Now that the holiday season has arrived, brands are actively utilizing various digital channels to accelerate their holiday sales promotions and increase sales. During the holidays, businesses usually like to focus on popular digital channels like Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC), Facebook Advertising, and Email Marketing.

These days, social media significantly influences how millennials communicate and retain customers. Because of this, businesses are jumping on another trendy platform this season: Instagram. Businesses are using Instagram influencers to create buzz for their holiday campaigns and attract new visitors to their websites.

The holiday season is the most competitive period for small businesses; therefore, brands are using influencer marketing campaigns for their holiday marketing strategies. So, for small businesses venturing into influencer marketing, the focus isn’t really on immediate conversions. Instead, it’s all about enhancing your business exposure through that ‘word of post’ strategy. The aim here is to get the business across to new consumers who might check out your website and eventually make a purchase later on. So, how can small businesses plan for an influencer marketing campaign? Here are a few tips for how your business might use social media influencers during holiday promotions.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing involves teaming up with people who have a dedicated and active audience. These influencers can promote your products or services to their audience, usually by creating genuine and relatable content. Think of it as modern-day word-of-mouth marketing, but it’s on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or even a blog.

7 Influencer Marketing Campaign Ideas for the Holiday Season

Get ready to make the most of the festive season with creative influencer marketing campaigns! Here are some impactful ideas to help your brand shine and connect with audiences during the holidays.

1. Find the Right Influencers

Not every influencer is the same, and that’s perfectly fine. If you’re running a small business, micro-influencers (those with between 1,000 and 50,000 followers) are definitely what you need to go for. Although their audiences are typically smaller, they are highly engaged and typically more cost-effective.

Look for influencers who:

• Align with your brand values.
• Share content in your niche or industry.
• Have an engaged audience (check their likes, comments, and interactions).

2. Reach Out With a Clear Proposal

Once you find the right influencer, send them a casual, personalized message to connect. Explain how you really enjoy their content and how you think a partnership could be beneficial for both of you. It would be awesome to combine your strengths and create something even more engaging together. Make sure to be clear about what you’re offering, whether it’s a free product, payment, or a combination of both, and also specify what you’d like in return, like a post, story, or a giveaway collaboration.

3. Create A Holiday Promotion That Makes An Impact

It’s crucial to create a holiday advertisement that effectively engages your audience, as the holidays present a highly competitive and costly period for businesses. Your business really needs to come up with a deal that customers just can’t say no to. This isn’t your usual “buy one, get the second one half off” or “25% off select items.” Instead, it’s about making a statement with something bold. If you don’t take action, your competitors will, and you might miss out on a big sales opportunity.

4. Select A Handful Of Products To Target

After you’ve created your holiday promotion, it’s important to choose specific products for influencers to promote. If an influencer’s post is too broad, it probably won’t resonate much with their audience. This is because the followers of an influencer aspire to emulate their lifestyle.

People want to know what products influencers use and endorse. Influencers who share a product are essentially endorsing it. The more an influencer talks about one or two specific products, the more their audience becomes familiar with those items, making it more likely that their followers will decide to purchase them for themselves.

5. Create Custom UTMs for Holiday Promotions

To attract new users to a particular product page or a holiday-themed page on the business’s website, it’s important to set up a custom UTM link for the holidays. Each influencer should definitely have their own UTM link or promo code, but it’s a good idea for the page that the link leads to to be different during the holidays. If you’re looking at a particular product page or checking out the business’s holiday sale products, it can really help bring in new users to that page and boost the chances of them making a purchase.

6. Create Holiday Ad Copy From Influencer Images

Due to the abundance of holiday ads, influencer campaigns may help your business stand out. Collaborating with influencers to capture images of your brand and its products is a strategic decision that benefits both parties. The influencer’s followers will notice your brand, and they will create content for you.

When you have the influencer’s consent, a beneficial strategy to use during holidays is to craft ad copy using their images. This approach not only makes the ad feel less pushy and more genuine, but it could also give the business a fresh vibe that the audience hasn’t experienced yet. Just think about it: people tend to trust other people, and there’s really nothing more convincing than seeing an influencer’s post pop up repeatedly in your feed.

7. Track Results and Engage

Finally, make sure to keep track of how the campaign is doing. Is anyone clicking on your link? Are you seeing an increase in website traffic or new followers? Make sure to interact with the influencer’s post, respond to comments, and show your appreciation for their support of your brand.

Creative Ideas for Your Holiday Campaign

Here are some ways you can collaborate with influencers this holiday season:

• Holiday Giveaways: Firstly, team up with an influencer to host a giveaway featuring your product. It’s a great way to get exposure and attract new customers.
• Limited-Time Discounts: Then provide a special discount code for the influencer’s followers to create urgency.
• Unboxing or Reviews: Send your product as a gift for influencers to unbox or review on their platforms.
• Live Sessions or Tutorials: Lastly, have them host a live demo or tutorial featuring your product, like holiday decor ideas or recipes. 

Wrapping Up

Influencers significantly enhance your brand’s advertising opportunities, particularly during the costly holiday season. Plus, they turn into brand ambassadors, putting their name and personal brand on the line to support a brand and its products.

Running influencer marketing campaigns during the holidays can greatly increase your small business’s visibility. It’s a great way to connect with a new audience of potential customers who might get to know your brand and return to your website. Influencers are about enhancing holiday shopping like never before!