At this time of year, you probably want to stand out from the crowd in some way to maximise sales during the Christmas/ New Year period. The best way to do this is by using social media to your advantage.

Here are some quick and easy tips you can implement now for fun and engaging social media to help your sales.

• Use Festive-themed artwork, photos and images that also tie in with your business style and colours. Create simple and fun banners and images using Canva Free or upgrade to Canva Pro for professional images.
• Use the same images or suite of artwork across all your platforms and website.
• Get a Christmas version of your logo for just a few weeks of Christmas, and use this on your promotions.
• Run special offers just for year end that don’t happen any other time – this is especially good if you have a dedicated customer base who will appreciate exclusive offers. Think discounts, extras, bring a friend for free, or send a gift to a friend.
• Can you get some fresh testimonials to add to your website and use as social media posts?
• Think about offering something extra to people who engage with your business from social media channels – a tiny thank-you gift added to their order or a voucher to use with future purchases.
• Give something away in the spirit of giving – is there something valuable to existing and potential customers yet costs you little to offer?
• Team up with a local charity or worthy cause, such as a school drama group or sports group – promote a percentage of takings over a designated period that you will donate to your favourite cause. Can you take part in marketing events with the cause?
• If you send an email newsletter, don’t forget to include all your promotions, extra hours or closure dates.
• Make a short video! With the power of today’s mobile phones, you can take a short video and get it up on social media very quickly – people love to meet the people behind the business. If you’ve not yet promoted your business using video, give it a try this season.

Of course, you can use many paid ways and more complex strategies to increase sales, but with just a few hours of creative effort and some free tools, you can jumpstart your social media activity. Happy posting!