Social Media Marketing Tips for The Holidays

The holidays are a great time to put your best foot forward with your holiday marketing. Whether you’re trying to attract new customers or just keep your current ones engaged, these holiday marketing ideas will help you make the most of the season. Social media marketing is a great way to market your business during the holidays. You can use holiday-themed images, videos, and posts to engage your audience and create a festive atmosphere. You can also offer special discounts and deals to help encourage people to visit your business during the holiday season. Using these and other holiday marketing ideas, you can help make your business successful during the busiest time of year.

Why does Holiday Marketing Matter?

Many companies launch holiday-themed social media campaigns to connect with potential customers and create a connection with the brand. While general campaigns may target a larger audience, holiday campaigns can be more targeted and personal. People generally engage more with their social media accounts during the holiday season. Also, holiday-themed campaigns can promote products or services that are particularly relevant to the holiday in question. For example, a company that sells Christmas trees might use a hashtag like #ChristmasTree for its campaign.

According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of U.S. adults use social media. In addition, the average American planned to spend $942 on holiday gifts in 2019. Last year, Americans spent $227.26 on non-holiday gifts such as decorations.

A great example of a holiday campaign is the Starbucks Red Cup contest. Originally started in 2014, engagement really went through the roof the following year. The first two days after the announcement in 2015 a submission was shared every 14 seconds! This type of campaign not only promoted engagement, but it has solidified Starbucks as a holiday icon with the return of their red cup annually.  

Fortunately, you don’t have to be the size of Starbucks to launch a successful social media campaign for the holidays. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while developing your own holiday marketing ideas:

Identify Your Objectives

To create a successful holiday marketing campaign, it is vital to have both quantitative and qualitative goals in place. Quantitative goals can be measured by using these metrics:

• Base – How many consumers are following your brand.
• Reach – How many consumers your product or service can reach within and outside of your base. 
• Engagement – How many of your target customers interact with your brand through various channels such as social media, email, etc.
• Conversion –  How many of your target consumers purchase your product or service.

Qualitative goals, however, focus on how well the campaign meets its objectives in terms of quality. These metrics are more subjective but still just as important and include things like:

• Reviews- How consumers are reacting to your product or service.
• Brand Trust- Your company’s reputation among consumers
• Brand Awareness- How knowledge of your brand is spreading. Usually by ads, reviews, or word of mouth.
• Feedback and Engagement- How your company is handling negative feedback and interacting with consumers as well as addressing their concerns.

Regarding holiday social media marketing, having specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals will help you track your progress and achieve your desired results.

Some good holiday marketing ideas for quantifiable goals include increasing the number of followers on your social media platforms, increasing the amount of engagement (likes, shares, comments) on your posts, and increasing website traffic from social media channels.

Qualitative goals could include increasing brand awareness or generating a certain number of leads from social media interactions. By setting both types of goals, you can be sure that your holiday social media marketing campaign is effective and achieving its intended results.

Put the Team in Place

If you’re in charge of social media marketing for your company during the holiday season, it’s crucial to have a plan in place. This includes setting goals, determining what channels you’ll use, and creating content. But it’s also essential to ensure everyone knows their role and what’s expected of them.

For example, if one team member is responsible for creating social media content, make sure they know what types of posts are most likely to be successful. And if another member is responsible for contacting customers, make sure they know when the best time to reach out is. By setting expectations up front, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and that your holiday marketing ideas and efforts are successful.

Start Early

Business holidays are busy, so holiday marketing is crucial to driving sales. But with all the hustle and bustle of the season, it can be tough to find the time to prepare your holiday marketing materials and ideas. 

That’s why it’s so important to start early and give yourself plenty of time to review your work. By getting a jump on your holiday marketing, you’ll be able to take a step back and evaluate your holiday marketing ideas before you launch them.

And if you’re using social media for your holiday marketing, giving yourself extra time will ensure that your social media campaigns are polished and ready to engage your customers. It’ll make all the difference in driving sales this holiday season.

Select a Target Audience

Holiday marketing is all about targeting the right people with the right message. As you start planning your holiday marketing campaigns, think about your target market and what kind of message will resonate with them. If you’re not sure who your target market is, do some research to figure out who you should be targeting. Once you know who you’re trying to reach, you can start creating content and planning strategies to engage them with your holiday marketing ideas. And don’t forget about social media! Platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer excellent opportunities to reach your target market with engaging content. 

Assess Your Platforms Against Your Needs

With the holidays coming up, it’s a great time to start thinking about your social media marketing strategy. One thing to consider is which platforms are best suited for your campaign. TikTok and Instagram may be good options if your drive is video-friendly. These platforms are especially helpful for direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands. Promoting with a holiday-themed video is a great way to speak directly with your customer base.

If you have a more robust following among a specific demographic, then Twitter or even LinkedIn may be better choices. B2B companies that run holiday specials or services that will help their clients through the holiday season do well promoting on these sites. Whatever platforms you choose, make sure to tailor your content specifically for each one.

Determine which posts will be boosted or advertised on social sites

Figuring out which posts should be boosted is tricky. A basic tip to follow is if the post is getting more views or engagements than normal. This would make it a good candidate for boosting because there is already proof it resonates with the audience. Another thing to consider is if the post has an important message, such as a time-sensitive sale, or a major offer.

Knowing the correct social site to post your ad on is also another vital factor in the success of your campaign. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are excellent places to promote holiday sales and special offers. By 2021, 84% of the US population will use at least one social media network. Here are some ideas for holiday marketing your business on the most popular platforms.

Twitter: Twitter has 396 million monthly active users, and YouTube is the most popular brand account on Twitter. You can use the platform to connect with YouTube influencers to promote your products on Twitter. The following image shows REESE’S used Twitter for their Holiday marketing campaign.

Facebook: Facebook has 2.93 billion monthly active users, and Over 1 billion stories are posted daily across Facebook apps. Facebook also allows you to segment your target audience by interests, demographics, and behaviors.

Instagram: Instagram has 1.44 billion monthly active users. According to recent studies, almost 4 out of 5 consumers use Instagram to find new products or services. Instagram Stories are a great way to share holiday content with your followers.

LinkedIn: It was reported that LinkedIn had approximately 774.61 million registered users globally. The LinkedIn Ads feature allows you to target your audience by job title, company size, and other criteria, enabling you to target your ad to the right audience.

Create a Budget

If you’re looking for holiday marketing ideas to get your company noticed, you may want to consider a paid media campaign. Paid media placements can be an effective way to reach your target audience. With 35% of marketers already integrating paid and social strategies, it’s clear that this is a popular approach.

Holiday social media marketing can be a great way to connect with potential customers and create holiday buzz for your company. By combining paid placements with engaging holiday-themed content, you can reach a broad audience and make a lasting impression this holiday season.

Why is the budget important?

Holiday marketing can be a great idea to connect with your customers and promote your brand. However, it can also be a significant drain on your marketing budget. To avoid overspending, setting a strict budget for each team is crucial. This will allow your marketing teams to plan accordingly based on the resources that will be available. For example, holiday social media marketing may be more expensive than other holiday marketing ideas, or your creative team may plan a video or photoshoot based on discretionary funds. As a result, you may need to allocate more funds to this team. Setting a budget ensures that your holiday marketing ideas and efforts are well-planned and cost-effective.

Determine Which Posts will be Boosted or Advertised on Social Sites

For many businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time of year. You must consider your paid media strategy if you’re planning on running a holiday marketing campaign. Which posts will you boost or advertise on social media? What kind of holiday-themed content are you going to create? How are you going to reach your target audience? The following image shows how Papersource used images on Instagram during the Christmas season. 

By developing a paid media strategy, you can ensure that your holiday marketing campaign is successful. Keep this in mind when planning your holiday marketing strategy and creating ideas.

Outline and Develop Content and Media

Holiday marketing ideas can be a great way to get your business noticed during the busy holiday season. But with so many companies competing for attention, how can you ensure your holiday marketing stands out?

Outline Both Visual and Written Contents

One way to do holiday social media marketing is to create new media, such as graphics, skits, videos, or pictures. This will help your business stand out from the crowd and attract attention on holiday social media channels. Align with best creative practices will also ensure that your holiday marketing is of the highest quality.

When it comes to holiday marketing, social media is a powerful platform. You can reach a broad audience and promote your holiday specials through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, before you start posting holiday content, it’s essential to take some time to plan your posts. By outlining the posts you have planned for the campaign’s duration, you can ensure that your holiday content is cohesive and engaging. 

Use social media planning tools to help schedule and publish your holiday posts. This will help you save time and stay organized throughout the busy holiday season. 

Launch, Monitor, Assess and React

As the holiday season approaches, many businesses ramp up their marketing efforts to take advantage of the increased spending during this time of year. However, it is essential to remember that rigidity is the enemy once the holiday campaign is launched. The holiday season is dynamic, and what works today might not work tomorrow. That’s why it’s crucial to stay vigilant in analyzing data to ensure your target market is being reached. If you see that your holiday marketing efforts and ideas are not yielding the desired results, don’t be afraid to adjust your strategy. Try shifting your paid advertising to different platforms or tweaking the language in your content to see if that makes a difference. The bottom line is that holiday social media marketing requires constant vigilance and a willingness to adjust as necessary. By remaining flexible, you can ensure your holiday marketing efforts and ideas are as successful as possible.

To make the most of holiday marketing, it is vital to start early and plan accordingly. This will give you plenty of time to develop content and media that stands out from the competition. Additionally, outline visual and written content, so your holiday marketing is cohesive and engaging. Regarding social media, use scheduling tools to help you stay organized. Finally, be prepared to react quickly to data to optimize your holiday marketing ideas and efforts. By following these tips, you can ensure that your holiday marketing is successful.

Get Help With Your Holiday Marketing Ideas

Look no further than Coalition if you’re searching for a social media marketing firm that can deliver completely transparent, high ROI campaigns in your holidays. We have specialists who help your company grow through social media rather than generalists, which results in better outcomes for your business. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve success through your holiday social media marketing effort!