As Halloween passes, gingerbread and candy canes slowly replace pumpkins and candy corn, and consumers’ thoughts start to revolve around Christmas and the gifts they hope to purchase for their loved ones. If you’re an ecommerce entrepreneur, though, you may have already started planning for the winter holidays long before this.
Christmas is a famously busy period for retailers. Although it can be stressful, it also presents a wonderful opportunity to get creative with your marketing campaign strategy, especially when it comes to social networks, provided that you have some great ideas for content up your sleeve.
Read on to learn more about the importance of social media marketing at Christmas and discover our list of social media post ideas plus tips to assist you in designing a holly jolly feed!
Is Christmas a good time to launch social media campaigns?
If you’ve just recently created your online store, you may be wondering if you really need to invest your time, energy, and money into developing a social media marketing strategy for Christmas. After all, you know that you’re bound to already be quite busy with loads of other tasks throughout the season.
However, it’s worth noting that 55% of shoppers learn about new brands via social media, according to a Sprout Social study involving consumers and businesses in the US. When you consider how many ecommerce businesses already exist and the number of new ones popping up all the time, it’s essential that you find a way to get your voice heard and connect with your target market, for which social media is a powerful tool.
In addition, Christmas is a very important time of year for sales. In fact, for many brands, it’s the most important! You therefore want to make sure that you’re optimizing your efforts on all your marketing channels, including social networks. Having a solid social media marketing strategy in place for the holidays can aid in growing your community, building brand awareness, and driving traffic to your website, ultimately hopefully leading to more revenue for your business.
Christmas social media post ideas for your business to boost engagement
Without further ado, here are 19 social media post ideas for images, video content, and more to consider for your future Christmas marketing campaigns!
1. Christmas hashtags
When used strategically, hashtags can be very effective tools for boosting your presence on social media. They help to increase discovery and exposure, encourage engagement, analyze the competition, research content ideas, and strengthen the link between online and offline campaigns.
It therefore makes sense to harness the power of the hashtag throughout the holiday season just like you would during any other time of the year to optimize your efforts with your posts on social networks like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, etc.
You can opt to add common Christmas hashtags to your posts or create your own branded hashtag to spotlight your creativity! Furthermore, you can apply this marketing strategy to any of the content you share on social networks during the holidays.
Source: Sézane
2. Christmas countdown
Looking for a type of social media post that will keep people coming back for more during the holiday season? A countdown or customized Advent calendar can help catch their eye and inform them that they can look forward to new holiday content from you every day leading up to Christmas.
Determining the right way to structure your countdown will depend on your unique brand and your target market, but here are some great ideas for a bit of inspiration:
- Highlight your products: put the spotlight on a new item every day.
- Offer daily discounts: provide users with a special promotion on your site that’s viable for only 24 hours.
- Share advice: give your best tips on the holiday-related topic of your choosing.
- Post product teasers: supply your audience with a new clue about an upcoming mystery item.
- Design holiday-themed visuals: add to the aesthetics of your feed by simply posting a well-crafted image each day of the countdown.
3. Gift inspiration
While many of your followers may be shopping for Christmas presents to give to their loved ones, it’s quite possible that a good portion of them will be scratching their heads trying to figure out what to get some of the folks on their list. Inspire your audience with a thoughtfully crafted gift guide filled with item recommendations to suit a variety of recipients. What’s more, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase your online store’s catalog!
When creating your holiday gift guide, be sure to include product images optimized for social media rather than a website. In addition, you’ll want to add descriptions and messaging that will entice viewers to head to your ecommerce site and purchase your offerings or buy them directly from your social networks.
Note that you can add different types of social media content to promote your Christmas gift guide. For instance, you might share a helpful infographic, carousel posts, Instagram Reels, a quick TikTok video, or photo albums to pique your followers’ curiosity and encourage them to follow the link to your gift guide and discover loads of ideas for their holiday shopping.
@asos The countdown is well and truly on..\ud83c\udf84\ud83c\udf81 #office #officelife #christmas #giftideas #gift \u266c original sound - asos
Source: ASOS
4. Holiday pet photos
Another surefire campaign strategy for businesses wishing to boost engagement on social media is to post images of pets decked out in their finest holiday gear. People love seeing cute animals on the internet, and even if your online store doesn’t sell pet-related goods, a feel-good photo of a cat wearing an elf hat or a dog sporting a Santa suit, for example, is bound to win over your audience.
One option is to share posts of your own pet or the furry friends of your team if you have other people who work with you. You could alternatively encourage your followers to send in photos of their pets and spotlight these shared images on your feed or Stories.
5. Holiday recipes
When the calendar shows that the holidays are about to arrive, food is one of the main topics on many people’s minds. Sugar cookies, gingerbread, hot cocoa, pumpkin pie, Christmas pudding…the list of delicious treats goes on and on!
Regardless of what your online store sells, sharing posts involving recipes on social media is sure to be a hit with your community. It’s the perfect way to inspire your followers to explore their culinary talents and interact with your brand.
Delight your audience by posting your original creations or tasty recipes passed down from generation to generation in your family. You can also take the user-generated content (UGC) approach and ask your followers to share their own recipes and highlight them on your own page (with the user’s permission, of course).
‘Tis the season for hot chocolate and M&M’S. pic.twitter.com/aBGeRoEsqe
— M&M'S (@mmschocolate) December 22, 2021
Source: M&M’s
6. Behind-the-scenes holiday content
Giving your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your business can go a long way in showing the human side of your brand, which in turn assists in building trust and loyalty with customers any time throughout the year. Furthermore, this marketing strategy allows for plenty of flexibility, making it a great idea for your posts on social media at Christmas, whether you’re looking for Facebook post ideas, Instagram post ideas, or TikTok post ideas.
For example, you might share video posts featuring mini-interviews with you or your different team members, where you pose various holiday-related questions. You could also show users Snaps from your team holiday party or demonstrate how you pack an order marked as a “gift” for a customer during the holidays, for example.
Enjoy getting into holiday decorating yourself? Another option is to show off your home decorations or office decorations!
@madewell 'Tis the season to get dressed. #madewell #everydaymadewell \u266c original sound - \ud83e\udd86
Source: Madewell
7. Christmas playlist
Maybe it’s those first few notes of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” that makes you feel that Christmas is just around the corner. Or perhaps Dean Martin’s “A Marshmallow World” has the power to instantly get you craving gingerbread cookies and wanting to decorate your Christmas tree. For many people, the real start to the holiday season is when they bust out their favorite Christmas songs!
Get your followers in the festive mood by creating and posting playlists with your top suggestions for music to listen to at Christmas…or all year round for die-hard fans of this musical genre. Encourage your audience to get in on the Christmas tune action by sharing their must-play Christmas songs in the comments. You might also consider creating polls in your Instagram Stories asking viewers about their preferred holiday music and sharing the results.
8. Christmas-themed product spotlights
Limited-edition items are often popular goods to sell during the holidays, due to people not wanting to miss out. If you sell candles featuring a gingerbread cookie scent, handcrafted ceramic mugs with Santa Claus's face, or other Christmas-themed products, don't hesitate to shine the spotlight on them in your social media posts!
These spotlights create excitement and anticipation, showcasing items that align with the seasonal spirit. They also provide gift ideas, making it easier for shoppers to make decisions.
What's more, this approach taps into the emotional aspect of the season, potentially increasing engagement and sales as customers are drawn to goods that enhance their holiday experience.
@crocs *screams* SANTA!!!!!
\u266c original sound - Crocs
Source: Crocs
9. Festive memes
Regarding social media in general, when in doubt about what new content to share, post a meme! Okay, while that’s definitely not always the best solution in every situation, the universal love for memes cannot be denied. Their popularity is basically due to the sharing of an inside joke or an idea that viewers can instantly understand.
In addition, a well-done meme has huge potential to go viral, helping your brand awareness to skyrocket!
Give this beloved type of light-hearted social media content a holiday spin and share Christmas-themed memes to add a bit of humor to your feed, perhaps creating one involving the frustration of holiday shopping or figuring out the lighting system when decorating a Christmas tree. Of course, knowing your audience is key, as memes aren’t the right option for some business.
10. Contest or giveaway
Running a contest or giveaway is perfect for getting into the festive spirit and giving back to your community. This time of year can definitely put an extra strain on your customers’ wallets, and hosting a special event that results in a free gift is the perfect way to share festive cheer with your audience on social media. It also can aid in expanding your reach considerably and boost engagement—after all, everybody is going to love a freebie!
As far as what type of contest or giveaway you choose to create for your campaign, don’t be afraid to let your creativity go wild. You might ask people to share photos of themselves using your products, their suggestions for what to name a new item that you’ll soon be launching, or videos featuring their best performances of their favorite Christmas songs, either tagging your company or using a dedicated hashtag to help you locate the user-shared content.
If you want to keep things simple, you could also just ask people to like your post, tag a friend in the comments, and share your post in their Stories in order to participate. It's not necessary for you to spend tons of money on the prize for the winner of your contest or giveaway, but it should be something that makes participation worthwhile. A free product, a limited-edition item, or a gift card are all excellent options.
Source: The Body Shop
11. Easy DIYs
Regardless of the item being sold, a well-rounded social media marketing strategy for a business should include educational posts that teach consumers something new. Sharing information is one of the best methods for brands to be able to attract and keep a user’s attention, so why not take advantage of this idea at Christmas?
One way to go about this is to create posts involving simple do-it-yourself (DIY) activities associated with the holidays—even better if you can find a way to include products from your online store!
Keep in mind, however, that in order for this kind of post to work really well on social networks, visual appeal is a must. You might, for example, create a stunning infographic, an entertaining video, or striking carousel posts, anything that makes the information you’re sharing fun and easy to read and understand.
@lecreuset Deck the halls with @Sophia’s Fruit and Brie Wreath. \ud83c\udf84 This elegant appetizer is even more beautiful in the Iris Collection Serving Platter! Ingredients: 1 wheel of brie Your favorite seasonal fruits - @sophandspice used fruits like grapes, pomegranate, persimmons, mandarins, passion fruit, and figs Honey Sage, rosemary, and/or other green herbs for garnish Instructions: 1. Carefully cut off the top of the rind off of a large brie wheel and place it in the center of the serving platter. You can warm the brie if you’d like, or leave it out to reach room temperature - it will be nice and creamy either way. 2. Drizzle the brie with honey and arrange your choice of fruits, nuts, and decorative herbs in a circular fashion around it. Serve alongside crackers or crostini for dipping, and add more honey as needed. Enjoy! #lecreuset #lecreusettiktok #foodtok #appetizerideas #appetizerrecipe #charcuteriewreath #cheesewreath #briewreath \u266c love song (hesitations) (sped up) - Lofuu & Shiloh Dynasty & dprk
Source: Le Creuset
12. Christmas checklists
While the holiday season can be a magical time of year, it can also get pretty crazy. Searching for the perfect gifts, preparing holiday meals, and going to parties are just some of the activities that your customers may be managing at Christmas. To assist them in staying organized, consider providing a Christmas checklist on social media.
This type of content tends to do really well as a form of content marketing on social networks, as it’s easy for users to scan and quickly find the information they’re looking for. Furthermore, you can create a checklist for nearly any topic, serious or silly!
You could offer, for example, a checklist detailing the best Christmas films to see, outdoor winter activities to do, Christmas cookies to make, holiday pet preparation, or steps for a stress-free (or at least a less stressful) holiday shopping experience.
13. Holiday promotions
Although your brand will likely have multiple goals for your social media marketing efforts during the holidays, there’s a very good chance that increasing sales is pretty high up there on the list. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to offer special holiday promotions and discounts to encourage your current and potential customers alike to add their favorite items to their shopping carts on your website and finalize their orders ASAP!
Remember that many competing businesses will be holding sales in the days leading up to Christmas. If you opt to not do the same, you may find your business getting left behind.
When you design posts to advertise your holiday promotions, note that one of the best tips is to ensure that all the important information is easy for your followers to find. Whether in the post’s image, video, or caption, make it clear as to exactly what the promotion is, what product(s) it applies to, when it starts and how long it lasts, and what steps (if any) shoppers must take to be able to avail of the offer.
@glossier Last call for sale shoppers \ud83d\udcde Our biggest sale of the year ends today! Get 25% off or 30% off qualifying purchases on Glossier.com and in Glossier stores. Exclusions apply. Plus, we’re gifting a Glossier Candle on all qualifying purchases (while supplies last!). Make your home smell great this holiday season, courtesy of us! \u2763\ufe0f#glossier #bfcm #blackfriday #cybermonday #glossiersale \u266c missedcalls (sped up) - Kudasaibeats & sped up
Source: Glossier
14. Interactive Christmas trivia or quizzes
Looking for a fun way to liven up your social media presence with your posts? Delight users with a bit of interesting Christmas trivia or some fun quizzes!
With this type of interactive content, you can create a post featuring the fact or statistic, or you can ask a question and ask your followers to offer their best guess as to the answer in the comments. Another option is to ask your audience in your Stories using the question feature. To encourage participation, you might give the first user providing the correct response a discount code for their next purchase, a free gift, or another kind of prize.
If you want to take your holiday trivia game to the next level, you might host a live trivia or quiz event on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. This would allow for a more interactive experience for your audience and can help your brand stand out from the crowd by taking a creative approach with your social media content.
15. Festive community events
Any time of the year is wonderful for getting involved with your community, but the winter holidays often provide many more opportunities to connect with others. Whether an event is directly related to the types of products that your business sells or not, it can be a great way to promote your brand, do some networking, or simply give back.
You might even consider sponsoring an event yourself, either online or offline. Regardless of if you’re the one doing the hosting or you’re attending somebody else’s event, think about how you might be able to share the experience with your own community on social media. You can create related content to post before, during, and after the event, being sure to give your followers plenty of advance notice if it’s something they can attend themselves.
Source: Brooks Running
16. Influencer collaborations
Influencer marketing has significantly increased in popularity in recent years, and it’s no surprise why. This powerful tactic can expand brands’ reach on social media exponentially, and it generally offers a relatively high ROI. Partnering with influencers, people who have large followings on social networks, to promote your offerings and/or brand can be especially valuable at Christmas, as this is when shoppers are most in the market to buy.
Concerning the best social media platforms to use for your future holiday influencer marketing campaign, a 2021 study by Statista found that Instagram was the most popular option, followed by Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Of course, the right choice for you will depend on where your target market is!
17. Feel-good content
For many people, Christmas time brings an extra dose of good cheer that can sometimes be hard to come by the rest of the calendar year. Feel-good content is ideal for a Christmas social media campaign because it aligns with the festive, joyful spirit of the season.
Sharing posts featuring this kind content tends to be uplifting, promoting positivity and a sense of community, which resonates well during the holidays. It helps engage audiences by evoking warm, cheerful emotions, often leading to higher levels of interaction and sharing. This can enhance your company's visibility and connection with your customers, making it an effective strategy for holiday social media marketing.
Source: Coca-Cola
18. Funny Christmas jokes
Laughter is a powerful tool when it comes to strengthening the relationships that brands have with their customers. Inject some festive humor into your feed by sharing your favorite Christmas jokes. The cheesier, the better!
Posts involving humor work well in both visual and video content on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. They also would be perfect for short but hilarious tweets to post on X (formerly) Twitter.
Be careful, though… Knowing your target audience is super important here. If the people following your brand's social media profile are less likely to love seeing content that’s on the lighter side, you might want to avoid this kind of post. If you do decide to make jokes part of your Christmas campaign strategy, it’s probably a good idea to err on the side of caution by staying professional and keeping the humor G-rated in your posts.
@chewy What he said \u2b06\ufe0f\ud83d\ude39 #chewy #catsoftiktok #christmastree \u266c original sound - Chewy
Source: Chewy
19. Christmas cover photo for Facebook
If your business has a Facebook page, you’ll definitely want to update your cover photo to give it a more festive look for the Christmas season. This is one of the easiest steps to take when transforming your page for the holidays, and it’ll also show up on your feed as an activity, so don’t hesitate to add your new Facebook cover photo with a Christmas theme as soon as possible when you begin your holiday marketing.
Take advantage of free stock images available from the various image banks online or design your own cover photo with a tool like Canva for your Christmas social media campaign. If you want to add a more personal touch, you could even add a photo of your team donning their jolliest holiday sweaters!
Source: Chewy
