Back in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the supply chain was the major issue affecting everyone from the manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, all the way down to the retailer’s holiday sales. Guess, what? Right now in the middle of 2022, we still have major issues with regards to the movement of goods around the world.
First, the pandemic isn’t totally gone. Likewise, the supply chain issues are still being influenced by countries worldwide. Furthermore, manufacturers are having issues getting raw materials. Add to that the rising cost of fuel and inflation in general and there still is a lot of uncertainty with regard to the supply chain.
Given that, it behooves you again to start planning super early for this holiday sales season.?
You want to be found when people are searching for what you have to offer. And we go back to the gift-giver. That person may be looking for gift ideas — it’s up to you to provide them and make sure they come up in search.
Each of the networks has its own internal search engine that rivals Google. It’s important that you fill out your about sections, bios, product descriptions, etc., completely with keyword-centric descriptions of what you have to offer. Avoid flowery language. Especially on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest where you only have 160 characters for a bio. Facebook gives you a lot of space as does LinkedIn. Take advantage of it.
On Pinterest, you have 500 characters for descriptions on both boards and pins. Use it!
- You must realize that your gift-giver may be a different target than the people you’ve been marketing to. For instance, if you sell women’s accessories, you’ve been targeting women of a certain age. Now, you need to target their husbands or boyfriends — the gift-giver. Do some research to figure out how best to reach them.
- Choose the right social media network. If you’re promoting a local event venue for corporate parties (B2B), then you’ll want to focus heavily on LinkedIn and Google Business. If you’re an ecommerce site, then Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are going to be your primary networks. But, don’t forget that LinkedIn users are consumers, too! And, of course, you’ve got the younger generation on Snapchat and YouTube!
- Create great enticing graphics. You need to stand out above all the other posts — not just your competition! Use only sharp, quality graphics and videos. For instance, videos and animated gifs are more eye-catching than static, still photographs. I like Canva.com. It’s a free graphics tool and they have all the templates you need. Use the 800 x 800 standard social media graphic template for all the networks.
- Don’t use the same images over an over again. You don’t want to be boring. There are plenty of free-use graphics out there. I like Pixabay.com. Also, you can create new grapics easily — even animated ones — with the free online graphics tool, Canva.com.
- Change your social media cover graphics to reflect the holidays. I’d do this immediately! Furthermore, keep an eye on your competition to see when they’ve switched over to the holiday mode. Canva free templates for all the social media cover graphic — the banners — in the correct dimensions.
- Diversify the people in your pictures. You want to make sure you’ve got everyone that’s a gift-giver covered! Don’t use the same type of people in your pictures. For instance, if you’re trying to reach the male gift-giver, show a picture of a guy giving a gal a gift.
- Showcase your best gift-giving ideas on your website or social networks. Like, “gifts for men”, “gifts for kids”, “gifts for women”, “gifts under $–“, etc. Create a board on Pinterest for each category. Then, pin pictures from your website there.
- Do some fun videos. As I mentioned above, videos and animations are more eye-catching than still photographs and graphics. Have fun. First, not all videos need to be professionally done. Second, use your phone or tablet to record impromptu, casual videos with greetings and messages. Third, upload them everywhere: YouTube, Instagram Stories and Reels, Snapchat, Facebook, & LinkedIn. In addition, embed them in your blog.
- Make sure to cover all the holidays! It’s not just Christmas! There’s Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, too. Also, what about New Years? You may want to change cover graphics to celebrate the new year.
- Budget some ad spending dollars. Face it, you might just have to spend some money to increase your reach. Moreover, what’s nice about social media advertising, is that with just a little investment, you can reach a lot of people. Furthermore, you can specifically target your audience. Again, look at your competition. How are you going to stand-out? How are you going to reach that gift-giver?
Finally, be flexible! Don’t freak out when something you ordered will not come in time. Also, be absolutely clear to your customers on your website on shipping and return policies. Customers are aware that they pick up the shipping costs. It may behoove you to check out your main competitors and see how much they’re charging for shipping. Shop carriers, too!?
