Nearly 62% of people become more interested in a brand or a product after seeing it on Instagram Stories - the proof is in the numbers.

Holiday shopping is now a digital exercise. The success of your business depends on your ability to interact with your audience effectively and meaningfully.Using all the tools at your disposal will not only amplify your brand's holiday profile but bolster your audience in the New Year. Marketing your business on social is a clear cut roadmap to sustainable growth. Let's start with a few priorities to set your business up for success during the holiday season:

Holiday Checklist

Create a Marketing Plan - Strategize precisely how you plan to interact with your audience through social media. Think about how many times per day you plan to post to your IG feed, Stories, and Pinterest. Make sure you're consistent with your messaging and purpose.

Set Goals - Based on last year's metrics and your current marketing plan, set goals surrounding your businesses' holiday efforts. Those goals should be achievable but also aspirational. Challenge yourself to surpass your totals from the prior year.

Be Prepared - You should prepare as if you already know you can achieve your goals. Ensure that your product inventory is in high volume, schedule all your social outreach with StoriesEdit and PinPlanner, and think ahead to combat any potential roadblocks.

Make Yourself Available - Making an effort to engage with your followers with comments or direct messages play a central role in holiday shopping and fueling consumer loyalty. Over 20 billion messages are now sent every month between people and businesses on Messenger. Be ready to chat with your consumers about all the things that matter to them.

Leverage Your Resources - Social media is the new window shopping. When your audience is peaking into your store via IG Stories or Pinterest, be ready to provide them with a seamless transaction. ShopLink is an integrated tool that allows you to tag products in PLANOLY and create a shoppable gallery with your Instagram posts.

One billion Stories are shared across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp daily – you can expect that number to increase over the holidays. Stories are your playing field – most of your time will go here.

Create Impact With Your Stories

• Increase Outreach - Almost 70% of people discover new brands and products through Stories on Facebook and Instagram. Your future customers live here – if you don't already, include story marketing as a part of your strategy.
• Play the Odds- Facebook recently revealed that 50% of consumers that browse a website to purchase a product first saw it on Stories. Moreover, more than 30% of those same consumers will visit a brick and mortar. Therefore, you should track the overall increase of Stories impressions and factor that into sales figures.
• Individualize Your Efforts - There are endless ways to set yourself apart from your competitors during the holidays. Start by creating gift guides to target your audience. Identify niche audiences and tailor your images, copy, price point, or ad targeting to speak and relate to them individually.
• Offer Something Valuable - Entice your followers by offering them something in place of just selling them products. Offer discounts, coupons, giveaways, and more to boost your sales but also build consumer loyalty.
• Create Creative, Quality Content - Nothing beats unique and compelling content. Offer your consumers the most exciting social experiences you can. For example, you can create a free quiz for your customers to identify which of your products will be best for their lifestyle. Share the quiz through Stories or the link in your bio – it will create a memorable, shareable experience for your followers.
• Go Big! - Do more! Post at least two to three times more on your Stories than you usually would. Think about shelling some coin for a few paid IG Stories to increase your visibility. And don't forget to rally your troops; make sure your friends and family are sharing with their followers, too.

As more shoppers look to Stories to find new brands and products, your holiday season success very literally hinges upon using the platform to target new audiences. To help align your planning with those goals, we've also created a downloadable holiday workbook for small businesses.In it, you'll find a wealth of checks and balances that hold you accountable for the goals you create and the actions required to achieve them. There are plenty of useful tips including a holiday content tracker and a gift guide planner for your followers.Download StoriesEdit and utilize our PinPlannerto design your Stories and schedule your content to save yourself some valuable time. You're going to need it.

DOWNLOAD OUR SMALL BUSINESS HOLIDAY WORKBOOK HERE!