12 Tips for Holiday Instagram Marketing: Last Minute Instagram Tips

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Need some last-minute Instagram tips? Can’t think of the right holiday posts on Instagram?

Is your business marketing well for the holidays? Are you driving traffic to your site, on to your store? Is your Instagram bringing you the engagement you need, resulting in the sales you expect?

It’s not too late! Here are 12 Instagram tips to give your holiday marketing the boost it deserves.

1. Instagram Profile: Holiday Themed

Update your Instagram profile, to give a holiday ring.

Check out how Ben and Jerrys did it:

Instagram holiday marketing

3 tips for updating your Instagram profile for the holidays:

  • Update your company profile with holiday-themed sentiment – but keep it short
  • Your bio is the most important for mobile viewers
  • Update your website link, if you have a holiday-specific landing page

2. Ask Questions

Asking questions gets people engaged, don’t you think? Throw in a dash of holiday-themed questions to your Instagram posts.

Include seasonal images that are cute, culturally relevant to your Instagram market, and relate to your products or brand.

Here’s how Target does it:

Instagram holiday marketing

3 tips for asking questions:

  • Keep your questions short, simple and specific
  • Use a cute or fun holiday image
  • Write your updates with a very personable tone – to deepen customer engagement

3. “This vs. That”: Holiday Themed

Stir up controversy to get your posts commented on, double-tapped, and loved. Use a “this vs. that” type post. Ask your followers what they prefer – this or that.

To get the best engagement levels on these types of posts, make your subject matter holiday-related, and make it emotionally evocative. Keep it light and fun, too.

Think of seasonal ‘battles’ such as:

  • fake tree vs. real tree
  • turkey vs. ham
  • gift card vs. wrapped present
  • led lights vs. non-led lights
  • shop online vs. shop instore
  • eggnog vs. hot chocolate

Check out how Home Depot did it for Thanksgiving:

Instagram holiday posts

3 tips for holiday-themed “this vs. that”:

  • Choose a controversial topic that evokes strong feelings
  • Use holiday themes such as fake tree vs. real tree; turkey vs. ham; elf on the shelf vs. the grinch
  • Use cool images, split them, and layer the “____ vs _____” using tools like Photoshop or Canva

4. Personalize with “you”

Instagram is one of the most personal and friendly kinds of social sites. Keep your Instagram updates short, specific and fun. Use the pronoun “you” in your updates too.

Check out how the brilliant social media marketers at Oreo promote their holiday cookies on Instagram:

holiday Instagram posts

3 tips for personalizing your Instagram updates:

  • Show your holiday products in a way that super connects with your Instagram followers
  • Keep your updates short, friendly, specific, and fun
  • Use “you” in your Instagram post

5. Post Christmas Reels

Reels are the most exciting and engaging form of content on Instagram. They’re also the best way to get our Instagram post going viral.

If you want to beat the Instagram algorithm and reach more people this holiday season, then you should be focused on Reels. The best thing is that Reels are a great way to really showcase your brand or products.

For example, take a look at how target uses these short-form videos to promote gift ideas for holiday shopping:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Target (@target)

3 tips for using Reels this holiday season

  • Make your Reels fun and full of Christmas cheer
  • Use Reels to highlight your products or your personality
  • Use trending topics in your Reels to help your Instagram post go viral

Follow our guide for the best time to post Reels on Instagram.

6. User-Generated Content (UGC) of Product

Get your customers more involved with your brand and holiday season products. Make it fun for them to share their photos of your product during the holiday season.

The more emotionally vested your customer is, the more likely they will buy from you – and the more likely they will spend more too.

It’s easy to share photos on Instagram. Use a campaign-specific hashtag, and get your customers to tag you, so they use your name in their shared photos. This is a powerful form of social proof that can really boost your sales.

Check out how Levis does it:

Levis Instagram

3 tips for customer content:

  • Create a photo theme that both appeals to your market, and shows off your product(s)
  • Use a contest hashtag to spread your reach and stream all your UGC photos
  • Incentivize your UGC by running an Instagram photo contest

7. UGC of Holiday Fun Stuff

You can also just get people to have fun for the holidays. Set up an easy game, or silly craft for your followers to do. Encourage a community on Instagram by getting them to share. Use a common hashtag, so everyone can see the cool photos of everyone else.

It doesn’t have to be specific about your product. Your goal is to get your brand associated with something fun for the holidays.

You can take it a step further, and set this up as an Instagram photo contest. This lets you have easy voting options, and you can give a prize to the most popular photo.

Check out how Coca-Cola does this with #strawigami. I am so doing this!

Coca-Cola Instagram

3 tips for interactive UGC

  • Make your UGC simple and holiday-related (such as gingerbread houses, best baking or tree decorations)
  • Make a common campaign hashtag, to create a community
  • Take it a step further, and incentivize your community’s engagement with a photo contest

8. Product Posts

Show your products on Instagram.

When you do, though, make sure you show them in a cool, hip way that appeals to your market on the site. Take professional photos, but make them look authentic. Don’t just show your product as if they are in an old-school newspaper flyer. Make them real, and engaging.

Know the Instagram lingo, too. For example, use “double tap” for “Like”.

Check out how Forever 21 does it:

Holiday Instagram post

3 tips for promoting your products:

  • Create cool, hip product images – that look super authentic
  • Include a call to action that speaks Instagram lingo (i.e. double tap not like)
  • Use brand campaign hashtags, and popular tags too

9. Videos for Holiday Sales

Take advantage of Instagram reels. They’re being used by brands everywhere and are the best way to get engagement.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ASOS (@asos)

3 tips for holiday sales videos:

  • Keep your videos short and engaging
  • Highlight your products in action
  • Show a variety of people loving your product

10. In-Store Photos

Instagram is a mobile site. You use it as an app on your phone. Take the opportunity to gain foot traffic, and show off the inside of your store(s).

You could post cool photos of your customers at in-store events, for example.

Or post photos of your staff getting ready for a big sale you’re having (this shows you as a friendly place, too).

You can also post photos that are very specific to your store. Make it so that your in-store customers will know what the photo is, but others might not. This can create a feeling of belonging with your followers who ‘get’ your photo.

Check out how Macy’s uses in-store photos to promote their Santa visits.

Instagram holiday post

3 tips for in-store photos:

  • Entice foot traffic by showing your cool store
  • Promote your holiday in-store events on Instagram (such as a Santa visit)
  • Use images that aren’t in-your-face, to make your followers feel like a tribe

11. Be Charitable (and Inspiring)

The holiday season is also a time for charity and giving. Show you’re a company that cares by supporting a charity. Then post it with inspirational quotes on your Instagram.

Choose a charity that suits your brand. For example, if you are:

  • a locally based store, support a local charity
  • a restaurant or grocery store, support a food bank
  • a global chain, support a global cause

Encourage your followers to support a charity of their choice, too. You’ll look like a very cool company that’s not imposing their choice on your young customers.

Holiday Instagram post

3 tips for being charitable on Instagram:

  • Show your brand cares by holiday giving
  • Set up a campaign-specific hashtag to create a community
  • Use inspirational images and quotes when posting about your chosen charity

12. Behind-the-Scenes Look

Generally speaking, Instagram followers love to feel special. Let your brand give them what they want.

Post exclusive photos and videos of a behind-the-scenes look at a special holiday event.

It can be a:

  • holiday party you’re hosting
  • media event you’re invited to
  • big sale you’re preparing for
  • santa visit you’re hosting
  • etc.

Show your staff in the behind-the-scenes footage, too. This deepens the connection your customers have with your store.

Check out how Gilt does it:

Gilt

3 tips for a behind the scenes look:

  • Make your Instagram followers feel special
  • Post exclusive behind the scenes photos of your staff and your big holiday events
  • For example: staff preparing for a sale, a big shipment, or community/ media event

Conclusion

It’s not too late to up your Instagram marketing game. Act on these tips, and increase your Instagram generated sales this year!

Check out more last-minute holiday marketing tips:

To learn more Instagram marketing tips:

What are your tips? Are you successfully marketing on Instagram? What works for your business?

Written by Krista Bunskoek @ Wishpond

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