The Advent calendar is no longer the preserve of young people. Many brands are betting on this trend, especially online, in order to bring their social networks to life and engage their community throughout the month of December.
What is a digital Advent calendar?
The tradition of the Advent calendar dates back to the 19th century and comes to us from germany. At that time, children of Protestant families were offered pious images every morning throughout the month of December. In 1908, publisher Gerhard Lang first proposed a cardboard calendar with illustrations for each day. As for the small windows that we know today, they appeared in 1920, and their gourmet version with chocolates only in 1958.
Now, digital Advent calendars are popular. The concept is simple: brands offer each day for 24 days a new promo, a gift to be won, a tip, a good plan, exclusive content, a contest… This marketing tool is an excellent way to promote your products, services or your brand universe as Christmas approaches. The calendar can be published on different channels: on the website, on the mobile application or on social networks. For example, the Vertbaudet calendar celebrates one of its products every day, with the possibility for Internet users to win it. The DIY brand Weldom offers an Advent calendar with promotions, discount codes and gifts to be won… directly in stores.
What is the purpose of creating a digital Advent calendar?
A digital Advent calendar offers many benefits. First of all, it allows brands to generate traffic on their social networks throughout the month of December and drive this qualified traffic to their website or point of sale for Christmas shopping. By offering their community daily rewards, brands strengthen proximity and customer satisfaction. They also retain their audience by encouraging them to return daily to their online channels with a new surprise every day.
The digital Advent calendar is also an interesting lever for communicating about its products or those of its partners. Finally, prospects are more easily converted into customers, thanks to discount coupons.
How to create a viral Advent calendar?
To deliver a quality Advent calendar to your audience, you need to think carefully about the content you are going to share. Create a team dedicated to this project and think about possible partnerships with other brands. Define your marketing goals: generate more leads, boost your community’s engagement, promote your products and / or increase your sales. There are tools and plugins to create your calendars yourself. However, it is better to call on a developer so that the solution is qualitative and visually attractive.
Once the schedule has been imagined, arouse the curiosity of consumers by informing them of the possibility of winning, soon, many lots for Christmas. During the 24 days, be creative while remaining consistent, and multiply the rewards: discounts, gift cards or vouchers, free products or services, invitations to a special event… Don’t wait until the last minute and prepare everything in advance in order to be ready on D-Day.
(Photo credit: iStock)
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