The holiday season is finally here. As the colder weather settles in and consumers shop for presents: There’s no better time to strengthen your social media marketing strategy.

Social media is one of the most valuable digital marketing channels you can capitalize on, especially during the holidays. Individuals go straight to their favorite platform, searching for inspiration on their feed for gifts, decorations, new ideas, and everything in between.

However, you’ll want to be careful not to get caught in the typical marketing onslaught. If you oversell to your customers, you’ll push them in different directions. Not sure how to do that? Don’t worry: We’re here to help.

We put together a list of holiday marketing tips for social media to help you get started. This list will allow your brand to gain the competitive edge you need to stay relevant, honest, and transparent.

Let’s dive in.

Don’t just sell, sell, sell

We get it, it’s the holidays! It can be easy to sell, sell, sell during this season. However, this might be more counterproductive than you originally planned. People don’t want to be sold to. They want to feel like they just discovered something amazing, and can’t wait to share it with their friends and family. When you soft sell your various products and services, you’ll leave an impact on the individual and grow a deeper connection with the consumer.

Take a step back and consider howw you can soft-sell your products. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

• Take a conversational approach
• Share customer stories and reviews
• Tell a story and build a personal connection
• Respond to questions and keep your followers engaged
• Use your content for relationship building

Be creative, and don’t phone it in

If you’re going to be creative, go big or go home. Don’t do something with little to no effort. Build a results-driven social media marketing campaign that appeals to your target audience and blows the rest of your competitors out of the water.

Start planning your content months in advance and consider how it complements the bigger picture. Take time to focus on video marketing campaigns and creative assets that you can create specifically for the holiday season. You should give all the content and campaigns you plan 100% of your creative effort. We know how tempting it can be to post and move on with your day, but if you go the extra mile, you’ll leave an impact on your audience that will positively impact your bottom line.

Use user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is a great tool that can help you build an authentic connection with your target audience. This type of content is different from professional-grade photography. It helps your audience visualize themselves with your products and services, persuading them to shop your brand or make a purchase.

When it comes to UGC, your brand doesn’t need to do too much of the legwork. The current audience that loves and appreciates your brand is already taking these photos and tagging you. All you need to do is ask permission to incorporate them into your social media marketing plan.

Don’t currently have a ton of UGC? You can hold a social media contest encouraging individuals to take photos of your products. This is a great way to build a library of content you can use throughout the year, not only during the holidays.

Be inclusive of all holidays

As of 2022, there are over 4.70 billion people on social media. They all have different beliefs and holiday traditions that they cherish. If you only choose a holiday or two to focus on, you only focus on a fraction of your potential. By stepping out and being inclusive of all holidays, you’ll leave a favorable impression on a much larger audience. You’ll show current consumers and potential prospects that you’re an inclusive company.

To ensure you don’t skip any holidays, add all of the upcoming holidays to a calendar. You can use this calendar as a guide to help you plan all of your content for the holidays. Don’t be afraid to be festive with your content throughout the holiday season! This is a great way to show your involvement and join in on the celebration.

Focus on engagement

Social media platforms have a wide range of engagement features your brand can use to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. These features are fun and playful, and engagement features can help you show your brand’s personality to learn more about your following. Consider scheduling polls, questions, and quizzes on your stories or as tweets.

Choosing the right content for the right platform

It can be easy just to post because you want to post. However, if you aren’t taking a strategic approach to your content across all platforms, you risk falling flat.

Think about it. Would you post the same post on Instagram as you would on LinkedIn? Probably not. That’s because your audience is different on both platforms. When it comes to the holidays, you’ll want to consider the experience and audience on each platform.

Here are a couple examples:

On Instagram, you can post your holiday-inspired contest, and on LinkedIn, you can share photos from your company holiday party.

On Pinterest, you may share your 10 tips for a holiday shopping blog as a single image, and on Instagram, you create a carousel breaking down the tips.

Create more video marketing content

Video content is the future of social media marketing. Studies suggest that video content is 1200% more effective than traditional social media content. This doesn’t mean your brand needs to spend tons of money creating the perfect, professional video.

Your marketing team can grab their iPhone, jump behind the camera, and create a TikTok or a Reel in minutes. These videos are organic and have a personable feel. They blend in with the other content on the platform, providing you with authentic recognition from potential prospects.

Try out influencer marketing

Influencers are a great tool to help you reach an untapped audience. Most influencers already have a strong fanbase that appreciates their opinion. Consider incorporating influencers in a holiday campaign you have planned.

You can encourage them to show their following how they include your brand during the holidays. If you allow the influencer to have creative freedom, they’ll create content that will resonate with their audience and look less like an ad.

Plan a holiday contest

Who doesn’t love winning free stuff? A holiday contest is perfect for getting into the holiday spirit and engaging with your followers. When you effectively plan a holiday contest, you also have a chance to increase all your engagement metrics across the board.

Be mindful of tying your holiday contest with a particular holiday. Instead, consider taking a general approach and focusing on bringing people together.

Plan a live stream

A live stream is a great way to generate holiday-inspired excitement around your brand. You can use this feature for Q&As, product launches, holiday parties, or interviewing special guests. Leading up to the live stream, you can promote the event across all social media platforms.

Live streams are great for showcasing your brand’s voice and tone. You can build a stronger connection with your audience and show them that you care about their questions, concerns, and input. Not a lot of brands are using the live stream features. This means there are more opportunities to engage and connect with your audience. Be creative and add a more festive flair!

Look at the analytics

One of the most overlooked social media holiday tips is to take a step back and look at the data. Your data and analytics for the previous holiday season, and even the previous months, provide you with meaningful insight into your following interactions. You can use these analytics to create engaging content.

You can look at YoY and MoM social media analytics and take a closer look at content that did perform well, and brainstorm new ways to mimic that approach. Never underestimate the power of data. This will help you find new opportunities, tackle challenges, and continue to create compelling content.

Work with a social media agency today

At Brandastic, we want to help you reach your social media goals throughout the holiday season. We are a Los Angeles social media agency that knows how to build an effective holiday-centric campaign. We can work with you and use our social media holiday tips to help your brand stay relevant and slowly work towards your overall goals.

Ready to take your social media marketing to the next level? Let’s get to know each other