Just a few weeks to go and there’s so much to do. Most of your competitors might already have set up a campaign to launch this Friendship day.

So, is it time to panic?

No way!

Pull up your socks and get digging on what can be done.

As a digital marketer, the day brings you an opportunity to get the bell ringing and acquire attention of existing and a whole new lot of customers. You have to take care of many things from website to social media to email.

Also Read: A Crucial Factor That Affects All Digital Marketing Channels

Here are some bullseye Friendship Day campaign ideas that pay off:

1. Put it out loud everywhere on your website

Your website is the very foundation around which your digital marketing campaign will revolve and you’ll have to focus on it first. You may have to:

• Put creative images (greeting the visitors) on the home page.
• Put offer related images on the landing pages.
• Plan pop-ups offering discounts. You have to ensure that they aren’t intrusive and don’t turn the visitors away.
• Make sure your website and pop up is mobile friendly. If your website pops up in a search engine query, and it isn’t mobile friendly, 40% of online users will go back and choose a different result- (Source -iAcquire and SurveyMonkey).

2. Leverage Social Media With Contest And Offers

Many large brands have successfully leveraged social media on Friendship Day. With 1.15 billion mobile daily active users, Facebook is a platform that no digital marketer can ignore to boost business on this day. Let’s see how some leading brands did it:

            Dominos Pizza ( Facebook)

They created a video and shared it on their Facebook page celebrating Friendship Day with their followers

            Serene Air (Twitter)

They are offering a special gift to every friend travelling with them.

Source: Serene Air

Even if you are not looking to create a video (or you might as well), there are so many ways you can leverage Facebook to boost your engagement and acquire new customers this friendship day. Just a few listed here:

• Think of a poll to ask your friends about what would be the perfect gift for their friends.
• A special discount for those who download your app via Facebook
• A secret goodie for random followers in a lucky draw
• A contest to invite friends to like the page
• A friendship day giveaway
• A best friend meme series supporting your products

…and the possibilities are just endless.

3. Shoot that Email With a Promo Code

Choose a high-quality template and design a campaign with a promo code. You can also offer your customers a memorable treat with their friends if they place an order above a certain quantity. This promo code may be for walk-in as well as online buyers. You can shoot a mail to all your subscribers with your promo code to avail a special discount. Maintain urgency with limited period offer to ensure maximum traction.

Gift Vouchers

You can also plan gift vouchers to make friendship day special for your customers like Snapdeal made use of a simple but effective gift voucher.

Source: Snapdeal

4. Go Live

Live is one of the coolest features you can bank on. You can also play live videos on Facebook and YouTube to grab the attention of your followers. With live offers, you will see the demand catching up in no time.

5. Get Flash Mobbing

If you can organize a flash mob in a mall or a planned outdoor location, it gives the youngsters a platform to indulge in dance, music, games in real-time. You can also design takeaways, gift coupons and eateries. Needless to say, it will certainly give a momentary boost to your products and will also make the day memorable for the participating people. Also, you can live stream your flash mob on social media channels to grab the attention of your online followers.

6. Sell in pairs

Friendship isn’t a solo act, so why not launch a combo offer on your best running product. The day is best to start combo offers with a focus on one plus one kind of offers one for self and other for a friend. Many brands have offer combo offers on this day to boost their business.

Source: Luxor

As 71% of shoppers believe they will get a better deal online than in stores, you can use website, social media and emails campaigns to pass the message to your customers about the offers and it will surely help you make the most of this special day.

Looking for more inspiration? Here’s a case study of how Cadbury made the most friendship day.

A case study: Cadbury Dairy Milk

Launched Products On Friendship Day

The brand has long been focusing on creating moments of joy. As a strategically placed act, Mondelez India launched two new flavors Cadbury Dairy Milk Honey Nut Crunch and Cadbury Dairy Milk Coffee Almond on friendship day.

Launch Supported By 360 Degree Communication Campaign

The launch was supported by a new TV commercial, outdoor, print & digital campaigns focusing on youth. Leveraging the social media the brand used the occasion to bind friends with a #Madfie contest which went viral.

Twitter #Madfie Contest

The brand asked friends to get crazy and take a mad selfie and post it on Twitter handle using #Madfie. The best #Madfie will be featured on Cadbury Hoarding or cover page.

Facebook #Realdosti

With #Realdosti campaign, Cadbury says “ Iss Friendship Day Cadbury Toh Banti Hai”.

In The End: Make It A Day To Remember

Being a digital marketer, you must be looking for new ways to make the most of every special day. Days like these come once in a year and leave lasting impressions in the growth stories of brands if leveraged efficiently. With these ideas, you might have found some inspiration to fabricate your own campaign. Creativity has no limitations; and with your fresh perspective infused with these ideas, you will certainly find more friends than customers this friendship day.

Also Read: TOP 10 DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS | RESULTFIRST. COM