Is your social media team prepared to handle the upcoming holiday hustle? For a successful holiday season, you need to prepare your social media coordinators in advance just as you would your brick-and-mortar employees.
We have seen an increase in online promotions and sales every year. Adobe Analytics predicts the 2019 Cyber Monday sales will pull in $9.4 billion this year. That’s a $1.5 billion increase since 2018! According to this same report, thirty percent of Cyber Monday sales will be made in the four-hour window of 7 to 11 p.m. Pacific time. Are you prepared?
Since you know retail traffic from social has grown by 41%, we’ve prepared some helpful tips from B Squared’s Social Media Coordinators. We have have been there, seen that, and continue to see new complications pop up.
Prepare in Advance
Have you prepared for the holiday hustle with a marketing plan? If not, check out 5 Tips for Digital Marketing Over the Holiday Season. It helps to have a clear definition of what your company’s vision is for the holidays before the madness ensues.
Speaking of preparation, do you have enough social media community managers? Will they be able to cover holiday hours and the increase in activity? Depending on your business needs, you may need to double up on your help for Cyber Monday, and the day after. Perhaps, extending the hours you have your social media platforms monitored is more ideal for you.
You know that online traffic and sales will increase each year. In fact, in 2018, the Friday after Thanksgiving saw more than $2 billion in sales made from smartphones. That is a lot of time directed towards social platforms.
B2 Social Media Coordinator Tip: Communication is key! If you have multiple coordinators on separate shifts during the holiday hustle, be sure to have a place where we can update the next one ‘on’ as to any recurring questions, issues, or important things to note.
Serve Up Gift Guides
Consumers love gift guides! Not sure what to get a coworker? There’s a gift guide for that! Are your inlaws increasingly tough to shop for? There’s a gift guide for that too! We do not have time to scroll all day on websites looking for ideas. If we did, we’d physically be in stores browsing.
Presenting your consumers with Holiday Gift Guides via Instagram is a dream for all involved. Gift guides are fantastic because they streamline the shopping process. As a result, you direct consumers to what they didn’t even know they needed. Consumers see the perfect gifts bundled together and therefore, can easily shop them from their smartphone. Instagram is ideal because the consumer can tap on the photo, easily see prices, and then tap again to make the purchase(s).
B2 Social Media Coordinator Tip: Tag EVERY item in the post! Any social media coordinator will tell you that if one item is not tagged, they will be flooded with questions. During the holiday hustle, don’t expect consumers to scroll the comments to see if others have asked the same question.
Update Your Social Media FAQ Docs
Gift guides and holiday promotions mean you need to update your social media coordinator FAQ docs. This should be one of your biggest priorities heading into the holiday hustle. Your social media coordinators need easy access to this information. Chances are, they will get many questions about things on Cyber Monday. Quick reference guides will cut down on time spent searching your company website, or having to reach out to your company’s point person.
B2 Social Media Coordinator Tip: Make sure we’re not the last to know! Your social team needs to know about new products dropping, sales and promotions before the public. Sending a quick email or screenshot with this information will suffice and can be added to our team’s FAQ docs.
Tag Appropriately
If you’re using a program like Sprout Social (we LOVE them!), make sure your social team is on the same page when it comes to tagging for a clear report at the end of the month. This information is vital in knowing what your base loved, hated, or had a zillion questions about.
B2 Social Media Coordinator Tip: Before the holiday hustle, create a list of tags specific to the promotions and then add that to your team’s shared docs for easy reference. This will highlight the gift guides, new products, sale or promotional items.
Let the Holiday Hustle Begin!
To sum up, just as you would prepare your brick-and-mortar sales associates, consider your social team an extension of that. Social engagement is the key to success for the 2019 holiday hustle. With mobile shopping up over 24% since last year, your online traffic needs to be a priority.
You do not want to let questions go unanswered or delayed or have complaints escalate. When you apply these tips, your social media coordinators will glide through the online holiday hustle!
What have you done to prepare your team for the holiday hustle? Leave your answer in the comments below!
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