The holidays are typically the busiest time of the year, not just for individuals but also for businesses. With everyone shopping for gifts, planning holidays, and even looking to start a new life in the new year, there’s hardly an industry that doesn’t experience peak season in the winter. So whatever type of business you’re running, you can expect to be busy come holiday season. While peak season can be exhausting and resource-intensive, it can also be an excellent opportunity to make a profit. You just need to make the most of it. The perfect way to achieve that is with some holiday social media marketing. Play your cards right on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and you can easily attract a lot of new customers this winter!
How is holiday social media marketing different from regular social media efforts?
Social media is a valuable resource for businesses year-round. You should be active on the platforms you’ve chosen all the time. And this activity requires planning your posts, sharing high-quality content, and interacting with your followers – all things you’ll be doing during the holidays. So how does the season affect how you use social media? The obvious answer is that most of your activity will be holiday-themed. The less obvious answer is that your social media is about to become a lot more important for a few weeks. Here are some things you can expect when using social media for marketing during the holidays:
- You’ll need to plan your posts specifically around the dates of the important winter holidays.
- You mustn’t forget to wish your followers happy holidays – and that doesn’t just mean Christmas either!
- If your business sells anything that can be given as a gift, you should market that because people who are on the lookout for presents will be a lot more willing to make purchases at this time.
- People will want to know when your physical locations are open or how fast you can deliver products if you ship them; this will cause more activity on your social media.
Ultimately, this means you’ll have more work to do. But the reward will be bigger too.
Most people are susceptible to marketing during the holidays because they’re already in a mood to shop for gifts and decorations
The best strategies for holiday social media marketing
So what can you do to make your social media festive in the best possible way? There are many different options to consider, ranging from small things like posting best holiday wishes on Christmas to big projects like organizing a holiday raffle. Here are some of the best tips:
Timing is everything
No winter holiday is just a single day of celebration; the days and weeks leading up to it are also full of preparation. Your marketing needs to tap into this excitement too. So don’t wait until the end of December to say something. Instead, start posting about the holidays a few weeks in advance. Talk about decorating or buying gifts on your social media accounts. Give your brand a holiday makeover by changing the visuals on your social media to fit the theme – a profile picture with a Santa hat or snow animation on your website will go a long way toward creating a holiday atmosphere. Of course, you don’t want to go overboard and talk about Hanukkah in July. But spreading out your holiday posts over a few weeks will help you drum up excitement.
Celebrate the holidays all through December.
Don’t try too hard – there is such a thing as too much holiday cheer
It’s very easy to go overboard on social media – you post too much or too often or too inauthentically. But consumers don’t like this; that’s why one of the leading social media trends this year has been posting in moderation. Stick to this during the holiday season as well. Don’t spam your followers with a new post every hour, and don’t make them sick of the holidays by only talking about that. It’s important to find a good balance.
Go beyond the sales pitch
There’s no denying that people are more likely to spend money during the holidays. So this is the perfect time to sell them your goods and services. But how you approach this task will make a huge difference. You don’t want to just type up your sales pitch in a Tweet, add a few holiday hashtags, and hope for the best. This often makes it too obvious that you’re pushing for a sale, and most consumers (especially in the younger generations) find that off-putting. So make yourself a resource instead.
Don’t focus on selling; if you run a blog, focus on writing about the holiday topics that attract readers – how to decorate a home, how to choose the perfect gift, where to go on a winter getaway, what to do with holiday decorations afterward. You can also post these as little tidbits on social media, or make them into an informative image. For more detailed explanations, blog posts are the way to go, and you can share the link on your social media. That way, you can attract traffic to both your website and your social media accounts. Finally, don’t forget that video is the fastest-growing content type – if you can, film your holiday tips and post them on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
Get in the spirit of the season
Winter holidays are all about gift-giving and celebrations. Your business can participate in this too. You can organize giveaways or raffles. Give your customers an opportunity to win a major discount code, a gift card, or some free products by interacting with your social media profiles, inviting new followers, or sharing your posts. This is the perfect way to thank your customers for being there for you this year. Existing customers will appreciate what you’re doing for them, and new customers will want to join in on the action.
Join in on the gift-giving and organize giveaways for your loyal customers.
Celebrate with authenticity
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in online marketing is being fake. Your followers are probably avid social media users themselves; they’ll be able to tell when you’re not being genuine. So don’t fake it – stay true to your brand during the holidays as well. Stick to the same tone of voice you typically use on social media, post the same type of content that you normally do, and be just as active as you always are. Just dress it up in holiday attire!
How to make the most of holiday social media marketing
Although holiday social media marketing is a bit specific, many of the same rules still apply. Don’t post too much or too little; follow the etiquette of the platform you’re on; build relationships with your followers rather than treating your accounts as just an advertisement platform. But above all, the most important thing is to know your demographic. How are your customers spending the holidays? What are they looking for this winter? And how can you as a business fulfill their needs at this time? Give your customers what they’re looking for, and they’ll reward you handsomely with follows, likes, and shares.