Before the lights go up in town or the carols get well and truly stuck in your head, people start Tweeting about Christmas. And why not start early? There are gifts to buy, hints to drop, trips to book, meals to plan, and celebrations to look forward to.
Now’s the time for brands to join the conversation, helping people as they get ready for a busy Christmas season. In that spirit, here are a few ideas and hints to help you get the most out of the Christmas conversation on Twitter.
- Get your skates on, Tweet early
Voyages SNCF (@Voyagessncf_bp) started early, setting a Christmas alarm for its customers by Tweet. With a Retweet, people could request an alert when Christmas tickets went on sale – and they received a personalised auto-reply right away.
With its unique hashtag, apt emoji and above all, fashion-forward Christmas jumper, this Tweet made a memorable entrance into the Christmas conversation.
- Regift your best content
Have a TV ad, or other Christmas video content? Repackage it in a Tweet, and share the love with targeted audiences on Twitter. Promoted Video makes it easy to get more mileage out of your existing assets. Look at the Retweets John Lewis (@JohnLewisRetail) got when it Tweeted its Christmas TV ad last year.
That retailer wasn’t alone. Here’s a whole collection of Christmas TV ads others Tweeted last year.
Hint: Want to give your video even wider reach to a live premium audience? First View puts your video at the top of on Twitter timelines for 24 hours, so it’ll be the first ad people see on Twitter that day.
- Offer a helping hand
Nutella (@Nutella_Italia) created how-to videos to help in the kitchen last Christmas, as part of its #MissioneEntusiasmo. 100% viewable, autoplay Nutella in my timeline? Mission enthusiasm accomplished.
Hint: Have you picked the perfect Christmas campaign hashtag? Run it as a Promoted Trend to claim the top Trend spot for 24 hours. You’ll raise awareness and spark conversation on a whole new level.
- Bring people closer
Use Twitter to engage viewers more deeply in your brand’s TV ads. Think about how you can share exclusive content such and take people behind the scenes, share facts about the production, or put those outtakes to good use with a mini blooper-reel. This is content people love to share on Twitter. And it brings them closer to your brand.
In another great example of a TV campaign coming to Twitter, Telekom Deutschland (@TelekomErleben) used Promoted Video to share its #FamilieHeins spots. This Tweet featuring its Christmas ad gives viewers the lowdown on the soundtrack.
- Make it easy to share the joy
Ok, this one is so new that I don’t have a Christmas example for you yet. (Get in there!)
Our Conversational Ads make it easy for people to engage with your brand and spread your message. Up to four buttons, each featuring a call to action and a hashtag, appear under your image or video. When someone – let’s say, Alison – taps a button, her Tweet composer opens with your message already there. Alison’s Tweet will include your creative, and those buttons, so that Alison’s followers can Tweet for you too. And so on. So yep, these Tweets truly are the gifts that keep on giving.
So that’s you, ready to go. Enjoy your Christmas Tweeting. And for more Twitter Ads inspiration, any time of year, check out marketing.twitter.com.