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The holiday shopping season is here, and your social media presence matters now more than ever. If you're a small business owner searching for new ways to increase sales, you might be wondering how to promote your brand on social media for Cyber Monday or just how much you should invest in social media marketing for this consumer holiday. Below, we’ll share tips and insights about driving Cyber Monday sales through social media so you can be prepared for this busy day.
Impact of social media marketing on Cyber Monday sales
One of the most significant factors in the popularity of Cyber Monday sales is many people prefer to shop online when it comes to finding what they are looking for. More specifically, 66% of shoppers prefer online shopping to find items they are looking for, and 74% of in-store shoppers who searched online before going to the store to shop, said they looked for stores nearby.
Shopping from smartphones also saw a 7.4% increase from 2019, with social media becoming a popular alternative to shopping from a brand's website. In fact, shopping via social media platforms saw a 17% increase in overall sales in 2020.
5 ways to use social media to boost your Cyber Monday sales
With social media becoming one of the most powerful marketing channels available, it's important to prepare your social media strategy for Cyber Monday.
If you’re a small business owner interested in boosting your Cyber Monday sales, then you'll want to consider these five tactics:
1. Create and share targeted gift guides
Your customers will likely turn to your social media profiles this shopping season to learn about special sales and new products. However, in addition to marketing your offerings to your existing followers, you want to get them in front of new customers as well.
A great way to get your products/services noticed by the right audience is to create posts that include targeted gift guides. This will allow you to highlight specials and products, giving consumers a reason to engage with your posts and visit your website to learn more.
Another great method is to schedule "gift suggestion posts" like a digital advent calendar. Each day leading up to Cyber Monday, you can highlight a particular product that will be on sale during the holiday. That way, your audience can keep an eye out for anything special they may be looking to check off their list.
2. Utilize video in your Cyber Monday posts
Video content is a great way to boost sales and conversions, especially if you have a unique or seasonal product or service that you want to show off on your social media channels.
Not only are video posts easy for your audience to digest, but 54% of consumers ages 35-44 want to see more videos from the brands they support.
3. Appeal to consumers’ emotions
You can drive Cyber Monday sales and increase conversions by appealing to consumers' emotions with your social media posts. This emotional response will then compel them to make a purchase.
Appealing to people’s emotions is an effective way to get your audience thinking about what they can get out of your product and to help them find the perfect gift for someone on their list. Just remember to create posts that are both emotional and informative.
4. Diversify your holiday posts
The holidays are the perfect time for businesses to offer special deals and discounts, but to capture shoppers’ attention, you need to make sure your holiday posts are diverse and inclusive.
Using different design elements, such as photos, videos, colors, and typography, that reference diverse holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Winter Solstice, etc. is a great way to boost sales. The more inclusive you are, the more engagement you will experience as consumers will be able to relate to your brand.
5. Encourage user-generated content
Another great way to improve your brand visibility and attract new customers is to share, and encourage your customers to share, user-generated content.
This is an excellent social media strategy any time of year, but when consumers are trying to decide where to spend their money this holiday season, they are going to look for user testimonials and shared content more than ever.
In fact, approximately 88% of consumers specifically seek out user-generated content because it is credible, authentic and trustworthy. This is also a great way to get your audience involved in the holidays by giving them a reason to share photos and videos, and as an added benefit, their friends and followers will be exposed to your brand as well.
Get more from your sales strategy with the BBB
With Cyber Monday and Black Friday just around the corner, now is the time to prepare your holiday marketing strategy.
Need more help boosting your sales strategy? Then check out the BBB business news feed for more tips and tricks.
BBB of Southern Piedmont and Western N.C. contributed this article.