If you thought the last holiday season was strange, this one promises to be just as weird, and for some of the same reasons. The pandemic shortages of 2020, which we thought were behind us, have reemerged, and are also being blamed on the pandemic.

While not as drastic as last year, when it was difficult to find any food, cleaning supplies, or paper goods on any store shelves, the overseas shipping and trucking bottlenecks have created scattered shortages of numerous items. 

Don’t procrastinate

However, the good news is, if you can keep enough of your products in stock, holiday sales are projected to grow at least seven percent compared with last year, according to forecasts from MasterCard, Deloitte, and Bain.

Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target and other major retailers have already started their holiday deals because of the supply chain backlogs.

Shoppers, too, are responding to the scattered shortages, and many say they’ve already begun their holiday shopping. Although we’re not seeing the widespread panic buying from early in the pandemic, many news reports are showing nervous parents already snatching up toys.

So now’s the time to start your holiday marketing. Here are some ideas to help get you started.

Have a plan for your holiday marketing

No one starts a battle campaign without a plan.

  • You’ll want to effectively blanket social media, of course, but what about your website? Will you reconfigure it with a focus on holiday sales?
  • How about email blasts? Will you regularly send out a variety of special deals and promotions?
  • Do you want to focus on your current customers, or will you try to bring in new ones? If so, how?
  • What kinds of discounts can you afford to offer?
  • Do you have a hot item that’s in short supply elsewhere?
  • Where will you focus the lion’s share of your marketing efforts?
  • What top three ways will you use to increase engagement?

Hone your strategy

You should already know which social media sites return the greatest benefit for your time investment. So be sure not to spread yourself too thin by trying others with a lower ROI.

How about posting useful tips on Instagram to help reduce stress around the holidays? Tweeting out some of your favorite recipes? Conducting a Facebook poll on the best climate-friendly wrapping paper?

It’s even better if your posts relate to your product or service. If you sell indoor plants, tell your fans about plants they might not have thought of for decorating their homes, or giving as gifts. If you’re a dermatologist, give them quick tips to hide the evidence of late-night partying, such as cucumber masks or coffee-based face creams, or quick lunchtime facelifts you offer.

Of course, Instagram and Facebook stories are the ideal way to do this. These features currently have 500 million active daily users each, and are perfect for doing short how-to videos of how to use your product, behind-the-scenes holiday preparations, or showcasing upcoming products or giveaways.

Don’t forget the sales

Of course you’re in business to make money, and one of the best holiday marketing tactics to catch your customers’ attention is with bargains.

Everyone loves to save money, and the word “free” is a guaranteed attention-grabber, not to mention sales-booster. Whether it’s free shipping (the biggest driver of online sales), a free gift, or buy one-get one free (BOGO), be sure to highlight these deals in all your social media posts.

Offer your fans advanced notice of sales. Maybe even offer a private, fan-only sale on one of your normally slow days.

But remember that no one likes to be “sold” to, and a hard-sell message will cause fans to quickly scroll left. You have to be creative and cleverly weave your sales pitch throughout your storytelling.

For example, surveys show that one of the most frustrating things about the holidays for many people is finding that perfect gift for everyone. So offer some ideas from now till the end of the season for gifts for hard-to-buy-for people: mother-in-law, brother, father, babysitter, child’s teacher.

Ideally these gift ideas would come from your own inventory, but there’s nothing wrong with suggesting items you don’t sell if it will help your fans.

Set the mood

People who love the holidays can’t get enough of the songs, the decorations, and the rest of the holiday cheer.

If you have a brick and mortar store, Instagram videos of you and your staff decorating it for the holidays. Or pin photos of specific store decorations on Pinterest. Or post Facebook pictures of the piles of holiday merchandise you’re stocking your shelves with.

Even if your sales are strictly online, give them behind-the-scenes glimpses of you and your staff or your operations. The key to effective sales is letting fans see you as a real person, just like them.

And be sure to sprinkle holiday-themed images not only on your website but on your profile and landing pages and cover photos. 

We have lots more ways to maximize your holiday sales through effective social media marketing, so contact us today!