The holiday season is one of the most exciting and profitable times of the year for businesses, but it’s also one of the busiest and most competitive. To make the most of the holiday surge, an optimized social media strategy can help you reach new audiences, engage loyal followers, and drive sales.
Ideally, you would start planning your holiday content months in advance, ensuring everything from promotions to visuals is ready to roll out. But don’t worry if you’re just starting – it’s not too late! As Sheryl Sandberg wisely said, “Done is better than perfect.” Now’s the time to buckle down, create a streamlined plan, and maximize the potential to connect with your audience.
Planning Ahead for Your Holiday Social Media Strategy
Why Early Planning is Essential for Promotions and Campaigns
Holiday marketing is highly competitive, and planning ahead allows you to prepare a cohesive, well-executed campaign that stands out amidst the holiday noise. By starting early, you can:
- Create a consistent theme and message for your holiday content.
- Avoid the stress of last-minute content creation and scheduling.
- Leverage popular holiday shopping dates, like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and even Christmas Eve.
Starting months in advance also provides you with ample time to create diverse content that will resonate with your audience throughout the season. The best-case scenario is to begin your holiday planning in the summer or even early fall. But, there’s still time to set a holiday strategy in motion.
How to Get Started Now
If you’re starting late, don’t panic. A successful holiday campaign doesn’t have to be complicated. Begin by outlining key dates and goals, and then build your content strategy around them. Here are a few quick-start steps to get you rolling:
- Identify Key Dates and Promotions: Determine which holidays are most relevant to your business. For many, the main focus will be Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas. It’s also wise to think about lesser-known holidays, such as Small Business Saturday.
- Set Clear Goals: Are you aiming to increase sales, attract new followers, or engage existing customers? Define your primary goals for each holiday and ensure your content aligns with these objectives.
- Repurpose Existing Content: Look through your archives for content that performed well in previous years or during peak shopping seasons. Reframe these posts with a holiday twist, add festive imagery, or incorporate a seasonal call-to-action to save time and leverage proven content.
- Create a Content Calendar: Plan posts for each holiday to ensure you’re staying consistent and organized. Use social media scheduling tools like Vista Social to pre-schedule content. This way, you can keep a steady posting cadence without manually posting daily.
- Prepare Visual Assets: High-quality visuals are essential for standing out on social media, especially during the visually saturated holiday season. Design holiday-themed graphics, banners, and videos in advance. Canva and other design platforms make it easy to create festive visuals quickly, even if you’re not a graphic designer.
Engaging with Your Audience Through Festive Social Media Content
The holiday season is all about connection, joy, and celebration, making it an ideal time to build stronger relationships with your audience. By tailoring your content to fit the festive mood, you can engage your followers in a way that feels authentic and relevant. Here are some effective ways to engage your audience with holiday-themed content across different business types.
1. For Real Estate Brokerages: “Home for the Holidays” Campaign
In the real estate world, holidays are a great time to tap into emotions associated with home and family. A “Home for the Holidays” campaign can showcase properties as ideal spaces for creating memories. Here’s how a real estate agency could create engaging holiday content:
- Virtual Holiday Tours: Host virtual tours on Facebook or Instagram Live, giving potential buyers a walkthrough of festive, decorated properties. Highlight features like fireplaces, cozy living rooms, or big kitchens perfect for holiday gatherings.
- Holiday Giveaway: Create a holiday raffle with a prize like a gift card to a local restaurant, store, or seasonal decoration shop. Encourage followers to tag friends or share their favorite holiday tradition in the comments for a chance to win.
- Tips for Buyers and Sellers: Share valuable holiday-related real estate tips, such as how to stage a home during the holiday season or best practices for house hunting in winter. Posts like “5 Tips for Selling Your Home This Holiday Season” can be helpful, informative, and drive engagement.
2. For Brick-and-Mortar Stores: “12 Days of Deals” Countdown
Brick-and-mortar stores, whether they sell clothes, gifts, or home goods, can drive foot traffic with social media campaigns designed to bring people into the store. A “12 Days of Deals” campaign offers fresh incentives for followers to visit your store each day:
- Daily Deal Announcements: Use Instagram Stories or Facebook posts to reveal each day’s deal. Consider discounts on popular items, holiday bundles, or small gifts with purchase.
- Behind-the-Scenes Content: Show your followers how your store is gearing up for the holidays. Share videos of your team decorating, restocking, or unboxing new holiday items to build a connection with your audience.
- Customer Appreciation: Show your loyal customers some love by featuring them in your posts or hosting an appreciation event. Encourage followers to come into the store and take a holiday photo to be featured on your page. This is a great way to build a community feel while celebrating your customers.
3. For Online Service Providers: “Holiday Prep Made Easy” Guides
Online service providers, such as coaches, consultants, or digital product sellers, can offer tremendous value by helping clients navigate the busy holiday season. Here’s how an online service-based business can engage their audience:
- Holiday Guides and Tips: Create mini-guides or how-to posts that solve seasonal pain points. For example, a social media marketing consultant could share “5 Tips for Keeping Your Social Media Active During the Holidays.” These posts position you as an expert while providing your audience with actionable advice.
- Festive Webinars or Virtual Workshops: Host a holiday-themed webinar, such as “Year-End Financial Tips” or “Setting New Year Goals for Your Business.” Promote the event on LinkedIn and Instagram, creating buzz and allowing you to connect directly with potential clients.
- Special Holiday Packages: Consider offering holiday packages or year-end discounts on your services. For example, an online coach might provide a “Start the New Year Strong” package at a reduced rate to help clients with their holiday and New Year’s goals.
Holiday-Specific Tips for a Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn Social Media Strategy
Each social media platform offers unique features that can make your holiday campaigns more effective. Here’s how to optimize your holiday social media strategy with content for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn:
- Holiday Polls and Questions: Engage your followers by asking fun holiday questions, like their favorite holiday movie or preferred seasonal treat. Polls and questions can increase engagement and give insight into your audience’s preferences.
- Facebook Events: Create Facebook Events for any in-store or online holiday events, such as a holiday sale, webinar, or holiday photo booth. Encourage followers to RSVP, and update the event with any promotions or reminders.
- Use Video Content: Video is a powerful medium, especially on Facebook. A short video showcasing a holiday deal or a behind-the-scenes look at your holiday preparations can perform well on this platform.
- Stories Highlights: Dedicate a Story Highlight to your holiday content, keeping your promotions, giveaways, and festive moments in one place for easy access.
- Reels for Short, Fun Content: Create short Reels with a holiday theme, like decorating tips, unboxing new arrivals, or quick how-to tips. Reels are highly engaging and can boost visibility thanks to Instagram’s algorithm.
- Gift Guides: Use Instagram to create visual gift guides. Post images or carousels showcasing items under different themes, like “Gifts for Her,” “Budget-Friendly Gifts,” or “Top Seller Picks.”
- Seasonal Professional Advice: Share helpful tips related to your industry. A B2B business, for example, could post about how to keep team morale up during the holidays or year-end tax planning.
- Year-End Reflection Posts: Reflect on the past year and share insights, milestones, and future goals with your network. This type of personal, thoughtful post can be inspiring and increase engagement on LinkedIn.
- Seasonal Testimonials or Case Studies: Share stories of how you helped a client achieve a holiday-related goal, such as increasing sales or hitting year-end targets. Customer success stories resonate with LinkedIn’s professional audience.
Wrapping Up Your Holiday Social Media Strategy
Planning a holiday social media strategy may feel overwhelming if you’re getting started late, but remember that action is more important than perfection. Sheryl Sandberg’s advice, “Done is better than perfect,” is especially fitting during the holiday rush. A well-planned, consistent holiday campaign will bring you far more results than scrambling to achieve the “perfect” strategy.
The holiday season is an opportunity to strengthen relationships with your audience, build community, and drive sales. With a structured approach and engaging, festive content, you’ll not only survive the holiday season – you’ll thrive in it. Happy holidays and happy posting!
