Interacting with social consumers is tricky for brands. You’ve got to strike the right balance of personal and authentic, without losing sight of business goals like increasing sales or promoting brand awareness.
Here’s how sentiment analysis of quirky holidays helps!
Do a Little Research
A quick Google search will bring you to a number of calendar sites listing the various lesser known holidays out there, along with national and world days of recognition and awareness.
For example, August 4, 2018 is the first Saturday in August, making it the day Bob Matthews declared Campfire Day and Night in 2017.
What’s interesting about Campfire Day and Night – #CampfireDayandNight is that it’s almost completely unknown – unlike more popular occasions like National Ice Cream Day, which occurs on the third Sunday in July.
Still, Campfire Day and Night #CampfireDay is noted on a few websites, and presents a prime opportunity for a brand looking to be first to popularize it.
Start by using a tool like NetBase Pro to discover conversations about campfires in general:
It’s a prominent topic, with 1.1M total engagements, and roughly 112 engagements per post. The most popular post is of photo taken by the light of a campfire:
As an example of thinking outside the box, a brand like Nikon could get in on the topic by offering tips on photography by firelight.
A look at Sentiment Attributes tells you how else campfires fit into the overall discussion on social:
There’s a lot to explore and put to use, with a tweet by Donald Trump, Jr. getting the most positive response, and news of wildfires caused by an illegal campfire getting the most negativity.
The smaller negative conversations are similar in theme, meaning content about campfire safety and fire prevention could strike a chord with many social users. As for the smaller positive conversations, “s’mores” is a featured term in many of them.
Claim Your Spot
Given that National S’mores Day is August 10, and National Toasted Marshmallow Day August 30th, it might seem brands with any relation to s’mores have an unfair advantage. And surely marshmallow brands – Jet-Puffed, Dandies, Campfire should capitalize on the month-long opportunity to shine on social media.
But they aren’t the only ones celebrating – nor should they be. Traditional s’mores may be made with Hershey chocolate, but there’s always room to be creative:
Both S’mores Day and the non-s’mores specific holidays offer competitors a chance to grab their own foothold – and maybe have a day named after them in years to come.
For instance, National Toasted Marshmallow Day doesn’t turn up any results in the past month’s search on NetBase Pro – though oddly there are Twitter conversations about it at other times of the year.
And why not? Who says marshmallows must be enjoyed in the summer? A nice, Irish-cream dipped marshmallow in your hot chocolate sounds good in the dead of winter:
Or as a shade of nail polish:
The key is to find out what your audience wants specifically, and share content that puts them in mind of that desire. Like Chick-fil-A using a GIF of honey dripping slowly off a stack of biscuits to create hunger for their breakfast.
They used sentiment analysis to identify the content getting the most engagement overall, then put a breakfast spin on it. It was a game-changer for them.
Be a Problem Solver
When you look at the quirky holidays that exist, you’ll be surprised to note many don’t seem worth celebrating. Sure, it makes sense to shine a light on a disease in need of curing with something like Breast Cancer Awareness Month – but do we really need a World Mosquito Day (August 20th)?!
Big surprise: People hate mosquitoes!
Actually, given that malaria is on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa, and other mosquito-bourne diseases like Dengue, Zika virus, and West Nile virus continue to infect people in several global regions, including the U.S., this is a great day to share information.
Use social listening to reveal the conversations that already exist so you know how best to contribute:
What people want most with regard to mosquitoes
Especially considering how easily misinformation is spread across the internet, it’s important for people to know how to best protect themselves from mosquitoes. Holidays like World Mosquito Day offer a chance to join a larger conversation and put your brand or organization in front of a new audience.
This is the kind of thing nonprofits like the UNICEF and Malaria No More can use to build awareness leading into the last quarter of the year – when fundraising becomes the focus.
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
Every day social media offers brands the chance to put themselves out there and connect with their audiences on the topics they’re most passionate about. But some days are more perfectly suited to a particular conversation – and you don’t want to miss out!
Use social listening with sentiment analysis to see how you can put yourself on the map with a quirky holiday or day of awareness. Who knows? Generate enough social love and maybe someday your brand will have an annual day of its own!
Have you seen our sentiment analysis tools in action? Reach out and we’ll give you a customized tour!
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