The end of Halloween marks the beginning of a busy holiday shopping season, and sales are expected to be strong this year. Whether you have an existing holiday social media strategy or need some tips to make it your best yet, put your business in the forefront with these proactive digital marketing tips.

Make Your Website is User Friendly.

One of the worst things you can do is inconvenience your customer. Broken pages, busy layouts and confusing navigation are cumbersome and problematic. You need pages that support your holiday promotions and allow potential customers to find you and your business quickly and easily. Without a user-friendly website, you run the risk of losing existing and potential customers to competitors. Don’t take that chance!

If you don’t have a strong online presence, think you might need a website refresher or are curious how social integration does wonders to web traffic, contact Sage Island today.

Start Planning Your Campaign.

Social media campaigns work best when they are integrated into your existing marketing initiatives. A good place to start is identifying your social media goals for the season. Your goal might be to drive sales, develop strong leads, fundraise, or sell tickets. Whatever it is, define it now and make sure your entire team is on board with your existing strategy. Next, take a look at last year’s campaign metrics. Was it successful? What strategies can you implement or improve upon to make this year better? Conducting the infamous SWOT analysis (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) is a great first step.

Consider the Positive Effects of Social Integration.

Now that you have a pretty solid idea of what you’d like to accomplish, it’s time to integrate that strategy across your existing social networks. Promoting your holiday campaign solidifies your message and tells a cohesive story for your company. In terms of your various buyer personas, why not reach them across multiple platforms in a unique way? Get inspired and start your brainstorm with a sky’s the limit approach. Once your creative juices are flowing, decide on a tactic that is the most realistic to maintain and supports your overall goal. Depending on your current social presence, Facebook will most likely be the big hitter for many.

The Sage Island social media team has a few favorite social media tools that may streamline your holiday efforts. Check them out!

Target Strategically.

Promote your holiday sales and promotions on Facebook using available advertising tools to build leads and drive traffic to your website. Develop different gift guides and posts that cater to your target audiences. If your goal is to make a lasting impression on moms, but your engaged audience is primarily core skater kids, it could be as simple as running a Facebook ad campaign targeting moms with the sale information and posting the cool, new products on your page to reach kids.

Engage and Give Back to Your Fans.

The holidays are a time to be appreciative, gracious and giving. Implement this idea into your strategy and encourage your fans to become involved. Ask them questions or have them share their stories. Leverage trending hashtags and contribute relevant content to the existing conversation to reach a widely engaged audience.

You may also consider cross promoting with other brands and involving your fans with festive incentives to shop and share. Incorporate a custom application like WooBox and build out a sweepstakes or photo contest that gives your fans a say over the holidays. You may even consider supporting a charitable cause and developing a fun, worthwhile cause-marketing campaign. ‘Tis the season, after all – and you have a great chance of heightened visibility during the holidays!

Get Festive!

Showcase your holiday spirit by re-branding your social channels with holiday themes. Incorporate fun, festive tips and tricks in your blog and share it across your social media networks. Let your holiday spirit inspire your fans and followers to get in the spirit, too. It serves as a subtle reminder that it’s time to get shopping!

Remember: Email is not dead.

If you have a database of previous customers, then you have a list of very strong leads. Email marketing is always a solid way to support your holiday campaign and reach customers who are already invested in your business or cause.

Track and Benchmark for Next Year.

Don’t forget to measure your success! Gauge the success and ROI of your campaign by tracking keys metrics such as sales, website traffic, number leads, new followers and total engagement. Not only will this give you tangible results, it will also help improve your strategy for next year.

Follow these tips and your holiday marketing efforts are sure to be a success. If you need help implementing some of these ideas or want to sit down and brainstorm, Sage Island is happy to help! Our marketing team can implement innovative, attention-grabbing tactics that will build brand awareness for your business this holiday season. Contact us today!

Mike Duncan co-founded Sage Island in 1997, and since then has evolved the agency’s scope to include marketing strategy, creative design, technical development and a wide range of digital marketing services. With an integrated approach that leverages the power and measurability of the internet, the savvy Sage Island team develops strategies, builds brands, writes killer copy and delivers to clients all over the world. And they have an awesome time doing it. Sage’s collaborative working environment keeps creativity and innovation at the heart of the concept. With a 17-year history in Wilmington and beyond, Sage Island shows no signs of slowing down. To learn how Sage Island can grow your business, check us out at www.sageisland.com. To stay updated on the latest in digital marketing, follow Sage Island on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SageIsland, and on Twitter at twitter.com/SageIsland.