.svg)
Nowadays, social media is more than just a platform to connect and interact with people. It’s also a great way to present your products and services to a bigger audience minus the need to set up a physical store. And with the holiday spirits kicking in, it’s the perfect time to showcase your offerings. To help you grow your business amidst the merriment and festivities, let's talk about how to use social media to make money during the holiday season.
Here are seven tips.
Make It Easy
Everyone is in a rush during the holidays, so you’ll want to make things fast and convenient for your customers. Get your audience to the purchase page in as few clicks as possible to help boost your sales.
Connect all your social media accounts to your online store as the landing page instead of the home page so your followers can directly check out your items. Add the shop or product link to your Instagram bio, Facebook about page, stories, captions or comments to ease their purchase journey. Strategically position your “shop now” or “buy now” buttons so it’s easily accessible for page visitors.
Be sure to test it out yourself! Try going through the process of purchasing something from your store and actually count how many clicks it takes. Can you reduce that number? If so, then do it.
Links to the immediate purchase page should take priority.
Sell Affiliate Products
Even if you don’t have season-themed offerings, you can still join in on the holiday cheer with affiliate marketing. Simply earn by directing potential clients to an online vendor and geta commission if someone buys anything after being redirected from your link or social media account. Here are two ways to do this:
- Reach out to brands you’re already a customer of or research businesses that are related to your niche. These should be products or services that you’re comfortable promoting. Create catchy posts, write honest reviews in your blog, or make a how-to video to entice your followers to purchase.
- Search for affiliate programs with products and services that you can promote and sell. Again, these should be something you’re actually using, have experienced, and can recommend to your followers. Given the wide array of items they offer, the most popular and profitable of this kind is Amazon’s Affiliate Program.
Go through Amazon’s holiday items to see items you can offer your followers:
Remember, even though these aren't your brand's products, you're still vouching for them. The goal shouldn't be to sell as many affiliate products as possible purely to make more money. Only promote items that you will passionately stand behind. Your reputation is still on the line.
Tip: Disclose your affiliate relations with brands, as followers and potential customers highly appreciate the honesty.
Tag Your Products on Instagram
Tagging on Instagram is no longer just for people’s accounts but also for products. And this recent update has made selling on the platform a lot easier and a great way to boost your sales during the holidays.
Check out H&M and learn how to perfectly maximize this Instagram feature for your season-themed offerings:
In product posts, tag your items with the complete product names and prices.
Once profile visitors and potential buyers click on a particular item, they’ll be directed to the products page where all your tagged offerings are housed (both from that photo and other posts).
When they select a particular item, they’ll be led to the item’s description and a link to your website.
In three easy steps, you can direct the audience from your Instagram profile straight to your online shop.
If you want to know how to make money on social media this holiday season, this step is a must!
List Products for Sale on Facebook
Facebook is where people will be during the holidays – posting photos and videos, exchanging greetings, and looking for the perfect gifts. So, that’s one place where you should list and promote your products.
There are two options for selling on Facebook:
- Do-It-Yourself - Upload and manage what you’re selling directly to your Facebook Shop. Make sure that you follow the platform’s guidelines, especially on customer handling and payment providers. This works best if you’re selling a few items or want to use Facebook Shop solely. Plus, it’s free and you can add as many products as you want.
- E-Commerce Platform – If you want to extend your potential customers, this is a viable option. eCommerce platforms offer a full suite of product listings, automates daily tasks, and have advanced shipping management tools to help you save time.
Whichever option you choose, selling on Facebook is a great way to make money while enjoying the festivities. With Facebook Shop, your items are ready for promotion to your followers and could-be buyers. More importantly, it’s a one-stop-shop for viewers to learn about your offerings, decide, and then make a purchase.
Tip: Avoid hard-selling and focus on building a loyal following and establishing relationships you can nurture. And speaking of which...
Collect Email Addresses to Nurture Relationships
The holiday season is the perfect time to establish relationships with your audience and customers. And to do so, you need to grow your email list and “personally” reach them.
When they’re browsing through your site pages, use custom email opt-in pop-ups or offer an incentive in exchange for their email address. You can offer limited-time discount coupons to new subscribers, season-themed newsletters, and fun quizzes that require email addresses to get the results. Also, use exit pop-ups to remind them again to sign up just before they leave your site.
This way, you can continue to connect and stay in touch with your audience even after the holiday noise has toned down.
Make Captivating Videos
Everybody loves a heartwarming story during this cold season. That’s why brands share their stories and capture their audience with creative social media videos.
Get into the holiday spirit with subtly-branded videos that bring seasonal cheer to followers and customers. Use fun, upbeat music or vibrant color schemes to get people interested. Make it personal by incorporating your company story or using your own employees to star in the video.
Curate content pieces that will help your followers browse through your online store or give them an idea of how your products and services work. Make it short and shareable for Instagram and Snapchat, or long and impactful for YouTube and your website.
Watch Haford Hardware’s holiday advertisement that captured the hearts of viewers around the world.
Create a Promotion
‘Tis the season to give, and you can do so with holiday-themed, limited-time promotions. Connect with influencers or brands that are within your niche and plan a giveaway promo for your audiences. Identify the mechanics, the kind of content to be posted, the prizes, and all-important details of the contest.
This will help drive traffic to your site, increase your reach and brand awareness, grow your following, and ultimately boost your holiday sales. It’s also a good way to mix up your posts as you’re not just focused on selling.
Check out blogger and digital creator Teresa Laucar’s #12DaysofGiving campaign in partnership with multiple beauty brands:
The December holidays are truly the most wonderful time of the year. While revenue might not be the very first thing on your mind this season, understanding how to make money on social media during this time of year is still hugely beneficial. These seven tips can help you hit the seasonal jackpot on social media.
