5 Ways to Create a Festive Feed
It’s December and the holidays are in full swing! People are out and about, families are gathering and everyone is shopping! Christmas lights and wreaths line the streets and beautifully decorated Christmas trees can be seen through the windows. It’s almost impossible to not get wrapped up in the holiday cheer.
In fact, psychologists say Christmas decorations are nostalgic and bring people back to simpler and happier times, boosting dopamine. The bright lights and colors from Christmas lights trigger happy hormones and increase energy levels!
While the holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the most profitable time of year. Which makes for some stiff competition for businesses trying to cash in. Companies need to stand out and cut through the noise. With over one billion active users, Instagram is a very valuable marketing channel.
In fact, 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business. Creating a festive Instagram feed is the perfect way to tap into those nostalgic holiday emotions and build anticipation for your followers.
First Things First, Map It Out
Before you can create the perfect festive feed, you need to make a plan. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What days are you running campaigns?
- How many posts per day?
- How many photos do you want for each post? (Remember to take photos ahead of time so you have time for editing)
- Which posts will highlight products and how many pictures will you need?
- What kind of content needs to be written?
- Will you be doing a giveaway?
- Is your company hosting any community events?
- What festive themed reels need to be created?
- What will you post on your stories?
- What collaborations would be fun and festive?
Taking the time to plan everything out before the madness of the holidays begins will eliminate so much stress and set you up for a successful holiday season.
5 Ways to Create a Festive Feed
Festive Design Elements
Every great Instagram theme begins with color and a festive holiday theme is no different.
Keeping true to your brand’s personality, what colors will best help you convey the most wonderful time of the year? Traditional red and green? Something more sophisticated like gold, white, and silver? Or something fun and unique like pink, green, and blue?
Need help deciding which colors to use? Try one of these festive color combinations.
- Red, gold, and white
- White and blue
- Red, white, green, and blue
- Green, gold, and white
- Or stick with your brand colors!
Holiday-themed content can include imagery such as beautifully wrapped gifts, or decorated Christmas trees. Stay true to your brand and wrap gifts in personalized wrapping paper in your brand colors! Show off your products wrapped in twinkling Christmas lights or in gift baskets ready to be delivered. Use candy canes or ornaments in your flat lays. Santa hats, mistletoe, holiday wreaths, snowflakes, shopping bags, garland, snowmen, stockings, the possibilities are endless!
Holiday-Themed Videos
Videos are an effective and powerful form of marketing. Video content increases brand awareness, drives traffic, increases sales, and performs well across all social media platforms. This is why creating festive videos is such a great way to stand out during the holiday season!
When using videos on Instagram there are several options. You can post the video straight to your feed, create a video for your stories or create a reel video.
Need a little inspiration? Here are a few ideas to get you started!
- Behind the scenes footage of your company Christmas party
- Customer testimonials
- Unboxing videos featuring your products
- Holiday party outfits
- A heartfelt message to your customers
Gift Guides
Ever since the rise of social commerce, Instagram has become a one-stop shop for gift inspiration and gift buying! The social commerce feature allows your followers to go from viewing to purchasing in a matter of seconds, which makes gift guides the perfect addition to your festive holiday feed.
Gift guides are created with your customers in mind, a tool that makes shopping easier for them and keeps your products top of mind.
The best gift guides make shopping for anyone on your customers list a breeze. If your company sells a wide variety of products, you could create different guides like these;
- “For Him”
- “For Her”
- “For the Home”
- “The Gym Buff”
- “The Traveler”
- “The Foodie”
- “The Luxury Lover”
Don’t forget to create a gift guide for the last-minute shopper! And be sure to mention when the last date your customers can purchase to receive their products before Christmas.
Holiday Giveaways
In the spirit of giving, a giveaway is a perfect way to kick off the holiday season! And giveaway posts are the perfect addition to your festive holiday feed!
What a perfect way to give back to the loyal customers who support your business and engage with your followers. A well-planned Instagram giveaway not only helps you boost engagement but it can actually help you grow your audience! Who doesn’t want more potential customers right around the holidays?
Hosting a giveaway can also be a great way to collaborate with other companies in your industry. Whether you decide to collaborate or not, be sure to plan out the details ahead of time.
You’ll need to decide what item/s you’re giving away, what the entry criteria is, and how long your contest will run. Be sure to create a compelling and unique campaign hashtag to help spread awareness of your giveaway!
Holiday Sales Campaigns
Your products and services are the star of the show and creating a festive holiday feed are really all about showing them off and making them appealing to your customers.
The holidays are a great time to offer your customers free shipping, offer product bundles, run a buy one get one free promotion, announce a new limited edition product, or offer double loyalty points. And your Instagram feed is the perfect place to market your campaign.
Use festive colors, imagery, and fonts to keep your posts festive and in line with your holiday-themed feed.
Don’t forget to post your holiday campaign content on your stories too!
