As the holidays are here and the end of the year comes racing towards us, social media is a tool you can use right now to generate exposure and traffic to your store or website. Here are 5 ways to get more out of your holidays posts (be sure to try some of these before the end of the year!)
1. Humanize posts. I look at hundreds of retailers social media posts a month (seriously, hundreds) and the posts that show people who work at the store are always the ones that have the most organic engagement (likes and/or comments that weren’t paid for).
To increase engagement and exposure on sites like Facebook and Instagram, post pictures of you, your staff, you and your customers – humanize your brand! Take a picture of you and your store before a busy shopping day, and then after. The after shot might even be of you on the floor from complete exhaustion, but that’s OK, just make it authentic!
When your network engages (likes/comments/shares) with a post on Facebook, they’re more likely to see more posts from you in the future and it strengthens the relationship with your customers.
2. Promote holiday event(s) before and during. I have many retailer friends who have already hosted holiday open houses and events, however you might have one to promote, or even a holiday sale that you could turn into an event that’s happening over the next week.
Post social media updates about the upcoming event and send emails to get people to RSVP and mark their calendars. You might even consider using the Facebook ad platform to pay to promote a Facebook Event Page to gain additional exposure for your event.
Then, during the event make sure you task someone with taking pictures in-store and post status updates right when the event starts and during the event. This is a way to pull in a few more people who are in the area looking at Facebook or Twitter from their smartphones. Event promotion doesn’t stop once the event starts, promote all the way through (and do this with all your events, not just the holiday ones).
3. Run 1-day only social media deals. Limited time offers are one of the best way to get customers to buy. Try posting on your Facebook page a *Today Only* special deal where they can receive 15% off a single item, 10% off their entire purchase, a free gift or get an item for a specific discounted dollar amount.
Examples (and always include pictures):
- “This sweater is $15 today only, normally $35. Get it today before the deal is over or we’re out of stock.”
- “Today Only! We’re offering free delivery and installation on all orders. Call or come in today to take advantage of this deal.”
- “Buy one free lamp, get one free – TODAY ONLY!”
I’ve talked to several retailers that have posted Today Only posts and have gotten immediate results. Try posting a couple before the holiday season is over (these can be great for after Christmas too).
4. Get fans to engage through a Timeline Contest. In August, Facebook relaxed their rules about running a contest on your Facebook page. Before, you had to use a certified 3rd party application. Now, you can run the campaign right on your page without any app, the only big rule Facebook has is that you don’t require people to share a picture or status update to their personal profile in order to enter to win.
So with that being said, run a holiday contest on your page asking fans to enter to win. Here’s a few ideas:
- “Leave a comment below telling us one item on your Christmas list for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to our store!”
- “Like this status if you love winning! Just by liking you’re entered to win {product/free gift/$10}.
- “Comment and like below for your chance of winning {prize}. We want to know, what are you doing to ring in the New Year?”
5. Encourage email signups. If you read my newsletters or heard me speak, you know I’m a BIG fan of email marketing and I feel it is one of the most effective ways to getting the sale. Use your social media outlets to ask people to join your email list in order to receive a special holiday promotion, last-minute discounted gift or holiday event information.
Make the offer exclusive to your email list, giving people a reason to subscribe. And, ask them to invite their friends to join your list too. When we get awesome deals, we want to share them with our friends. However, as a business you’ll need to ask people to share, consumers don’t always automatically think of doing it.
If you found this email helpful, please share it with your retailer friends. And, read below to learn about what’s included in January’s Social Edge trainings – I’m so excited!!!
Social Edge 2014 Sneak Peek:
Starting in the New Year, Social Edge (which is a membership site for retailers) will include monthly themed courses.
There are several webinars, training videos and guides that will always be available in the content library, but each month I’ll be adding brand new training videos that will focus on a specific area of online marketing.
In January, we’re focusing on your 2014 Online Marketing Plan. I’ll have 6 training videos covering:
- Social Media Platform Review – what’s best for your business?
- Customer Profiling (with worksheet)
- How to Find YOUR Audience Online
- Social Media Marketing Plan (with worksheet)
- Planning the Next Three Months (with guide)
- Effective Social Media Posts (cheat sheet)
February is all about Facebook Ads and this is going to be SO GOOD! In my professional opinion Facebook Ads is the best and fastest way to see results on Facebook, but you must be running ads through the Power Editor, and choosing the right content and promotions to be advertising.
You can waste a lot of money on the ads platform if you don’t know what you’re doing, so don’t miss these training videos in February as they’ll significantly grow your Facebook page, engagement and sales – all while saving you money. Learn more and join Social Edge here.
I hope you’re as excited as I am for the new Social Edge. It’s my passion to help you be more successful using social media, and the new format is going to put us one step closer to that.
Have a wonderful week and holiday!
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