Optimise Your PR Campaigns During the Shopping Season

COVID-19 has caused a strong shift in consumer purchasing patterns, and holiday shopping is one prime example that reflects this. Consumers’ expectations have been steadily rising – as consumers now demand higher expectations around personalised buying experiences, products & services, and convenience.

Amid COVID-19, consumers are shifting towards e-commerce as their preferred purchasing medium. Alongside the rising demand for convenience and e-commerce transactions, this shift in consumer purchasing patterns will give online retailers a clear advantage. So, with the holiday season just around the corner, how can retailers leverage PR better to enhance market share and increase revenue streams?

Here are five tips on how you can optimise your PR campaign during the shopping season:

1. Capitalise on holiday themes

You should consider creating owned content if it is appropriate for your business. Consider creating blog posts, visuals and press releases that you can capitalise on this holiday season. Topics surrounding Christmas are bound to generate attention and pickups from the media. The thematic focus this season shifts from corporate to the holidays. It is thus essential to develop holiday hashtags and visuals that can be utilised on social media to keep things timely and relevant. The content of the post can be as simple as wishing everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘30% Discount storewide’.

2. Capitalise on holiday hashtags

Hashtags are a great way for the audience to explore content via social media, especially when they are searching for a specific product or content. Developing your own hashtags is a great way to keep track of engagements received from the audience. Capitalising on trending holiday hashtags is a great way to allow your brand to join in the conversation. A creative or humorous response usually gets picked up and goes viral during the holiday period.

3. Develop personalised holiday campaigns

The holiday season is all about people and making them feel special. It is also the perfect time to weave in personalised details into your PR strategies. Consumers would always choose something personalised over something generalised. And personalisation is something that resonates well with the holiday season when consumers are inclined to write personalised cards to their loved ones. Develop a unique creative campaign idea that won’t put much attention to brands. You should pay close attention around how to create a fun, personalised experiences that will keep your consumers engaged. Start thinking of how you can generate a campaign via your website and how you can make them visit in large numbers.

4. Start early: Preparation is key to success

Many successful campaigns begin with exceptional preparation. For campaigns to be successful, you have to give yourself ample time. It is thus vital to start early. You would want to be ahead of the pack and not be left behind – especially when you have plans to reach out to the media. While Christmas may be just around the corner, don’t just plan for Christmas, look beyond it – New Year, after all,  comes shortly after Christmas. Extend your campaigns to a longer period, and you may want to focus on optimising along the way as you approach the new year.

5. Leverage social media influencers

Social media influencers provide a great platform to deliver your campaign messages on a personal and intimate level. They have the pulling power of connecting and convincing their followers to purchase various brands’ products and services. With the looming holiday season, social media influencers’ followers are turning to them for tips and even inspiration for gift ideas, outfits and more. Knowing the right influencers for your brand is thus key to succeed in your holiday campaign. Research on social media influencers’ audience reach and demographics to ensure that they are a good fit for your brand, and that your brand not only serves as a good fit for them but is also a good fit for the followers too. Collaborate with them on ideas to develop a successful online holiday campaign.

Keen on elevating your PR game during the shopping season? Get in touch with the PRecious team – and let us work together to come up with strategic holiday PR campaigns that translate to enhanced market share and increased revenue streams.