How To Use Your Social Channels To This Holiday Season

The holiday season is here, and social media is your most powerful tool to connect with your community, drive foot traffic, and boost sales. For local retailers, platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer unique opportunities to reach nearby shoppers and create meaningful engagement.

Muse Multimedia Agency, the proud partner of ILOE Studios, is here to guide you with actionable strategies—backed by data—to help make this holiday season a success.

1. Showcase Your Community Spirit

Local businesses thrive on their connection to the community, and social media is the perfect place to highlight this bond. Shoppers are more likely to visit a store they feel emotionally connected to, especially when they see how their dollars make an impact. Research from Civic Economics found that 48% of every dollar spent at a local business is reinvested into the community, compared to only 14% for chain retailers. (Civic Economics Report)

What to try:

  • Partner with nearby businesses for holiday gift bundles.
  • Highlight community activities, such as a local charity drive or a holiday market where your store is participating.
  • Share posts showcasing your team or your customers—this creates a personal, relatable connection.

Shoppers love to feel like they’re supporting their neighbors, so make it easy for them to see the value in choosing your store.

2. Create Exclusive In-Store Offers

Social media-exclusive deals create a sense of urgency and drive immediate action, especially during the holiday rush. According to Facebook IQ, 66% of holiday shoppers use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to discover new products or businesses, making it the perfect place to promote your best offers. (Facebook IQ Report)

Examples:

  • “Exclusive for our Facebook followers: Show this post for 10% off today!”
  • Run a “12 Days of Deals” campaign with new daily discounts leading up to Christmas.

To maximize engagement, pair your offer with a clear, visually compelling image of the featured product or a festive design that grabs attention.

3. Post Your Holiday Must-Haves

Social media acts as your digital storefront, and showcasing your most popular or unique holiday items is essential. Shoppers want to be inspired, and visually appealing posts can make all the difference. Research from Sprout Social found that posts featuring high-quality visuals receive 53% more engagement than text-only posts. (Sprout Social Statistics)

Ideas to implement:

  • Create a photo carousel of your “Top 5 Winter Essentials.”
  • Post videos demonstrating how to use your products or style them for the holidays.
  • Highlight locally sourced items or exclusive products to appeal to customers looking for something unique.

Remember to include clear calls-to-action, like “Stop by to shop these finds today!” or “Message us to reserve yours.”

4. Use Stories to Engage in Real-Time

With their ephemeral nature, Stories on Facebook and Instagram create a sense of immediacy that’s perfect for flash sales, behind-the-scenes content, or quick updates. Stories are highly engaging, with Instagram Stories increasing customer interactions by up to 28% compared to regular posts. (Hootsuite Instagram Stories Stats)

What to share:

  • Polls asking followers, “What’s your favorite holiday gift to give?”
  • Videos of new products being unboxed or displayed.
  • A quick look at your store’s festive decorations or team holiday fun.

Stories help your audience feel connected to your store in real time, making them more likely to visit.

5. Host a Local Giveaway

Giveaways are an excellent way to increase engagement and excitement while showcasing your brand’s generosity. Posts involving giveaways generate 3.5 times more engagementthan regular posts, according to Hootsuite. (Hootsuite Report)

How to structure your giveaway:

  • Ask followers to like your page, tag a friend, and comment their favorite holiday memory for a chance to win a gift card.
  • Collaborate with another local business to offer a larger prize while expanding your audience reach.

A small prize, like a $25 gift card or holiday-themed product, can create a lot of buzz and drive traffic to your store.

 

6. Encourage User-Generated Content

Your customers are your best advocates, and encouraging them to share their experiences builds trust and boosts your reach. HubSpot reports that user-generated content is 4.5 times more likely to be trusted by consumers than brand-created content. (HubSpot Report)

How to encourage it:

  • Offer a discount or small gift for customers who tag your store in their photos.
  • Create a hashtag for the season (e.g., #[YourStoreName]HolidayMagic) to make it easy to track posts.

Featuring these posts on your page not only rewards your customers but also inspires others to shop with you.

7. Run Targeted Local Ads

Social media ads don’t require a large budget to make a big impact, especially when you use geotargeting to reach local shoppers. Social media ads deliver an average ROI of $5.20 for every $1 spent, making them one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available. (WordStream Advertising Stats)

Tips for local ads:

  • Highlight your best products, upcoming sales, or exclusive in-store events.
  • Use location targeting to focus on shoppers within a specific radius of your store.
  • Keep your message clear and action-driven, such as “Stop by today for the perfect holiday gifts!”

With the right targeting, even a small investment in ads can help you reach new customers who are actively looking for holiday shopping options.

8. Keep Mobile Users in Mind

Most of your customers are browsing Facebook or Instagram on their phones—mobile users make up 91% of Facebook’s monthly active audience, according to Statista. (Statista Report) Ensuring your posts are mobile-friendly is essential for creating a seamless shopping experience.

What to do:

  • Keep captions concise and ensure all key information (like hours or location) is easily accessible.
  • Use Messenger or Instagram Direct for quick, convenient customer inquiries.
  • Optimize images and videos for vertical viewing, as most mobile users prefer content formatted for their screens.

By making your social presence mobile-friendly, you’ll ensure that your audience can engage with your store anytime, anywhere.

Bring the Holidays to Life

With the right strategies, your social channels can become powerful tools for engaging your audience and driving sales this holiday season. Whether you’re showcasing your community ties, running exclusive promotions, or engaging followers with Stories and giveaways, your social presence will help make your store the go-to destination for holiday shopping.

About Muse Multimedia Agency

At Muse Multimedia Agency, we specialize in empowering small- and mid-sized businesses with marketing strategies that drive results. As the trusted partner of ILOE Studios, we bring creative, results-oriented solutions to local retailers looking to stand out in their communities.

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