This season, Digitas and Brandwatch have made a gift that could keep giving for all marketers by analyzing 2.6 million conversations on social media sites, revealing a number of trends surrounding holiday shopping. To drive sales and marketing initiatives this December, content marketers should focus on joining in on the conversations through quality, custom content as part of social media marketing campaigns.
What’s the chit-chat this year?
This December, online shopping is projected to reach an all-time high, and Americans from coast to coast are buying – and gift gabbing – online. This signals the need for effective content marketing campaigns through diverse channels – websites, blogs, news articles, social media updates and more.
According to the study, Californians are engaging in 29 percent of conversations on social sites, followed by Texas and New York. Most of the chatter is consumers talking about what they want for themselves (58 percent) rather than what they’ll place under the tree or beside the menorah for family and friends. The study showed 84,966 mentions of particular shopping destinations, revealing that consumers are keeping brands in mind as they strive to find the perfect presents. This represents substantial opportunity for content marketers looking to promote their brands.
Measure results through social channels
Generating custom content to increase visibility isn’t the only way brands can benefit. The use of social media channels gives marketers the opportunity to measure results. “Social has had a profound impact on the consumer shopping experience,” said Jordan Bitterman, senior vice president of social-mobile-content lead at Digitas. “While consumers use these channels to source product recommendations, share excitement, and vent frustrations, retailers can use the information to analyze consumer sentiment and predict market trends.”
Brafton reported on how big data analytics may affect content creation efforts in the future, allowing B2C marketers to improve audience targeting. By analyzing social conversations around brands, marketers and digital experts can ensure the success of particular marketing campaigns and initiatives. A recent study by nRelate showed similar findings, revealing that targeting certain demographics, especially age and gender, can increase the potential for marketing success. By creating relevant content filled with carefully-constructed calls to action to inspire engagement, brand promoters can increase their reach as the year draws to its finale.
