Who has time for social media over the holidays?! Businesses are so busy during the holiday season that social media is often overlooked. Customers, however, check social media all throughout the holidays to find exclusive deals, enter contests, share stories and view photos and videos.
By this time, most of your holiday marketing campaigns should be planned out and activated. But there’s still time to schedule social media posts for this month. Use your social media pages to drive sales and increase engagement over the holidays. If you want to make the most of your time so you can focus on holiday sales, automate your social media posting so your pages are updated without you having to spend time manually posting.
1. Run a holiday giving campaign.
The holidays are a great time to show your support for your local community. Pledge to donate a portion of your holiday revenue to a local nonprofit organization. Update your social media pages frequently to show your progress toward reaching your holiday giving goal. Getting involved with your community shows your customers that they are choosing a business with a strong sense of corporate citizenship and a commitment to important issues. These posts are likely to receive a lot of comments, likes, retweets and shares.
2. Increase excitement with a fun holiday contest.
Social media is a great place for running contests. And the holiday season is the ideal time for giving awesome gifts and making dreams come true. Social media contests are most effective when they get people personally involved. For a chance to win, ask people to share their most embarrassing holiday story, a prized holiday recipe or their favorite holiday photo from their childhood. As for the prize, a holiday shopping spree or all-inclusive holiday vacation is sure to build interest.
3. Boost sales with daily holiday promotions.
At this time of year, you can earn a lot of extra revenue through add-on sales. Even if customers have already purchased their big holiday gifts, they will be looking for additional gifts and stocking stuffers right up until Christmas Eve. Also, gift buying procrastinators like me will appreciate last-minute promotions. Offer a daily deal exclusive to social media so people have a reason to visit your social media pages often. Provide a discount coupon, a special sale on items you are trying to move or a daily “Buy this item and get this item free!” promotion. This strategy helps you drive sales throughout the entire holiday season.
4. Feature customer stories to create a more personal connection.
Customers love to see real life stories from other people just like them. This type of content is unique and engaging, and it shows that you are a business with a strong focus on personal interaction. Keep stories short and simple, and include a picture of the customer if you have their permission. Stories such as “the holiday gift that meant the most to me,” “my biggest holiday decorating mishap” or “my funniest holiday memory” are interesting and will gain lots of interaction on social media. Provide an incentive for customers to share their stories, such as a personalized holiday coupon or a free mystery gift.
5. Show customers how to create homemade holiday gifts using items from your store.
This is one great way to push more sales and get customers involved. Everyone likes to get creative, and handmade gifts are often the ones recipients cherish the most. Provide detailed instructions on how to bake a special holiday treat, make your own holiday cards, create a unique toy or craft a personalized ornament. Give people an idea of approximately how long it takes to make the item and list everything they will need to complete the project, using things from your store.
