NOTABLE HOLIDAY SHOPPING TRENDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN 2023

It feels a bit early to talk about holiday shopping right now but the truth is, the 2023 holiday season will not be business as usual, and your social media marketing should reflect that.

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Ever since the pandemic, social media shopping has become increasingly popular with social commerce, generating $475 billion in sales in 2020 and will generate $3.37 trillion by 2028, growing at a 28.4% annual pace.



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Additionally, as inflation affects more Americans we’re seeing a trend of holiday shoppers supporting small and local businesses. Other consumer behaviors will likely change as a result. Small businesses should be gearing up for the holiday season NOW to make sure they’re ready for this new reality. Similarly, it’s important that your social media strategies reflect these new consumer trends.
 
Is YOUR business’ social media ready for the 2023 holiday shopping season? Are you taking advantage of all the different features on each platform that will support your holiday marketing? Here are a few business features that you might want to explore further.

➔ Download our Small Business Holiday Season Checklist here.



Set up Facebook And Instagram Shops

With Facebook Shops, you can efficiently sell items and checkout directly on Facebook and Instagram. You can also set up your Shop so that folks will get redirected to the e-commerce section of your website and browse or purchase from there. You’ll need to set up a Commerce Manager account and connect your website to your Facebook Shop. Learn more here.
 
Don’t have a Facebook Shop? Make sure your Call to Action (CTA) button links your followers to the best method of contacting you. Set up automated messages and other actions in Messenger so you don’t miss a lead.

Use Instagram e-Commerce Tools For the 2023 Holidays

Shoppers can now buy directly from your feed posts or Stories when you connect your Shopify e-commerce website section to your Instagram account.
 
Publish clickable posts where customers can click on products in your content to purchase. Add product stickers and tag products in your posts to have your products appear in the Shopping tab in Explore. In addition, you can also set up a View Shop button in your bio to encourage traffic to your website. Get started here.
 
Don’t have an online shop? Be sure your bio reflects your services and your brand voice and appeals to your ideal customer. You only have 150 characters in your bio, so choose your words strategically.
 
Use keywords that attract your ideal audience when using search. Your link in your Instagram bio is the ONLY active link the platform allows for all users. So take advantage of linktr.ee, Pensight (affiliate link), and other free link managers to make multiple links available to your customers with one click.



Product Pins and Catalogs on Pinterest

Shoppable pins link directly back to your website for checkout, show real-time pricing and availability, and increase your product’s visibility in Pinterest Search.

Catalogs are a way to easily pin your entire product catalog on Pinterest. Both features require a bit of setup and pin optimization but are worth the effort if your target audience demographics are on Pinterest. Learn how to sell on Pinterest here.

Don’t have an online shop? Be sure your pins link directly back to your website, and include relevant keywords and a CTA in your pin description.

Lights, Camera, Conversion, Video Sells!

Video content performs extremely well on virtually all social media platforms. Period.

Videos capture the eye and stop the “thumb scroll” on your feed. They’re a great way to visually showcase your products and your brand identity. They’re also favored on the Facebook and Instagram algorithms, so they increase your visibility. There are so many video format options available now (including Instagram Reels!) that you’d be remiss to not try to incorporate videos into your social media strategy this holiday season.
 
Here are a few ideas to incorporate videos into your 2023 holiday sales strategies:
●      Post a product video as your Facebook cover picture.
●      Create short-form video campaigns aimed at holiday shoppers with Stories.
●      Tell your brand’s story in a longer form on IG or FB Live broadcasts.
●      Stuff your YouTube video descriptions with all the possible keywords that your customers would use to find your product.

You don’t need a big video marketing budget and expensive equipment. Some of the most successful videos on social are shot on a smartphone. Try some of these tips to get a great quality video from the phone in your pocket.

Social Media Ads

Of course, you should also consider social media advertising as a highly cost-effective way of reaching a hyper-targeted audience. If done correctly, social media ads can help drive leads, increase brand awareness, generate web traffic, and even boost revenue. 70% of advertisers say they’ve generated leads with social media ads. Get all the details here.

Need to outsource your social media advertising? We’re here to help.
 

The 2023 Holiday Shopping Season

This list is just the beginning of how your social media marketing can support your holiday sales strategies. What’s clear is that your social media marketing tactics need to work hand-in-hand with your web content, email marketing, and other digital marketing tactics. None of these strategies can be successful on their own. Therefore, you should be intentional about orchestrating your holiday marketing campaigns.
 
It takes time to pivot your current business trajectory into other efforts, so NOW is a great time to enact those plans and prepare for the new realities of holiday shopping in the era of the pandemic.