We initially wrote this blog back in the depths of the 2020 lockdown, so we thought it deserved an update!
Christmas 2022 looks restriction-free thankfully, but the cost of living crisis looms over us. Consumers will be looking for value when spending their hard-earned cash. Offering your customers a magical experience online will help you to stand out in a the competitive Christmas marketplace.
What are the best ways for small businesses to use Instagram to promote themselves in the run-up to Christmas?
Here are a few ideas for your festive content plus some tips to add some Christmas sparkle to your Instagram page.
CREATE THE CHRISTMAS ATMOSPHERE
- EXPECTATION – Create some pre-Christmas excitement by planning some sneak peek posts prior to your Christmas launch. Create stories about Christmas stock arriving, sneak peeks of new Christmas ranges or create a before/after Reel about decorating your workplace.
- DECORATE – Create that festive atmosphere on Instagram by using a consistent theme for your Christmas content. This could be as simple as placing a festive border around your images or changing your profile picture to a more festive version!
- CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN- Consider creating a specific Christmas campaign. Perhaps a gift guide or an online advent calendar? This does require a bit more work and planning, but it can pique your customer’s interest and inspire them to return to your profile. We created an advent calendar post for a campaign celebrating our local stores in Crystal Palace back in 2018. Take a look at it HERE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
- GIFT GUIDES- We all want to buy the perfect present for our loved ones- not just a bit of tat that will be discarded on Boxing day! Think about your customer and who they will be buying for, then create a carousel post or Reel which pulls together gift ideas, i.e. gifts for foodies
- VIRTUAL SHOP- Help your customers to browse your store virtually. Create a carousel post of photographs or videos of the different shelves of your store.
- SAVES- Add a festive call to action to your posts, for example: ‘SAVE this post to add it to your Christmas wish list. They get to remember your fantastic product, and you get data on what products are favoured.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
- REPLY – You wouldn’t leave someone waiting or ignore them in your shop, so don’t do it on your social media. Reply to any comments or questions you receive from customers promptly.
- FREE ADVICE OR TIPS – Create an advice or ‘how-to’ post relating to the holiday season and your service/product. We love the John Lewis IGTV on how to style your Christmas table. This is a great way to show your products on Instagram in a real setting and to subtly sell without being pushy!
- OPENING TIMES- Let your customers know in advance if you will be opening late or closing over the Christmas period. Repeat this over a few posts or pin it to the top of your feed. Not sure how to pin a post? Tap HERE for step-by-step instructions on how to pin a post.
TILL POINT
- GIFT WRAPPING – If you offer a delivery service, gift wrapping is can be a valuable extra option for your customer; especially if they are sending presents directly to the recipient. Let your followers know how they can add this to their order. Create a post to showing a beautifully wrapped present, show examples of the gift wrap options available and clearly explain how your customer can add giftwrapping to their order.
- INSTAGRAM SHOP – Make the transaction as simple as possible. Add shoppable links to your Instagram posts so customers can click through to your products easily. If you have an Instagram shop you can retrospectively add tags by clicking the three dots in the top right-hand corner of a post and tapping edit. There will then be the option to add tags.
- DELIVERY DATES – If you offer delivery let your customers know the last order dates to gain pre-Christmas delivery. For example, if you send products via Royal Mail let them know the last dates you will be posting orders.
Above all think of your online platforms as another branch of your store. Adding creativity into how you present and talk about your product online will help to foster an ongoing relationship between you and your customers. If they have a good experience with you they will be more likely to return and make repeat purchases.
If you feel overwhelmed as to where to begin the process of creating your content or setting up your Instagram shop please get in touch, we would love to help. Message us via Instagram or through our contact page HERE
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