It’s not too early to be planning your social media marketing for the Holiday season. We hope that you’ve already ordered your inventory and are making plans for staffing and order fulfillment, so you’ll be ready when the busiest shopping season begins in October.
We understand that with all the other things you have going on, it’s easy to postpone your Holiday social media plans. However, having a calendar of posts ready to go means you can jump right in with your marketing in the fall and perhaps gain an advantage over your procrastinating competition.
One of the things that holds retailers back with social media is not knowing what to post. Below are seven easy social media marketing tips for creating dynamic posts that will drive sales.
Your 2021 Holiday Marketing Guide: Ways to Create Great Holiday Marketing on Social Media
#1 Run Giveaway Campaigns
Who doesn’t like to get something for free? Increase your reach and build awareness of your company and products as well as increase your social media following with a holiday-themed contest.
You can do things like ask followers to post a picture of their family using your product or share a holiday-themed post with their social media friends. Or maybe you ask them to follow a link to sign up for your newsletter or other offering. Partnering with other brands is always a good idea to give your contest extra boost and increase your audience.
#2 Show Customer Appreciation
You can never thank your loyal customers too much for continuing to support your business. The Holiday season is a great time to give a shout out to your social media followers, and thank them for being loyal fans. You might give your followers a special promo code that offers 10% off or free shipping as a way of saying “thanks”. You can also create a unique hashtag and encourage your followers to post their own content on your pages. This is a great way to collect user generated content (UGC).
#3 Partner With Influencers
Influencer marketing can help give outside credibility to your brand. Influencers are people outside your company who have a large social media following and are considered experts in your field. Working with an influencer and having them create a few posts about your products or services can help increase your visibility and trustworthiness. Connect with the right influencers early on, so when the Holiday season comes around, everything is ready to go.
“49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations on social media.”
SOURCE
#4 Go Live
Do you shy away from posting videos or going live on Facebook because you’re uncomfortable with appearing on screen? You need to get over your shyness because live content works. You can use Facebook Live or Instagram to give a sneak preview of your Holiday products, show your store all decorated for the holidays and/or give details about Black Friday or other upcoming specials.
#5 Add Inclusivity
Showing your company’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity is just good business. During the Holiday season, you can show you care about the issues that your target customers care about. Maybe you post about delivering presents to disadvantaged children or a donation to a local charity. Maybe you post a picture of your “rainbow coalition” of workers. One caution, however, make sure that your motivation in giving or posting about issues is sincere and not just a marketing ploy. Readers will easily see if your motivations are not sincere.
#6 Be Authentic
Showing a little bit of your personality can set you apart from other companies that keep their personal likes and quirks carefully hidden behind their corporate “line”. Your social media followers can better identify with real people than with impersonal companies. Post things like what you and your family are planning to do for the holidays (perhaps using a product or two) or what you like best about the Holiday season. These types of posts will help diversify your content beyond simply talking about promotions, products and special offers. Your readers won’t feel like you’re trying to sell them something every time they see your company name.
“71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.”
SOURCE
#7 Spark Conversations
Conversations on social media not only increase involvement with your readers, but also helps to make sure that your posts are seen first by readers who comment or “like” your posts. Most social media platforms have algorithms that put people and companies that users interact with in front of them more often.
You can post things like asking what your followers are most excited about this Holiday season or what their favorite Holiday tradition is. One caveat, however, make sure that you stay on top of comments (both positive and negative). Asking a question and then ignoring the answers, even for just one day, can create a negative impression instead of a positive one.
Marketing on social media for the Holiday season doesn’t have to be something to dread. Make it easier by starting early, diversifying your social media posts by using all or some of our suggestions and designating a point person to be in charge of your social media marketing efforts. Here’s to a lucrative and successful 2021 Holiday season!
Contact us to strategize your social media campaigns for the busiest season of the year, and beyond.