Should You Run Social Media Ads During The Holidays?

🎄 Hello and welcome to today’s holiday edition article. We will tear apart the question everyone keeps on asking when this time of the year comes. “What’s my Christmas present?” .. – No, not this one … “Should I keep running my social media ads during the holidays?” – Yes! That’s the topic we will be discussing today. 

Every time Christmas starts approaching we see a similar panic mode amongst social media advertisers. They start switching their campaigns off and then on. Overall, they tend to be unsure about the right thing to do. 

🎅 So should you run Facebook and Instagram ads during the Holidays? 🎅 

There’s no denying it: the holiday season is fast approaching. Holiday marketing has also stepped into high gear, whether it’s through festive window displays, Christmas specials and sale advertising, or celebration commercials and emails tailored to our spending habits. The Christmas season is a critical time for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Therefore, a solid marketing strategy can assist infuse a major spike in sales.

Do you need an excuse to contact a lead you haven’t talked to in a while? Or do you just wish to re-establish contact with your clients? Perhaps you’d want to boost employee engagement and get everyone in the office in the Christmas mood. 

👉🏻 Holiday campaigns are a great way to engage with anybody, regardless of who you want to connect with.

We understand however that many small and medium-sized businesses may struggle around this time, mainly because they are not sure what budgets to set, who to target, what campaign structure to use and so on. 

When it comes to organising any marketing campaign, especially one around Christmas, there are usually a lot of questions and second-guessing. People are willing to pay because they want to get the best things for themselves and their loved ones.

This is why we will look at the two main blunders to avoid when coming up with your holiday marketing strategy. 

🎁 Number 1: Should you run social media ad campaigns?

If you run Facebook or Instagram Ad campaigns, you may very well be considering turning them off, especially if you are closed during the holidays. We understand that you may not feel like it would be beneficial to spend on social media advertising if you’re not going to be working, completing orders or providing the services you usually do. 

Well, let’s put this on the table: if you pause your social media ads for the holiday season you essentially give your competitors more ROI on their advertising. Why? Because there will be less competition for them – fewer businesses to “fight” for ad bids with.
Furthermore, when the holiday period is over and you decide to turn your campaigns back on, it can take you weeks, in some cases months, to get back to where you were before – and most likely, it means you will have to increase your spending as well.

So, what should you do? 

What we believe would be very beneficial, and we are speaking from our own experience here, is to adjust your campaigns instead of switching them off completely. Moreover, you can adjust the overall budget – cap them if you wish. You will have lower spend but you will still be in the advertising game. You could also limit the days and hours of the day you want your ads to be seen. Even though you will not be working, you will still be able to receive orders or enquiries. You can deal with them after you are back. Simply leave a message or an automated email that you will fulfil the request or order of your potential customer and that’s it – they will wait for you to get in touch after you are back and well-rested. Another reason to leave your ads running is to also keep your position in people’s minds. 

Overall, stopping your ads will not be a wise decision because, yes, you may save some bucks, but if you leave them on with the right settings, budget and schedule you will most likely be winning much more. 

🎁 Number 2: Organic social media presence 

One of your top holiday marketing goals as a business should be your organic social media strategy. Seasonal content tends to get more interaction than evergreen pieces. The bigger your brand’s online presence, the more individuals will enjoy and share your holiday material. Holiday posts are an excellent way to capture the attention of consumers who may have forgotten about your product or service. Increasing your social media engagement over the holidays, as well as decorating your page to match the festive atmosphere of the season, is something to consider doing.

🎄 Important Tip: 🎄 Don’t forget to set up automated responses to ensure your potential customers are informed of the working schedule and times you would be available for them. 

Another very important bit to remember is to follow us for more useful tips to help you grow your business through social media. We are always happy to hear from you, so don’t stop messaging us with questions. We are here to help!