The 2020 Holiday Season is officially upon us, with Black Friday just a few short weeks away. Just as neighbors are beginning to put up holiday lights, brands everywhere are gearing up their online platforms for the most joyous time of the year. While giving your social media platforms a holiday facelift is certainly festive, revamping content, promotions, and increasing online visibility can also help improve sales and revenue in the final push of Q4.
It’s no secret that the time between now and New Year’s Day is the busiest online shopping season, as consumers look for the perfect gifts for friends and family. In fact, studies state that the average consumer buys 16 separate gifts online during the holiday season. For eCommerce brands that sell items like electronics, clothing, beauty products, and other goods this is great news. However, with so many brands on social media competing for space, it’s essential to cut through the digital noise and set your company apart from the crowd.
Here are five organic social media tips you can use to improve holiday sales and revenue, and why they’re so important.
1. Make a Calendar of Noteworthy Days
We all know the big days, such as Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, and you certainly want to map those out and schedule content accordingly. However, it’s also important to look for “smaller” days that are relevant to either your brand directly or the holiday season at large.
For example, does your company sell reusable water bottles or outdoor gear? It’s definitely helpful to know that November 17th is National Take a Hike Day, to capitalize on the theme and incorporate a hashtag in your content calendar. These “for fun” holidays can help generate more awareness for your brand during the holiday season, when shoppers are on the lookout for products to purchase.
Additionally, keep in mind that while holidays are one-day events, the spirit lives on much longer. If you are planning a Black Friday post or promotion, develop a framework of content to publish in the days leading up to that day as well as the days immediately following. Doing this can help you make the most of the momentum from the biggest shopping day of the year and help keep your brand top of mind for consumers for a longer period.
2. Focus on Engagement, Not Sales
This might sound counterintuitive if you’re looking to improve holiday revenue and sales but remember that your paid social media strategy can do a lot of the heavy lifting in this regard. With organic social media content, your focus should be on customer engagement and community building.
Organic social media platforms are your chance to open a dialogue with customers and potential customers. To answer questions, receive feedback, and learn more about consumers’ interests.
Ways to improve engagement including things like running polls. For example, if you’re a travel company take this opportunity to ask users if they’re traveling for the holidays. Not only does this give you the chance to interact with your potential customer base, but it also provides you with valuable market insight that directly impacts your brand.
3. Promote Good Will & Share Gratitude
If your organization participates in any good will events during this time of year, such as food drives or donating to a worthy cause, it’s definitely a good idea to share about it on your organic social platforms. This time of year, people are looking for feel-good content that will lift them up, and they’re also more likely to pay attention to things like corporate social responsibility and consider it when making a purchase.
Consumers want to buy products and gifts that will make their loved ones happy, but they’re also looking for products that they can feel good about buying. Knowing the positive difference your brand is making in the community can have a significant impact.
Now is also an excellent time to thank your customers and show gratitude for your online community. Show users that you value their input, engagement, and that their loyalty to your brand is appreciated.
4. Remain Online, Active, and Visible
Creating engaging content is the first step to using social media to boost holiday sales but being engaging is what really matters. If you are encouraging users to post feedback or share personal stories, it’s important that you have a representative or designated team who takes the time to respond to these customers as well.
This is something that can really set your brand apart in the digital space. Providing customer service to address complaints, thanking individuals for their feedback, or giving further direction to customers who are looking for more information is crucial.
Also, take this chance to learn even more about your audience. If a user posts a comment or feedback, take the time not only to acknowledge them, but also to follow up with another question and engage with them further. Be authentic and have real conversations.
5. Take Action with the Information You Gather
Once you have a solid level of community engagement, you’re actively posting relevant holiday content, and learning more about your audience with interactive posts, it’s time to take that information and do something with it. Make sure that your learnings, insights, and any data you receive through organic social media platforms gets back to the correct people or departments within your company.
Are a lot of users experiencing the same problem on your website and commenting about it on Facebook? Make sure that your web development team knows about the issue so they can form a solution. Or maybe lots of customers are asking if you make a specific product in a certain size. Bring that information back to your product development team.
It’s Never Too Early (Or Late) to Start Planning
Ideally, it’s best to start planning your social media content calendar for the holidays a few months in advance. But, if you find yourself on a time crunch, it’s never too late to put together a plan. Use content scheduling platforms like Planable to manage your content, free graphics platforms like Canva to create unique creative, and remember to have fun!
The most important thing to remember when planning your holiday social media content is to remain flexible. Stay in-tune with current events and adjust your planned content as necessary throughout the season to stay relevant based on user feedback, cultural trends, and more. Use these tips to have a successful and profitable 2020 holiday sales season.
Contributor:
Christina Richards: With over a decade of experience in digital content creation, Christina is passionate about social media strategy and the power of building online communities. She enjoys connecting with others, and on the weekends, you can find her spending time out in nature with her dog and partner in Austin, Texas.