The holiday season is upon us and – let’s just be honest – the holidays can be hectic and stressful. Just because it’s the most wonderful time of the year doesn’t mean it’s not time to hustle: fulfilling tons of holiday orders, finding time to squeeze in the office Holiday party, and meeting end-of-year goals fill your plate more than your Thanksgiving dinner did. All the while, we’re trying to hunt for the perfect gifts for our loved ones, and is it just us or do the days seem to fly by at a double-pace during the month of December? With all the craziness surrounding the season, it’s no surprise that many shoppers begin their gift list-making, and even ordering, as early as Halloween! Are your products on their list?
US online holiday sales are projected to make history this year, reaching an estimated $123.7 billion. Online shopping – especially on peak days like Cyber Monday – accounts for a huge amount of holiday sales. However, many shoppers (even millennials!) will product and price hunt online, but then actually make their purchase in-store. No matter where shoppers ultimately choose to get their products, you can bet word of mouth recommendations are directing them there – especially at the holidays! The pressure of finding and giving the best gifts at the best prices makes the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas one of the most important and competitive times of year for influencer marketing. As social-savvy shoppers become inundated with influencer content, how can your products avoid getting lost in the peak season shuffle? Lucky for you, while most businesses slow down for the holidays, LMS doubles down to ensure our clients stand out! Here are some tips we’ve learned on the best ways to use influencer marketing to drive holiday sales:
Set Specific Goals & Budgets for The Season
While you may already have a successful influencer strategy in place, standing out during the Holidays is a whole new ball game. This means that you likely have to build out a specific influencer plan with unique goals for this time of year. Not to mention, influencers’ calendar spots are in high demand so be prepared for raised rates in some cases. With this in mind, consider if your goals and budget for an influencer campaign during the holidays are the same as other times of year. Chances are, the answer is no. Additionally, is your audience the same? Perhaps it is smaller or larger at this competitive selling time? Should you cater to the gifter or the giftee, or both? Setting clear goals and expectations for a holiday influencer strategy is essential for meeting goals and effectively reaching shoppers. Make sure to partner up with influencers who will help you meet these goals and who fit your budget. This might mean using different types of influencers than your brand is used to due to a shift in goals, target audience, and spending.
Start Early
Like we said, many people are beginning to holiday shop before Halloween which means it is vital to begin your influencer strategy early. Followers like influencers that feel trustworthy and authentic – and nothing screams “phony” like an influencer suddenly posting about your brand the week before Christmas, then never mentioning it again. Try to connect with your holiday influencers as early as September and October so that they can start promoting the product in the pre-holiday season. Once Thanksgiving and prime shopping time rolls around, then the influencer can start posting gift-themed content around the brand, encouraging followers to pick it up for the holidays. This build-up is easy for the audience to follow and will keep the brand front of mind during a season where shoppers are overwhelmed with product promos!
Create Killer Content
While content should always be eye-catching and high quality, we’ve got a couple specific elements to keep in mind for holiday influencer content. Try these tips to keep your content merry & bright:
- Make it Savable: By default, Instagram posts and Pins on Pinterest are savable. But that doesn’t mean that people will want to save it. As holiday wish lists are increasingly created by shoppers scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest, do whatever you can to get them to hit the “save” or “pin it” buttons, increasing the likelihood of purchase. How can you do so? Making the caption something educational – like a recipe or outfit idea, where to buy the product, or how to use it – will make users want to reference the post again later. Including simple CTA to “bookmark this post!” can work wonders.
- Focus Attention on Giftable Products: Remember, this is the gifting season. While all your products may be great, think about the ones that make good gifts according to how most people shop. Do you have a small $20 or less product that would make a good stocking-stuffer, or maybe a special $100 item that could be someone’s special request? Do you sell something that is ~perfect~ for the person who already owns everything? Market your products with emphasis on how and why they are giftable – and don’t be hesitant to ignore the not-so-giftable products during this season. On Pinterest, create Gift Guide boards to encourage saves.
- Gift Guides as an Activation: Like we said, keep the emphasis on the gifting aspect. Consider partnering with influencers to have your product featured on their gift guide — that means they’re literally telling their followers to buy your product. While anyone can post a photo with branded content, being part of a gift guide list makes the recommendation seem even more authentic. Better yet, gift guides are often syndicated across blogs and are frequently saved. Ensure part of the deal is including a link to the product in their post, too.
Keep it Relevant
Shoppers are bombarded with content during the holidays, so make sure your branded content stands out by being relevant and timely. Ask influencers to align posts with key shopping days, like Black Friday and weekends, so that your brand is front of mind when it matters most. Grab the attention of your influencer’s audience with promo codes, contests, and free shipping! Check out this holiday-themed giveaway from Rao’s 12 Days of Rao’s Homemade Giveaway last year for some major inspo. Also, don’t be afraid to engage with trending hashtags and memes to reach more potential shoppers. It’s all about keeping them interested.
Let’s “Wrap it Up”
Though social media becomes saturated with influencers around the holidays, that doesn’t mean it’s any less effective! It just means you have to be a bit more creative to become noticeable. Now is the time to really get in the holiday spirit with themed posts on Instagram & Pinterest’s, being featured on gift guides, and incentivizing purchases with coupons and giveaways. Be sure to keep our tips in mind to make the most of your holiday influencer strategy and land on some wish lists.
LOOKING TO CONNECT YOUR BRAND WITH REPUTABLE AND SUPER-COOL INFLUENCERS? LMS IS HERE TO HELP. CONTACT US AT IMGAME@WEARELMS.COM AND CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE INFO ON HOW WE GROW BRANDS WITH INFLUENCERS.