Social media has made Christmas shopping a lot easier for today’s consumers. According to a poll conducted by Crowdtap, 64.8% of shoppers use social media to find the perfect gift, and 67% of shoppers buy gifts they find through social channels. Preparing your Facebook page for the holidays will tell first-time visitors who find your page through search or shared posts that you’ve got something special prepared for holiday shoppers.

Holiday Photos

Your cover and profile photos are the first things people see on your Facebook page. Get everyone in the spirit of the season by using Christmas-themed holiday photos. Make sure to prepare a set of photos to use throughout the season, and change them regularly. Fresh cover photos can help encourage people to check your page for updates regularly.

The Starbucks FB page has a cover photo displaying one of their holiday drinks in a Fall setting.

App Thumbnails

Marketers often neglect their page’s app thumbnails. These are the little images beneath your cover photo. Use custom app thumbnails to promote your offers and create calls-to-action to encourage users to learn more about your holiday promotions.

Burt’s Bees hasn’t updated their FB images for the holidays, but they do know how to use their app thumbnails effectively.

Seasonal Apps

Running holiday promotions and campaigns through custom apps are a great way to get shoppers to find you on social media channels. Some of the most popular promotions for the holidays include:

Giveaway apps – use these to give away free coupons, resources, or discount codes
Store finder apps – these allow you to direct users to your store after providing a preview of your products through Facebook
Charity apps – use these to run campaigns that help a charitable organization and give your brand added exposure

Holiday Ads, Promoted Posts, and Sponsored Stories

Holiday season is a great time to experiment with your Facebook ads. Set a budget, create and test a few holiday-specific different ads, and make sure to keep track of your campaign’s results. You can also start making the most of your status updates about your holiday deals using Promoted Posts and Sponsored Stories.

If you haven’t started preparing your social media campaigns for the holidays, you have to start doing it now. Shoppers look for holiday weeks or even months before December. You need to get your holiday campaigns started as soon as possible to make the most of the season.

Talk to us if you’re interested in hiring an experienced online marketing agency to handle your holiday campaigns.