by Melanie Torres
It’s mid-December which means we are all immersed in the busiest (and most wonderful) time of the year. With Christmas right around the corner, gift shopping is high on the list of priorities for consumers and nearly half have turned to the Internet as their favorite shopping destination. If your brand is currently in the midst of a competitive online strategy for the holidays it’s vital to start incorporating some of these magical holiday social media tips as well. Research has shown that over 75% of consumers are using their smartphones to research and make holiday purchases, and 65% will turn to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to find the perfect holiday gifts. With “Super Saturday” (last Saturday before Christmas) and “Boxing Day” (day after Christmas) being two of the busiest shopping days of the year, it’s more important than ever to make sure your brand is in the forefront of consumer’s minds.
So how can you go about creating a magical social strategy during this holiday season? In order to stand out amongst the crowd your brand needs to offer two key traits: authenticity & shareability. The content you develop, whether it be videos, infographics, photos or text, needs to fit a theme that not only encompasses who you are as a brand, but also fits the holiday motif.
The following are a few tips for how to leverage some of the most popular social platforms to engage with customers and drive sales during the holidays.
Facebook:
- Post Facebook exclusive offers for your fans and encourage them to share it with their network.
- Allot a specific budget to kick up your Facebook advertising- driving traffic to your Facebook page, a specific post about the upcoming sale, or even straight to a landing page on your website.
- Ask your fans for feedback on products your brand is selling.
- Engage your audience with thought provoking, fun and relatable holiday questions. For example, you can share a holiday tradition that relates to your brand and ask your fans which holiday traditions they share with their family each year.
- Post a new discount each day leading up to “Boxing Day”, encouraging your fans to check your page every day to take advantage of the discount.
- Create a series of cute holiday inspired videos that you can share and then upload them directly to Facebook so they will autoplay in your fan’s Newsfeeds.
- Host a giveaway or Facebook contest using a third party application. Not only is it a great way to gain more engagement and build your Facebook audience, but if done right it can also build your email list as well.
Twitter:
- It’s more important than ever to maintain real-time customer service through Twitter- answering questions, responding to mentions, and retweeting influential tweets about your brand.
- Build buzz around new and popular products that your brand is selling or about to launch.
- Offer an awesome coupon code every day at the same time leading up to Christmas or the end of the year. Be sure to cross promote via email, website, and other social channels to let fans know to follow you on Twitter to see the discount or coupon code.
- Ask fans to tweet their wish list with something your brand offers using your Twitter handle. Pick a winner and give them that product or service for free.
- Make sure at least 95% of tweets include a link to your website where fans can purchase your products/tickets/services.
Instagram:
- Make sure your website is featured in the bio section of your IG account.
- Feature fun holiday inspired photos of your products each day during the season.
- Offer exclusive Instagram promotions for fans and ask them to “check your Instagram” on a certain day and time to receive the discount.
- Create fun and interactive contests, asking fans to direct message you in order to enter. Just check out BaubleBar for ideas.
- Loop Giveaways are all the rage right now. Partner with other brands to offer one awesome giveaway. Ask fans to follow all the participating brands and regram an image with a specific hashtag in order to win.
- Take advantage of Instagram’s 15 second video and apps like Hyperlapse to create fun and shareable holiday promos.
Pinterest:
- Perhaps the “holy grail” of social media shopping, over 70% of consumers use Pinterest to purchase items so it’s vital to pin products that your company offers and link them back to the website.
- Create interesting gift-buying boards and separate them by categories. For example: “Gifts for Him” or “Holiday Party Necessities”.
- Follow and engage with other trending holiday pins and boards. This helps your brand reach more consumers and get noticed.
- Take advantage of “Rich Pins” which allow you to add pricing, product availability and other important information into the pin. More importantly it sends a notification directly to the Pinterest users who “pin it” alerting them when the product goes on sale or becomes available.
No matter what tips you incorporate during this holiday season remember to keep things joyful and inspiring. Your fans still want to see engaging content from you that isn’t just a push for sales, so keep that delicate balance in mind. The real secret to a magical holiday social media strategy is finding a way to make your brand another source of inspiration and holiday cheer for consumers everywhere.