How to Create a Holiday Social Media Strategy

The holiday season can make or break your year — and social media is where so many of your customers are making buying decisions. Scroll through your feed in November and December and you’ll see tons of festive posts, gift guides, giveaways, and endless ads competing for attention. If you don’t have a plan, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

That’s where a holiday social media strategy comes in. With the right approach, you can cut through the noise, connect with your audience, and turn holiday browsers into paying customers. Best of all, you don’t need to be a social media pro to make it work.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to create a holiday social media strategy for every platform — Facebook, X, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube — that’s ready to bring in results this festive season.

How to create a holiday social media strategy

Choose your social media platforms

The holidays are an incredibly busy time for small business owners, and you can’t be everywhere. So focus your efforts on the social media platforms where your target audience is most likely hanging out.

Here’s a quick overview of each social media platform and how it could work for your business this holiday season:

• Facebook: As a small business, you’ve probably already seen how Facebook can be used to engage with fans and promote your business throughout the year. On Facebook, you can use different types of content — including text, images, videos, Reels, and links — to engage your fans. You can also take advantage of Facebook’s advertising capabilities to target nearby consumers and drive local success. Lastly, with 98.5% of Facebook users now accessing the social platform via mobile devices, Facebook is also one of the most powerful networks for connecting with local consumers on their mobile devices.
• X (formerly Twitter): X is one of the best networks for engaging with your audience and sharing helpful and engaging content. But did you also know that X is a valuable platform for customer service? People love X because it gives them direct access to the people and brands that are important to them. By monitoring your X activity and responding to follower questions and feedback, you’ll never miss the opportunity to turn a social interaction into a new opportunity for your business.
• Pinterest: Users approach Pinterest with more of a shopping mentality than they do on other social sites. While you may use other networks — like Facebook or X — strictly for engagement purposes, on Pinterest you’re able to connect with consumers at a unique stage of the buying process: the looking and browsing stage. Pinterest is the perfect platform to highlight gift ideas and showcase all that your business has to offer this holiday season.
• Instagram: Instagram is one of the best networks for creating engaging content for your business this holiday season. Its user-friendly tools make it easy to create images and video clips your customers and potential customers will love. You can snap photos of staff members preparing for an upcoming holiday sale, show off gift ideas with creative Reels your audience will love, go Live to share the season’s most popular products to gift loved ones, or show a carousel of photos featuring your customers visiting your business or using your products.
• TikTok: TikTok is built for short, creative videos that grab attention fast. Use TikTok to showcase products in action, share quick gift ideas, or give a behind-the-scenes look at holiday prep. TikTok’s algorithm helps users discover new content, so even new accounts can reach wide audiences — especially if you jump on trending sounds or challenges. People are also increasingly using TikTok as a search tool to find local businesses, so adding descriptive captions and on-screen text can help more potential customers find you. Plus, if you’re set up with TikTok Shop, you can make it easy to shop right from your videos.
• Threads: Using Threads around the holiday season is a great way to connect with your customers and get them to engage with your business online. Posts on Threads are similar to X (formerly Twitter), following a more casual and conversational format. You can share updates about your business, what your staff is up to to prepare for the holiday season, or your expertise on topics related to your business and the holidays.
• YouTube: The holidays are the perfect time to create and share videos and YouTube Shorts from your business. Your videos don’t have to be a big-budget production. Something as simple as a video from your smartphone wishing customers a happy holiday or an interview about upcoming holiday activities can go a long way toward making a more personal connection with your audience. Best of all, you can easily share your videos on your different social networks or even add them to your holiday emails.

Start laying out your posting schedule

To help get the ball rolling, we’ve brainstormed a list of creative post ideas perfect for each of these popular social networks. Choose the ones that make sense for your audience, and add your business’s unique personality to make them your own.

Facebook

Share photos or graphics showing:

• Customers shopping small
• A recent holiday event
• A nearby restaurant you recommend

Create Reels or videos showing:

• A tutorial on how to gift wrap their purchase
• Your staff unpacking new holiday items
• A behind-the-scenes tour of your store or your shipping process (show the hard work and care you put into being a small business owner!)

Post links with a caption to share:

• Your latest email (link to the email in the caption)
• A reminder about an upcoming sale
• A poll asking a holiday-themed question

X (formerly Twitter)

Share photos or graphics showing:

• Your holiday hours
• Customers shopping small
• Holiday shopping tips

Create videos showing:

• Your favorite gift ideas
• How to participate in #SmallBusinessSaturday
• A customer review or testimonial

Post links with a caption to share:

• A local nonprofit’s holiday fundraiser
• Your latest blog
• A reminder about an upcoming sale

Instagram

Share photos or graphics showing:

• Customer reviews or testimonials
• A carousel of photos featuring past holidays
• Customers shopping small
• A carousel of graphics listing gift ideas for a specific person (spouse, parent, child, teacher, etc.)

Create Reels showing:

• your staff unpacking new holiday items
• video clips of your holiday decorations
• wishing customers a happy holiday
• a recap of a holiday event or your staff celebrating the holidays

TikTok

Share videos showing:

• A behind-the-scenes look at your staff preparing for the holidays
• A quick tutorial featuring one of your products as a gift idea
• Customers using or unboxing your products with a holiday spin
• A thank you message to your customers for their support this season

Join trends and challenges by:

• Participating in a holiday-themed challenge
• Using trending holiday sounds or audio clips
• Creating your own challenge that encourages others to participate
• Stitching or duetting content from other creators with a holiday theme

Threads

Share photos or graphics showing:

• Customer reviews or testimonials

Create videos showing:

• The most popular items of the season
• Gift ideas for the holidays
• How to participate in #SmallBusinessSaturday

Post links with a caption to share:

• An upcoming sale
• Items that are back in stock

YouTube

Share videos showing:

• An appreciation or thank you to your customers and vendors
• Customers speaking about their favorite things about your small business
• Insights on your plans for next year
• Your expertise on a holiday-themed topic related to your small business
• A recap video of a holiday event
• Holiday gift ideas using your merchandise
• Your staff sharing what they’re thankful for this holiday season

Pinterest

Create boards to inspire gift ideas and holiday-themed activities. A few examples:

• 20 gifts under $20
• Gift ideas for parents or siblings
• Last-minute gift ideas
• Gifts you can shop for online
• Fun holiday recipes
• 10 outfit essentials for every holiday occasion
• Top 5 local businesses in Boston (substitute Boston for your location)

Remember to go beyond posting to your feed by sharing your social media content using the different features social media platforms offer, like Stories, Reels, polls, Live, and YouTube Shorts.

Decide how often to post on each platform

Below we’ve outlined recommended frequencies for how often to post on social media for all the different social networks. Remember that this is your holiday social media strategy. Focus on the networks you think offer the biggest opportunity for your business. These frequencies can provide guidelines as you start putting your calendar together.

Note: Frequency will be most important on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram. On YouTube, you’ll likely be creating one or a series of videos, and won’t need to focus on posting on a daily or weekly basis. Learn more about using YouTube.

With your content ideas and plans for posting mapped out, you can now start filling your calendar

As you start putting your social media plan together, keep these important days in mind:

• Thanksgiving — November 27
• Black Friday — November 28
• Small Business Saturday — November 29
• Cyber Monday — December 1
• #GivingTuesday — December 2
• Hanukkah — December 14 – December 22
• Christmas Eve — December 24
• Christmas — December 25
• Kwanzaa — December 26 – January 1
• Boxing Day — December 26

You’ll also want to factor in your other marketing activities. For example, look for ways to coordinate your posting schedule with your email marketing schedule. Remember that you can easily share your holiday emails on social media, and use social media to encourage fans and followers to join your email list.

Look for ways to save time and keep things running smoothly

If you’re a Constant Contact customer, you can create and schedule your holiday emails in advance. You can also use tools like Facebook’s native post scheduler, which lets you schedule your posts ahead of time. Try to incorporate a number of time-saving tools to schedule posts before things get too hectic.

For more holiday marketing advice, check out these holiday marketing blog articles for tools to help you plan, design, create, and measure your holiday campaigns

Download our Holiday Marketing Quickstarter