• 28 October 2022
• Tiffany Carey

Six Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Sales This Holiday Season

The holiday season is a great time to sell products online. Consumers are looking for gifts to purchase, and they're looking for holiday deals. Social media traffic spikes 73% during the holidays. You must have an active presence on social if you want your customers to find you. Here are six (6) ways to increase your impact on social media this holiday season.

Update Your Profile

Get into the holiday spirit, starting with your social media profile. Use holiday-themed images and videos and use the space on your profile to promote any sales you have going on. Updating your profile makes it easy for social media users to see your offer and if special promotions are happening.

Create A Holiday Hashtag

Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the symbol # and are frequently used on social media platforms. They make the platform easier for people to navigate and find content they’re interested in. When creating a holiday hashtag, use specific keywords for your product or service. For example, a local coffee shop’s holiday hashtag might be #coffeeshopcheer or #espressoelves.

Initiate Holiday-Themed Campaigns

Create holiday-themed images and videos that fit the tone of your brand and share them on social throughout the season. Live streaming has become a significant part of brand strategy and is one of the most popular ways that shoppers consume and increase their knowledge of brand products.

Contests are also a great way to get your followers to promote your brand during the holiday season. You can engage your social fanbase and their followers by doing something as simple as running a holiday hashtag contest. Consider giving away prizes. For example, if you sell a specific product that goes well with food (like a cookbook), ask users to post photos of themselves enjoying their favorite recipes from the cookbook. Give away a discount or prize for whoever has tagged their photo with your holiday hashtag. Giveaways   incentivize consumers to follow your business.

Engage With Others and Use UGC

User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by individual users, not brands. Companies do not pay for UGC content, so it feels more authentic to its audience. Sticking with our cookbook context example, a video created of the user preparing a dish from the cookbook and then posting it is considered UGC. Posts like these can generate brand loyalty and establish community.

While posting content for your business, you should also be liking and commenting on other brands' and individuals' posts. Reciprocated engagement goes a long way. It’s one of the metrics some social media platforms use to determine where your content shows up, and, on Instagram and TikTok, it can place your brand on the Explore page, which is a highly coveted place to be.

Post Daily Deals or Giveaways

Promoting a daily deal creates a sense of urgency. Create a calendar of your social media posts and schedule what you will post when, so you don't forget important dates like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Then map out offers or discounts that coincide with each day.

Small business owners can also use giveaways to garner new followers. It can be as simple as offering a free gift or discount code to people who sign up for your newsletter. A giveaway on Instagram can boost your following 70% faster than average which means more visibility for your business during the holiday season.

Post Last-Minute Offers on Major Sale Days

Days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday can make a meaningful impact on your small business. In fact, 74% of shoppers plan to shop online for Black Friday deals to avoid crowds. Smaller retailers experience a 501% increase in sales on Cyber Monday. Take advantage of the time and create a targeted campaign to promote your special savings. Include a link to your social media page in the ads.

Have Fun with Social

Social media is an excellent tool for promoting your products or services at any time of the year. Just remember to have fun with it too. Be authentic in your posting, stay engaged with your social community, and you will see a great return on your investment.