The holiday season is almost here. As you know, we’ll be coming up on the busiest time of year for retailers and brands. With consumers ready to spend, it’s crucial to have an effective holiday marketing strategy in place. One of the most important channels for holiday marketing is social media. During the holiday season, usage of social media explodes as people look for gift ideas, party inspiration, sales announcements and more. According to recent statistics, 60% of millennials say social media influences their holiday purchases. Additionally, holiday social media engagements increase by up to 140%.
With consumers hungry for holiday-related content, now is the perfect time to up your social media marketing game. In this post, I’ll share 10 effective ways you can use social media for seasonal marketing and promotions. From targeted social ads to holiday hashtag campaigns, these tactics will help you connect with customers and maximize sales during the busy holiday shopping season. Read on to learn how to make the holidays merry and bright with social media!
Create Holiday-Themed Content
The holidays are a festive time of year, so don’t be afraid to add some seasonal flair to your social media content. Use festive colors like red, green and gold or incorporate holiday imagery like Christmas trees, menorahs, snowflakes and more. Share photos and videos of your products or services being used in a holiday setting. For example, if you sell baking supplies, share a video of someone using your products to decorate holiday cookies.
Get creative and create original holiday content like blog posts on gift ideas, infographics with holiday statistics or fun quizzes. You can also collaborate with other businesses to create co-branded holiday content. Partner with a florist to share holiday flower arranging tips or collaborate on a holiday gift guide.
Make sure to promote your stellar holiday content on other channels too. Share your holiday social posts in your e-newsletter or create a dedicated landing page on your website to house all of your seasonal content in one place. Repurposing holiday content across platforms will maximize your reach and extend the lifespan of your hard work.
The holidays are the perfect time for feel-good, uplifting content that captures the festive spirit of the season. Spruce up your social channels with eye-catching holiday images, videos and content that both informs and entertains.
Run Holiday Contests and Giveaways
The holidays are a popular time for brands to run contests and giveaways on social media. Contests are a great way to engage your audience and spread holiday cheer.
When running a holiday giveaway, make sure the prizes are seasonally relevant. Offer gift cards, your holiday products or bundles of festive treats. Keep the entry requirements simple by asking people to like, share or comment on your post. And be sure to promote the giveaway across all of your social platforms.
Share news of the giveaway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and anywhere your audience is most active. Post frequently about the contest leading up to the entry deadline to keep it top of mind. This will help increase entry numbers and engagement.
It’s also smart to associate a unique hashtag with the giveaway. Encourage entrants to include the hashtag when they promote the contest with their networks to amplify your reach. After the contest wraps, compile some of the best entries that used your hashtag into a holiday highlight reel post.
Contests and giveaways can help grow awareness while making customers feel special this holiday season. Just make sure your prizes, promotion and hashtag are all on point to maximize the impact of your holiday giveaway.
Use Holiday Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to connect with target audiences on social media during the holidays. When using holiday hashtags, you can join larger seasonal conversations while simultaneously promoting your brand.
Start by incorporating popular seasonal hashtags like #holidays, #christmas, #hanukkah or #newyear into your social captions and comments. This helps users interested in those topics discover your relevant content.
You can also create branded holiday hashtags unique to your business to promote and track specific holiday initiatives. For example, if you’re running a custom Christmas gift guide, you could use a hashtag like #BrandNameChristmasGiftGuide.
Remember to use hashtags consistently across different platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok. Display them prominently in your captions, but also thread them into comments and stories for additional exposure.
It’s important to track the performance of branded hashtags and larger trending tags you incorporate. Analayze which hashtags are driving the most engagement and clicks for your holiday content. Then double down on the most effective tags by promoting them more aggressively.
Hashtagging your holiday content is an easy way to expand your reach and get more eyeballs on your social campaigns this season. Be strategic with a mix of popular and custom tags that resonate with your audience.
Promote Your Holiday Sales and Promotions
- Use clear and concise language to describe your sales and promotions.
- Highlight the benefits of your sales and promotions.
- Make sure your sales and promotions are visible on all of your social media channels.
- Offer exclusive discounts or deals to your social media followers.
The holidays equal sales for both retailers and consumers. That’s why it’s important to promote all your seasonal promotions and deals on social media using clear, compelling language.
Craft posts that clearly describe the details of any holiday sales or special offers. Include specifics like discount percentages, promo codes and sale dates so customers know exactly how to capitalize on the savings.
When writing social copy, put emphasis on the benefits of your holiday promotions. For example, rather than just listing the sale details, explain how customers can save big on holiday gifts for the whole family. This helps connect the dots for your audience.
For maximum visibility, make sure to broadcast your sales across all of your connected social profiles. Share the promotions prominently on your Facebook page and in Instagram captions. Promote them in your Instagram Stories and Twitter feed. The more placements, the better.
You can also consider offering exclusive holiday discounts for your social media followers and subscribers only. This provides added incentive for people to connect with you on social and take advantage of special savings.
Promoting holiday sales on social media is the perfect way to spread seasonal savings to the masses. Use it as an opportunity to attract new followers and reward existing customers with special offers just for them.
Personalize Your Holiday Marketing
The holidays are the perfect time to add a personal touch to your social media marketing. Find opportunities to directly engage your audience this season.
When possible, address your followers or customers by name in social posts. A simple “Happy Holidays, [insert name]” makes people feel seen. You can also use holiday greetings that resonate with your target audience like “Happy Hanukkah” or “Merry Christmas.”
Tailor your content to the specific interests of your audience as well. For example, share gift ideas that are relevant to their demographics and buying behaviors. Create social posts with useful tips or ideas that solve common holiday pain points for your niche.
Don’t be afraid to use humor and creativity too. Crafting social copy with a relatable, humorous tone helps build connections with your audience. Similarly, entertaining video or image content also helps grab attention during the busy holiday season.
Adding personal touches to your holiday marketing reminds followers there are real people behind your brand. Taking the extra time to craft relevant, engaging social content shows you truly value their loyalty all year long.
Run Holiday Ad Campaigns
Paid social ads are a powerful way to reach new audiences during the hectic holiday shopping season.
When running holiday ad campaigns, first target your ads using seasonal keywords or demographics. For example, target people who are actively searching for related terms like “Christmas gifts” or “holiday party ideas”. You can also target by age groups, interests and behaviors that correlate with holiday shopping.
The creative in your ads is also important. Since people see a plethora of holiday ads this time of year, make sure yours stand out. Use eye-catching imagery and video along with engaging captions like “The Holidays Are Merrier with [Your Brand]”.
Once your holiday ads are running, closely track performance. Pay attention to click-through rate, cost per result and conversion rates. Learn which types of ads, targets and creatives resonate most with your audience. Then optimize your campaigns by allocating more budget towards high-performing ads.
Holiday social ad campaigns can rapidly expand your reach and conversions. Just make sure to closely analyze the data to determine the best allocation of your ad spend.
Use Social Media to Interact with Your Customers
The holidays are a busy time for customer service teams. Use social media to personally engage with your audience and strengthen loyalty.
Closely monitor your social channels for any questions or comments from followers during the holidays. Respond promptly to demonstrate you are listening and ready to assist.
Look for conversations happening around holiday keywords and hashtags relevant to your business. Jump into these discussions when appropriate to offer helpful tips or insights to those interested in the topic.
Show appreciation for support from your social community during the stressful holiday rush. Post thanks for positive reviews or feedback and wish happy holidays to loyal customers by name.
Consider providing full customer service through social media during the holidays as well. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer options for messaging with brands. Staff up your social media team to handle an influx of customer service inquiries that may come your way this season.
The holidays are a perfect time to show customers you care through social media interactions. Go the extra mile to respond, assist and appreciate your audience to help cement lasting relationships.
Use Social Media to Build Relationships With Influencers
Influencer marketing should be part of your holiday social strategy. Partnering with relevant influencers can help boost your brand and sales during the busy holiday season.
Start by identifying influencers who create content for your target audience. Look for influencers with an established social media presence and a high level of engagement.
Reach out to prospective influencers to gauge their interest in a holiday partnership. Offer them something of value like exclusive products or discounts to sweeten the deal. Make sure the partnership is mutually beneficial by discussing promotional strategies and compensation upfront.
Send influencers holiday-themed products or content to share with their audiences. Provide them with custom discount codes and assets to integrate into posts. Encourage them to use your branded hashtags.
Closely track the results of influencer partnerships using unique promo codes and UTM parameters. See which influencers drive the most holiday sales or leads to assess partnership ROI.
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to expand your holiday reach and credibility. With the right influencer relationships, you can tap into new audiences and drive measurable results.
Use Social Media to Track Your Results
The key to maximizing your holiday social media strategy is properly tracking performance. Monitor your metrics to gain insight into what content and tactics are moving the needle.
Use built-in analytics tools on each platform to view key data around your branded holiday posts. Look at reach and impressions to see how many users your content is displayed to. Engagement metrics like likes, comments, shares and clicks show who is interacting with your posts.
You can also use UTMs or unique promo codes to track conversions driven specifically from social media. Shorten links in your social posts to monitor traffic to your holiday landing pages or promotions. See which platforms, posts and partnerships result in the most sales.
Check your analytics frequently during the holiday season. The quick feedback will allow you to iterate on your approach in real-time. Lean into what works while pulling back on areas underperforming.
Paying close attention to your holiday social media metrics is crucial for understanding what resonates most with your audience. Use the data to refine your strategy and increase the overall impact of your seasonal campaigns.
Have Fun With It!
Don’t forget the holidays are supposed to be fun! This is the perfect time of year to let your brand’s personality shine in your social media marketing.
Show your festive spirit by using fun language, emojis and gifs in your holiday social posts. Share behind-the-scenes photos or videos of your team getting into the holiday spirit.
Feel free to think outside the box and experiment with fun, engaging holiday content ideas. Try new things like holiday themed Instagram filters, live shopping events or partnerships with seasonal influencers.
Get creative with your holiday posts! Come up with witty or amusing copy and eye-catching images. Find fun and festive ways to showcase your products that align with the spirit of the season.
Most importantly, make sure you are having fun with it! Don’t let holiday marketing feel like a chore. Approach it with a spirit of creativity and friendly engagement. Let your passion and joy for the holidays shine through in your social media presence.
Conclusion
The holidays offer a prime opportunity to connect with customers and drive results using social media. As evidenced by the tactics above, there are countless ways to optimize your seasonal campaigns on social platforms.
The key is crafting engaging, relevant content that resonates with your audience. Take advantage of all the festive themes and opportunities the holidays provide. Don’t forget to track your efforts so you know what’s working and what’s not.
Hopefully this post has provided some valuable tips and inspiration to help make this your most successful holiday marketing season yet on social media. The holidays will be here before you know it, so now is the time to start planning your social strategy.
Feel free to reach out with any additional questions. I wish you nothing but success this holiday season and always! Happy marketing!