The 12 Days of Social Media Marketing — No, Really

The holidays are in full swing and there’s no better time to play off the old “12 Days of Christmas” content marketing regime. Never heard of it? We haven’t either, so below you’ll find an all-in-one guide to upping your sales and customer engagement and hitting the holiday rush in the gut.

“And a blog post that everyone reads”

For starters, you need to come up with a publishing schedule that counters any ask-off time in your marketing department. Blogging works, and the more you do it, the more results you’ll experience as long as you’re writing on entertaining, intriguing subjects. Consider throwing up a blog post twice a week that somehow ties together the holiday season with your business’ products and services. But remember: No one wants to read a 500-word advertisement.

“2 tweets per day”

To keep your blogs and presence up on newsfeeds, tap into trending hashtags (either fun or industry-related ones) and tweet away. You should keep track of how successful each one is before encouraging ignores and un-follows.

“3 pins that stir”

Unless you’re an industrial supplier of silica sand, Pinterest is a great resource for spawning likes and shares across social media. Take some festive photos, add in some brand-esque text, and aim to enlighten and make your followers’ holidays brighter.

“4 Web updates”

Keeping your website current shouldn’t be a hassle. Every time you post a major blog or are mentioned in an article of some sort, do a small write-up and toss it on your site’s front page. Viewers respond better to sites that are updated after 1996.

“5 Facebook posts!”

Five a day may be stretching it, but there’s no harm done when you’re sharing, commenting, and liking your followers’ posts. Stay active on Facebook but do not — do not —overindulge. It’s much easier to hide pesky brands on newsfeeds than it is to wade through sappy holiday greetings. For you creative types out there, stick with image-heavy and brief statuses that inspire likes and shares.

“6 Google Ones”

Keep your Google+ circles active by giving plus ones to blogs and articles. See something you agree with or like? Don’t be shy — promote it! ‘Tis the season and you could be on the receiving end.

“7 Insta-grammers”

Okay. Seven Instagram pics might overdo it, but it never hurts to schedule a post a day. You can use these to beef up your Twitter and Facebook accounts at the same time. With Instagram, strike a balance between fun and business-related pictures.

“8 new connections”

LinkedIn — do you have it? You should. Though it’s not as active as other platforms, LinkedIn is a great place for professionals to share ideas and network. Search around for people within your industry connections that could lead to new hires one day. Don’t be afraid to recommend and share news stories, too.

“9 YouTube clips”

We know that this numbers thing isn’t working, because by day 12 there would be some 36 YouTube videos. Still, it’s easy to look for creative and effective videos on YouTube and jot down some ideas for future productions. Consider Vine for shorter creations.

“10 branding basics”

We’re jumping off ship a bit with this one, but really quickly here are 10 ways to properly promote and brand your social media/content marketing:

• Make a plan
• Stick with set images
• Keep your company name consistent
• Get creative
• Don’t think likes and shares are automatic
• Quality trumps quantity (for social media and blogging)
• Mix fun with business
• Avoid excessive self-promotion
• Keep accounts updated
• Don’t force-feed newsfeeds

“11 newsletters”

Again, 11 is a bit excessive. Regardless, keeping up your email marketing is a necessity in every shopping season. Encourage your followers to enter their emails for free coupons, company updates, and other information. Make sure to include a call-to-action in each one and to keep them brief.

“12 traffic targets”

Every post, share, tweet, blog, and pin you publish needs to be targeted at someone. Existing customers are the ones to send deals to; potential customers are the ones to convince. Keep your marketing campaign in check by tailoring each piece of the puzzle to a specific group.

And that about does it. Even if you’re uninterested in some of these strategies, it’s helpful to be aware of them.

Take this advice as you see fit. Either run the gamut and go full out to generate post-holiday followers or pick and choose. With social and content marketing, it’s all up to you.

And one more time for good measure!

“On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

12 traffic targets,

11 newsletters,

10 branding basics,

9 YouTube clips,

8 new connections,

7 Insta-grammers,

6 Google Ones,

5 Facebook posts!

4 Web updates,

3 pins that stir,

2 tweets per day,

And a blog post that everyone reads.”

(It almost works, doesn’t it?)

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