How to use video in holiday social media

Sahail Ashraf posted on 8 December 2020

Social media is a great way to connect with customers. And at Christmas, it’s a way to truly build relationships with them. We give you some tips on how to do it.

Social media is great fun but it is even more fun during the holiday season. At Christmas, you can expect to see a number of high quality video campaigns from huge brands, all of them pretty spectacular. Brands can really pull out the best possible creative at this point in the year. However, if you don’t have millions in the budget for a Christmas campaign, it is still possible for you to develop a high quality video campaign that gets attention and engagement. We thought we would take a look at how this can be done.

The video card

You may have noticed that, every year at Christmas, you receive some cards via email. There may be pretty pictures involved and perhaps even a new font that conveys the Christmas spirit. However, one way in which some brands are neglecting their marketing is by not using video cards. At Christmas, a festive video card to thank your customers and partners for their custom and support could be the one thing that really makes a difference. While it is perhaps a little cynical to think of it from a true marketing perspective, a video card can strengthen relationships with customers. And that’s important.

We’re basically saying that a video card could help your brand stand out from the rest. And if you work hard on making it as creative as possible, you have every chance of staying front of mind, and building on the relationship you have with customers.

Use live video

This is one of those things that really can’t be ignored if you want to make sure that you get the best out of video at Christmas. Live video is fantastic fun, and if it is done properly, can really help with brand recognition.

At Christmas, it might be a great idea to have a mini ‘Christmas party’ on live video, inviting all of your customers along to have some virtual fun. Or you could hold a Christmas event with a fun prize available at the end. There are many, many ways you can do this, so it is well worth sitting down with your team and brainstorming how to create and run a live video stream that makes Christmas go with a bang.

Make it vivid

The vast majority of videos on Facebook are watched without sound. This is just the way people access videos. So your visuals need to be perfect for the purpose and audience.

At Christmas, it’s important to make the visuals as arresting as possible. You should have images that grab the viewer’s attention immediately, and then hold them tight so they don’t stop watching until the end. Fortunately, this is all possible thanks to the nature of Christmas.

Christmas is bursting with colour and arresting visuals, so it is easy to be inspired by the time of year. If your video can pop off the screen due to the visual treats you’re using, you’r onto a winner.

Sharing news

One of the best ways to make customers happy to hear from you is the sharing of exciting news. Send customers a video about the new projects you have in place for the upcoming year, and make sure the video post or email you send has a very festive theme.

Thanking customers for their support in the year just gone and then telling them about some exciting developments that are coming up is a great way to get people excited and appreciated. And if you do it with video, you will make an even bigger impact.

Behind-the-scenes

Another way to use video effectively at Christmas is to shoot a behind-the-scenes video. One of the best ways to do this is to focus on how your brand prepares for Christmas, what your team does behind-the-scenes in the run up to the big day. 

This is authentic, and it helps to make customers more loyal as they get ready themselves for an important time of year. It just makes your brand seem more human, and makes you part of their own preparations for the holiday season.

Jump on hashtags

Hashtags mean a topic is trending, so it is very important that you get involved in that particular conversation. Hashtags are easy to get involved in, but at Christmas your brand will show it’s festive side even more if it is actively involved in hashtags and the discussion they are part of.

Find a hashtag that resonates with your brand, and make sure it is fun. Then, in the run up to Christmas, create videos that add to the feeling the hashtags bring. This will make your brand part of the conversation, and also allow you to create some fun content. And again, customers will love the way you fit in with hashtags they are interested in.

Go UGC

User generated content (UGC) is always going to be popular. One of the best ways to tap into this is to get customers involved in a competition or just a silly project whereby they send in their own seasonal videos. This is instant engagement and brings a bit of fun to the year, while also ensuring that your customers are simply more involved in your Christmas. It will be memorable and also a great way to get some fun content out there.

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