With the increased use of social media this holiday season, are you utilizing social media effectively to promote your brand?
The holiday season is upon us and many brands are ramping up their social media efforts. In fact, people are shopping, tweeting, pinning and liking in record numbers. Take a look at how these top brands are using social media to capitalize on this increased usage.

Brand promotion across multiple platforms.

Target’s strategy to promote their advertising campaign both traditionally as well as through viral videos and Twitter has been executed flawlessly this holiday season. #MyKindofHoliday adds a personal touch to the store’s marketing efforts with a push inspired by guests’ own holiday stories. Target invites their customers to engage not only with the brand, but also each other, by asking how they envision their holidays this year.

 
Capitalize on the giving season with contests.
Humor is a great way to draw in your customer. Add in a little fun and games and you have a winning combination for a great holiday campaign. AllRecipes and Kahlua recently partnered for a Pinterest contest that encourages participants to pin “Kahlua-inspired” images portraying fabulous holiday parties for a chance to win a party worth $5000. This contest is an excellent cross-promotional campaign because it also requires “liking” Kahlua’s Facebook page.

 
Building brand loyalty by catering to the customer’s needs.
Earlier this year, Starbucks introduced @tweetacoffee, which has been an extremely popular campaign. Starbucks customers have used it as a unique way to send gift cards through Twitter, no different than the way charities allow people to donate through text messages. “Tweet a coffee” gives people a way to connect with each other and make the holiday season a little warmer, but it’s also a way for Starbucks to gather customer information. Starbucks also makes clever use of social media, promoting seasonal gifts and using creative imagery on Facebook, sharing educational ad evocative content on YouTube, and promoting the brand through mobile apps.

 
Social media can be an extremely effective tool this holiday season. It provides ample opportunities to promote your brand while staying connected to your customer.