How to Prepare Your Instagram Business for the Holidays

The holidays may be stressful for Instagram businesses, but it's also a rewarding time. Because everyone will be in the mood to shop, it's the perfect opportunity for Instagram shops to drive engagement and hit their sales targets.

The season of giving is just around the corner, so business owners should start brainstorming for content ideas and optimizing their Instagram shops for maximum sales.

Here are some tips to help you prepare for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of the holiday season.

Create a Holiday Content Calendar

The best way to survive the hectic holiday season is by making a content calendar. It will help you stay on top of your posting schedule, avoid mistakes, and create a cohesive campaign.

Here are some tips on how to build a holiday content calendar:

• Check when your sales started increasing the previous year. When you know when your Instagram followers start shopping for the holidays, you can schedule your promotional posts accordingly.

• See what kind of content your competitors post during the holidays and draw inspiration from them.

• Plan your visuals, captions, content formats, and posting dates ahead of time and organize them in a table. You can start drafting your posts, backlog them, and post them when it's the right time.

• Check whether your holiday-themed content is consistent with your branding and finetune the details if necessary.

Make Sure Your Catalog Is up to Date

Your catalog is the foundation of your Instagram shop. It provides all the necessary information about your products, powering up your product tags and product detail pages (PDP).

You can make holiday shopping more enjoyable for your customers when your catalog is complete. Use only one catalog, fill in all essential fields, and craft detailed and accurate descriptions.

You can manually add items to your catalog or upload them in bulk through the Commerce Manager.

Tag Your Holidays Products and Organize Them in a Collection

If you have products you think people would like to buy as gifts for family and friends, now is the time to promote them.

First, ensure they're part of your Instagram catalog and that their prices and availability are updated. Tag them in your promotional posts so your followers can instantly learn more about them.

You can use product tags across various formats, including feed posts, stories, lives, and even Reels.

You can also build a holiday collection to give your audience a complete story. Be creative and try to anticipate what your followers want.

You can make a collection of gifts under $20 or gifts for certain people, such as bookworms, gamers, or health buffs.

Here's how you can curate the products in your catalog:

• 1. On your profile page, tap on "View Shop."

• 2. Tap the menu, select "Manage Shop," and select "Collections."

• 3. Pick the products you want to curate and select "Done."

• 4. Create a title, write a description, and add a cover photo.

• 5. Preview your collection and select "Done."

Run Holiday Ads With Product Tags

You can boost holiday sales by running ads with product tags.

Instagram ads will expose your shoppable products to a larger audience, and the product tags will lead users to product detail pages where they can find all the information they need.

They can purchase your products through your website or directly on the Instagram app.

Here's how you can create a new ad with product tags:

• 1. Open your Ads Manager and select "Create."

• 2. Choose your ad goal and audience.

• 3. Tap "Edit Placements" and choose where you want your ads to appear. Instagram can place them in feeds, stories, or both.

• 4. Upload your ad material.

• 5. Tap "Edit Media" and choose "Product Tags."

• 6. Choose your catalog and select your tagged products.

• 7. Drag the product tag to your preferred spot on the ad and tap "Save."

Create Gift Guides Using the Carousel Feature

Aside from collections, another way to curate your products for the holidays is by making gift guides. Using the carousel feature, you can showcase a series of products that cater to specific needs and budgets.

You can also encourage your audience to make wishlists by saving your products. That way, they can return to them when they're ready to purchase.

In addition, you get a boost in engagement when people bookmark your posts.

Use the Promotion Tool If You're Running a Holiday Promo

There's no better time than the holidays to offer discounts. If you want to give your followers special deals, you can set up offers in your catalog using the Commerce Manager. They'll see the product's original value and the discounted price.

You can apply promotions to all your products if you want to be extra generous. But you can also choose to only put specific items or collections on sale.

Here's how to set up offers:

• 1. Choose your shop in the Commerce Manager.

• 2. Select "Promotions," then "Offers."

• 3. Tap "Create Offers" and choose your preferred type of offer. It can be free delivery, a price discount, or a buy-one-get-one scheme.

• 4. Create a unique name for internal use. Your audience won't see it.

• 5. Enter the details and requirements for your offer and tap "Confirm."

• 6. Enter the duration of the promotion and preview it.

• 7. Tap "Create Offer."

Show How Customers Are Gifting or Using Your Products

When a customer raves about your products or shows how they gifted them, ask if you can feature their feedback.

You can also repost their images or videos if they give you their permission. Doing so will create a sense of community, build brand trust, and encourage others to purchase from you.

The Bottom Line

It's never too early to start planning for the holidays. The more prepared your Instagram business is, the better your customers' shopping experience will be.

And when they're happy, they're more likely to recommend you to other eager holiday shoppers.

Instagram has various tools and features that can help Instagram businesses make the most out of the holidays. Ads can expose your products to the right people, while product tags and collections can improve your store's shopability.