Preparing your Instagram account for Christmas sales
It seems like there’s still plenty of time. But believe me, it’s not. Already now is the time for you to start thinking about what results you want to achieve and what you will need to do to achieve this.
In this article, I will talk about the step-by-step preparation of an account for sales in the New Year. And on the example of the commodity sector and the service sector, I will answer in detail the following questions:
- What categories of clients exist and how to work with them?
- When is the best time to start announcing the start of New Year sales?
- When should you give targeted or any other advertising for New Year’s sales?
- What assortment of goods should be prepared for the New Year?
So, fasten your seat belts, we are starting our rapid path to the pinnacle of success.
Let’s start with the fact that preparations for the height of the New Year’s sales season should begin in September. And starting from September, every subsequent month you need to do certain actions aimed at promotion. This includes both an increase in the number of subscribers and advertising. I will return to them a little later and describe in detail what exactly needs to be done to prepare for the New Year’s sales by months.
The most important thing in preparing for the New Year’s sales is to make a plan of action. But before that, it is necessary to conduct a detailed analysis of the possible behavior of customers.
Customer behavior can be divided into the following categories:
- The first category, or let’s call them conditionally “Prepare the sleigh in the summer”
These are people who prefer to choose for a long time. They thoroughly approach the purchase of gifts: they look for different options, weigh all the pros and cons, and only then make a decision. They do not like fuss and hype, so they like to think about their decisions well in advance in order to get what they need in a relaxed atmosphere.
- The second category, or “The holiday is coming to us!”
This is the most common category. Such people are saturated with the spirit of the holiday and begin to buy gifts in the wake of the general mood and excitement. They run to the shops in November-December, because because of the advertisements on TV, banners, decorated streets and houses, they begin to feel that the holiday will come very soon.
- The third category, or “I forgot!”
First of all, these are people who live by the principle of “everything at the last moment.” This is a very interesting category, because people from both the 1st and 2nd categories can also fall into it. They make purchases guided by urgency and suddenness. They were unexpectedly invited to visit, or people appeared to whom they had not originally planned to give gifts, or simply money for gifts appeared only at the last moment.
All these categories of clients require different approaches. Therefore, when creating a promotion plan and choosing an assortment, you should definitely take this fact into account.
How to work with different categories of clients?
- With the category “Prepare a sled in the summer” we work on a standard assortment. In posts and stories, we focus on preparation in advance. We show the manufacturing processes, talk about the quality and unique features. This is also a great opportunity for the presentation of new products, which will allow you to make a reserve for the next post-New Year season.
- For the second category of customers, we still offer a standard range. We also add pleasant little things for the New Year to the assortment: souvenirs, postcards, holiday packaging, etc.
- And the category “I forgot!” It is better not to offer anything that is not on hand. It is pointless to rely on delivery throughout Russia. Offer only what is available and what can be done right now.
Many mistakenly believe that the New Year is a season only for the product segment. In fact, this is the season for everyone, and for the service sector too. The same business during this period will need targetologists to launch advertising, because the competition between products intensifies this season, and the demand for advertising increases. No one in the merchandising business wants to miss out on an opportunity to increase sales during such a prosperous period.
That is why the service sector also has a great chance to increase the demand for its services on the wave of New Year’s sales. Even beginners may have the opportunity to take on new clients, interest and motivate them to work together next year. After all, by preparing your account right now for the New Year sales, you can reap the rewards for the whole next year 2021.
I promised that in this article we will take a detailed look at preparing for the New Year’s sales. I’m not throwing words into the wind, I’m doing it.
Let’s take a look at the monthly plan. To make it easier and clearer, I recommend everyone to make a sign. It will help visualize the plan and better understand the steps to take.
My table turned out to be small, but after filling it becomes much more voluminous. The most optimal and convenient size for such a table is one A4 sheet.
When is the best time to start announcing the start of New Year sales?
I recommend starting a clear announcement in October, but this requires setting the stage as early as September.
Let’s go back to our table and write out our plan for preparing for the New Year’s sales for the next 6 months:
September:
- Product. Those who sell a physical product at this time need to start recruiting an assortment so as not to postpone until the last moment and then run in a hurry in search of goods. For the service industry, this is a great time to start long-term projects, the results of which can be seen in 3 months. This can be a content plan for a month or more. We start thinking about various package offers.
- Promotion. We are engaged in active attraction of a new audience, subscribers in social networks. We use mutual PR, start investing in target, participate in marathons and joint draws. For sellers of physical goods, it is worth expanding geographically: to go beyond the city or region.
- Content. Account preparation time. We use standard content. Ideally, start posting a lot of introductory information so that potential clients can get to know you better. This is how we start warming up our audience. For those who sell a physical product: we introduce the audience to the assortment and tell what the product is made of, what makes it unique, and show the process of its creation. Those who offer their services should start reminding subscribers in posts that there are a limited number of places left to take clients.
October:
- Product. We show options for products specially prepared for the New Year. We also create package deals. To make gifts look more solid, an excellent solution would be to cooperate with colleagues and make joint sets. For those who sell services, it’s time to increase the pressure on building strategies: actively offer advertising layouts, targeting services, etc.
- Promotion. We continue all advertising activities, but we increase the pressure on audience engagement. Now we need to get as many likes and saves of publications, mentions of our account as possible. All this is an opportunity to subsequently target those who have already interacted with our content. Such people will already be familiar with us, therefore, the credibility of the product / services will be higher and the results of the targeting will be much more interesting and enjoyable.
- Content. Standard, but in the content plan we put mentions of the New Year and use the New Year theme. This is the right time to introduce New Year’s decor elements into your account, start writing about the New Year and preparations for it.
November:
- Product. We officially announce the start of sales, despite the fact that we have been warming up our audience for a long time. But now we seem to be giving the go-ahead at the start of the race for New Year’s shopping. SMM specialists introduce thematic services into their range that solve specific customer problems. This is the time of the most active sales, and it is worth putting pressure on your audience.
- Promotion. An important point: at this time, the target price rises sharply! This is because working for a “cold” audience becomes completely unprofitable, but advertising for interaction will be a gun. The audience is warmed up, which means that with a point touch we can get the best orders from the audience that has already interacted with us and our product. It’s a great time to go through the list of those customers who already bought Christmas gifts last year and offer them special conditions when buying now.
- Content. Those who sell physical goods and services are beginning to actively talk about the fact that the goods are in stock and you need to hurry, that the quantity is limited and you may not be in time. We create a holiday in our account: we write more about happiness and New Year’s mood, about the fact that our product will help create it. We open appointments for beauty services, ordering cakes, etc. And so that there are no last-minute cancellations, we ask you to make small advance payments. In our blog, everything is now focused on the New Year, it remains only to support the wave of excitement and New Year’s mood. At this time, the hashtags of the New Year theme begin to enter well.
December:
- Product. A wonderful period for those who sell a physical product. You can sell the leftovers, as well as supplement the assortment with pleasant little things. All this works until December 15, and after that the moment of territorial sales comes. We focus on our geolocation, because delivery is no longer so relevant, as there may be delays in the goods, and no one wants a showdown on the New Year.
- Promotion. We stimulate sales by scarcity and demand for goods/services. Starting from December 10th, Target will limit its advertising to only territorial sales.
January:
This month is different for everyone. For some, this is a month of rest, and for some, a moment to lay the foundation for the next year.
- Product. You can resell New Year’s gifts from the leftovers, but only on a territorial basis: your city, your district.
- Promotion. From January 1 to January 3, the cost of advertising per subscriber drops dramatically, so this month it’s very cool to run ads for this. Everyone is sitting at home and after tasty salads they are actively scrolling through the tape.
- Content. It should still be New Year’s, you can add a little humor in the form of themed jokes. For the laziest, I recommend using the deferred posting service through creator studio, and with the help of assistants.
That’s all. In this article, I explained in detail why you need to start preparing for the New Year sales now, when to officially announce the start of sales, why you need to know the categories of customers and what benefits can be from targeted advertising. Follow my advice and you will be happy!
Good sales! And see you again)
Author: Svetlana Krotova.