holiday season, marketers across verticals can plug in any data source or API to deliver more customized promotions to move the needle during the busiest shopping time of the year.
Brands must be able to run hyper-targeted and localized campaigns that dynamically showcase information as users close the path to discovery. This includes real-time pricing, flash promos, copy variations, and even weather-based promos.
Snapchat is key to reaching younger audiences
Snapchat’s highly visual format and loyal audience of 238 million daily active users is drawing more attention from global brands interested in tapping its Millennial and Gen Z audiences.
According to new research from Snap Inc., 80% of Snapchatters plan their holiday gift giving on Snapchat. And despite COVID-19 concerns, Snapchatters plan to spend 147% more on gifts this year than non-Snapchatters.
The power of Snapchat as a marketing tool for retailers is called the “Celebration Cycle.” The final purchase isn’t the end of the journey, but the beginning of a cycle that showcases gifts to a broader audience: the user’s followers.
During the holidays, users are sending Snaps to showcase their new clothes and gadgets, creating new and continuous opportunities for brands to reach new customers and re-start the shopping cycle.
With word-of-mouth being one of the most powerful marketing tactics, user-generated Snaps can lead to not only a successful Q4 but an impressive Q5.
As consumers are looking to their friends for purchasing decisions, Snapchat is the perfect place for-high impact, earned media. Giving your brand an opportunity to turn one purchase into many.
As advertisers tackle this new holiday season, it is important to remember that this year will be unlike any we have seen before. What may have worked in the past might be outdated and will need a refresh.
Teams that stay nimble and observant in regard to our shifting industry will be the ones seeing success. By taking into consideration these foundational pointers, marketers will have the direction they need to maximize profits.
The post The holiday guide to cross-platform social media advertising appeared first on ClickZ.
Source: ClickZ
Link: The holiday guide to cross-platform social media advertising
