Are we really mentioning the holiday season already? As a social media management company, you bet we are!
The holidays are coming, and for small business owners, that can mean a little bit of everything: more customers, more orders, special events, gift shopping, family plans, and approximately 900 things that need to get done before the end of the year.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, you’re supposed to keep your social media updated, too.
We work with businesses throughout Hampton Roads, Virginia, and we know how quickly their social media can fall to the bottom of the to-do list when business gets busy.
The good news? Your holiday social media marketing doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. You don’t need a different idea for every day of November and December. And you definitely don’t need to force your employees into matching pajamas for a Reel if that’s not your thing.
You just need a plan that helps people discover your business, understand what you offer, and remember you when they’re ready to shop, book, or make holiday plans.
Here are ten holiday social media marketing ideas for small businesses that you can actually use this season.
1. Make a Holiday Gift Guide
If your business sells products, a holiday gift guide is an easy way to help customers figure out what to buy, and give them a reason to shop with you.
Instead of posting a picture of every product individually and hoping someone connects the dots, organize your offerings into categories that make shopping easier. These would be great carousel posts!
Think about guides like:
- Gifts under $25 for the person who has everything
- Gifts for the coffee lover, foodie, or outdoor enthusiast
- Stocking stuffers and small gifts
- Gifts for coworkers, teachers, and hosts
- Local gifts for people who love Hampton Roads
- Last-minute gifts for the person who waited until December 23
You can create a carousel on Instagram or Facebook, a short video showing several products, or a series of posts highlighting different gift categories. To keep your social media simple but effective we like the idea of a carousel or short video. A series of posts may get away from you as the holiday season ramps up.
Don’t sell products? You can still create a gift guide!
A salon might share gift certificates and holiday appointment options. A photographer could promote gift cards for future sessions. A cleaning company might offer giftable services for someone who could use a little extra help around the house.
Think about what your customers need during the holidays and how your business can help.
2. Show People What Happens Behind the Scenes
People love seeing the humans behind a business, and the holiday season gives you plenty of opportunities to show them.
You don’t need a professionally produced video or a perfectly staged photo. A lot of the time, the everyday moments are the most interesting.
Try sharing:
- Your team decorating the shop for the holidays
- Orders being packed and prepared for pickup
- Fresh pastries coming out of the oven
- New products arriving on the sales floor
- Your team getting ready for a busy weekend
- A peek at how you prepare for holiday appointments or events
- The people who make your business what it is
These little moments help customers feel connected to your business before they ever walk through the door.
And here’s the best part: you can capture most of this content while you’re already doing the work. Grab a few short video clips throughout the week, save them to a folder, and use them when you need something to post. It needs to be authentic but it doesn’t have to be right away. If you decorated last week, but you have time to post the video tomorrow, that is still relevant!
There’s no elaborate production schedule required to do this.
3. Remind Customers About Holiday Deadlines
This might not be the most exciting holiday content, but it’s some of the most useful. Your customers need to know your expectations and what you can take on during this season.
If you offer holiday orders, appointments, special menus, or seasonal services, your customers need to know when to act.
Don’t assume one announcement will reach everyone. People miss posts, forget details, and sometimes don’t realize how close the holidays are until they’re suddenly searching for a last-minute gift. The same offer can and should be posted more than once.
Create posts and Stories that clearly communicate:
- Holiday order deadlines
- Special pickup or delivery dates
- Shipping cutoffs, if applicable
- Holiday appointment availability
- Dates for special events
- Changes to your regular business hours
- The last day to purchase gift cards or seasonal products, if applicable.
For example, a local bakery might post a reminder about Thanksgiving pie orders, while a salon could share its remaining December appointments.
Make the information easy to find. Include the date, what customers need to do, and how they can place an order or book an appointment.
A simple graphic, a photo with text overlay, or a quick talking-to-camera video can do the job.
Helpful tip: Pin important holiday information to the top of your Facebook page when appropriate, and save key Instagram Stories to a Highlight. That way, customers have a place to check the details without scrolling through weeks of posts. You can unpin or delete the Highlight after the season or event is over.
4. Give Your Customers a Reason to Shop Local
Hampton Roads has a wonderful mix of locally owned shops, restaurants, makers, service providers, and small businesses. The holidays are a natural time to remind people that they have great options right here in their own community.
But rather than simply posting “Shop Small!” and calling it a day, show people what shopping local looks like.
You could:
- Highlight products made or sold by local businesses
- Share gift ideas from your shop or service menu
- Partner with another local business on a gift bundle
- Feature a neighboring business in your Stories
- Share photos from a local holiday market or community event
- Explain the story behind your business and why you chose to serve Hampton Roads
- Thank the customers who choose to support your business
You could even collaborate with a few complementary businesses to create a local holiday gift guide. Imagine a coffee shop, a local bookstore, and a boutique each sharing gift ideas from the others. Everyone gets introduced to a new audience, and customers get more ideas for shopping locally.
Look for opportunities to connect with businesses in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and the surrounding communities. 
Your social media doesn’t have to be all about your business all the time. Sometimes, supporting another local business is a great way to show people what your community is all about. Collaborating on different platforms introduces your business to their audience and vice versa. It’s a win win!
5. Create a Holiday Series You Can Repeat
Coming up with new content every week can be exhausting, especially when you’re already busy. One way to make holiday social media easier is to create a simple series that gives you a built-in content idea.
For example:
12 Days of [Your Business Name]
Share a product, service, tip, team member, or customer favorite each day—or once a week if daily posting isn’t realistic. Schedule it ahead of time and do the bulk of the work ahead of the holidays.
Meet the Team: Holiday Edition
Introduce your employees and ask each person to share a favorite holiday tradition, seasonal recommendation, or favorite thing about working with your customers. This leans into the personal side of your business without being salesy.
Our Customers’ Favorites
Highlight your most popular products, services, menu items, or packages. Customer favorites can help people who aren’t sure where to start. It also shows that you are paying attention to what your customer likes.
Holiday Tip of the Week
A home services company could share winter maintenance reminders. A financial professional could offer year-end planning tips. A restaurant could share hosting advice or ideas for ordering ahead. You have your own unique holiday tip, even if you don’t know it yet.
Behind the Business
Share the people, preparation, and little details that make your business special during the holiday season.
Choose one series that fits your business and repeat it throughout the season. A familiar format makes content easier to plan, and your audience begins to recognize what to expect.
And remember: you don’t have to post every single day just because a series has a festive name. Twelve posts spread across several weeks still count!
Hint: If you start now that will get you through the New Year holiday!
6. Use Video Without Overcomplicating It
Short-form video can be a great way to show off your business during the holidays, but let’s take some of the pressure off.
You don’t need to memorize a script, learn a complicated trend, or turn your staff into full-time content creators.
Start with a few simple clips:
- A quick walkthrough of your decorated storefront
- A product demonstration
- A before-and-after transformation
- A time-lapse of holiday preparations
- A close-up of a seasonal menu item being made
- A quick answer to a frequently asked question
- A short recap of a holiday event
These above examples can be repeated, as long as it’s a different demonstration or close-up of a seasonal menu item, and so on. Below is a great example on how to get quick clips of your business and use it effectively.
View this post on Instagram
TIP: Record vertically on your phone, keep the clips short, and capture what is already happening around you.
For a local restaurant, that might mean filming a seasonal drink being prepared. For a retail shop, it could be a quick look at new arrivals. For a service business, it might be a before-and-after or a short explanation of a service people commonly need before the holidays.
You can use these clips for Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and Stories.
And if you capture several clips during one afternoon, you may have enough content for multiple posts. That’s a much better use of your time than trying to film something brand-new every time you need to publish.
7. Let Your Customers Help Tell Your Story
Your customers are already interacting with your business. With their permission, some of those experiences can become great social media content.
Keep an eye out for opportunities to share:
- Customer photos featuring your products
- Reviews and testimonials
- Photos from events or workshops
- Customers enjoying a seasonal menu item
- Finished projects or transformations
- Customer stories about why they chose your business
For example, a local boutique could reshare a customer’s photo wearing a recent purchase. A bakery could share a photo of the pie that made it to the customer’s Thanksgiving table. A home services business could highlight a completed project and the customer’s feedback.
This kind of content gives people a glimpse of the experience others have with your business. Just remember to ask permission before sharing someone’s photo, video, or personal story, especially if it includes children or private information.
You don’t have to create every piece of content yourself. Sometimes, the best material is already happening around you.
8. Make Your Holiday Promotions Easy to Understand
If you’re offering a holiday special, make sure customers understand exactly what they’re getting.
A promotion shouldn’t require someone to solve a riddle before they can take advantage of it.
Instead of posting only a graphic that says “Holiday Special!” explain the details:
- What is included?
- Who is the offer for?
- When does it start and end?
- Does the customer need to book or order in advance?
- How do they redeem the offer?
You can also use social media to explain why a promotion makes a useful gift or solves a seasonal problem.
For example, a spa could highlight a gift certificate as an option for someone who needs a little time to relax. A local restaurant could promote gift cards for the person who would rather enjoy a meal than unwrap another item. A service provider could explain how booking before the new year helps customers get ahead on a project.
Not every post needs a discount attached to it, either. Gift cards, bundles, seasonal packages, and special experiences can all make sense depending on your business.
The goal is to make it easy for customers to understand the value and take the next step.
9. The Businesses That Don’t Sell Gifts Can Market in this Season Too
Holiday marketing isn’t just for retailers.
If you provide a service, the holidays can be a great time to remind people how you can help them prepare for the season or get ready for the new year.
Here are a few examples:
Home services: Share seasonal maintenance reminders, preparation tips, or services that help customers get their homes ready for guests. A house cleaning service as a gift brought tears to my eyes one year!
Photographers: Promote gift certificates, family sessions, branding photography, or the opportunity to book ahead for the new year.
Fitness and wellness businesses: Share ways to maintain realistic routines during a busy season, along with upcoming class schedules or gift options.
Professional services: Offer useful year-end reminders, answer common questions, or explain what customers should consider before January.
Restaurants and bakeries: Promote catering, holiday menus, preorders, gift cards, and special pickup dates.
Nonprofits: Highlight community impact, volunteer opportunities, seasonal needs, and ways supporters can contribute.
The key is to connect your content to what your audience is thinking about during the holidays. You don’t need to invent a holiday-themed version of every service you offer.
Sometimes, a timely reminder about something people already need is exactly the right post. This reel below is a great example showing how quick video clips truly can showcase your business and the experience you are selling!
View this post on Instagram
10. Keep Showing Up After the Holidays
Once the presents are opened and the leftovers are packed away, it can be tempting to take a break from social media until business picks back up.
But the period between Christmas and the New Year is an opportunity to keep the conversation going.
Consider sharing:
- A thank-you message to your customers
- Favorite moments from the year
- Team highlights or business milestones
- Customer reviews that deserve another look
- A behind-the-scenes recap
- Upcoming January services, events, or products
- A preview of what’s coming next
Bonus Tip: You can also use this time to reflect on your content. Which posts got meaningful engagement? What questions did customers ask? Which products, services, or topics generated interest?
You don’t need to obsess over every number. Just look for patterns that can help you make more informed decisions next year. This is something we do for all of our clients every month, but especially at the end of the calendar year.
If you have a slower season ahead, start sharing reasons for customers to keep you in mind now. This is sound advice for a tourist town! Your social media can help build awareness long before someone is ready to make a purchase or book a service.
Bonus Tip: Make a Holiday Social Media Plan Before Things Get Too Busy
Here’s where all these ideas come together. Don’t feel overwhelmed to use every idea on this list. In fact, please don’t turn this blog post into another overwhelming to-do list. Pick a few that make sense for your business and build a plan around them. (If you’re already our client, tell your social media manager which idea stuck out to you most!)
Start by choosing a handful of content categories:
- Promotions: What do you need customers to know or buy?
- Helpful information: What questions can you answer?
- Behind the scenes: What can you show people about your business?
- Community: How can you connect with other local businesses and customers?
- Personality: What makes your business feel human and memorable?
Then, look at your calendar. Add important dates, order deadlines, events, and promotions first. Fill in the gaps with a mix of useful and engaging content.
If you can, capture photos and videos ahead of time and write your captions before your busiest weeks arrive. Schedule what you can, but leave room for spontaneous moments and timely updates.
Even a simple plan with two or three thoughtful posts per week is more manageable than trying to invent something new every morning.
Most importantly, choose a schedule you can maintain. Consistency should support your business, not become another source of holiday stress. And if this isn’t something you want to handle, we can!
Holiday Social Media Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
The holidays are a busy time for small businesses, and social media is just one part of everything you’re managing.
Please don’t jump on every trend or post around the clock to stay connected with your audience.
You don’t need to do this to make an impact! You do need to share useful information, show people what makes your business special, remind customers how you can help, and give your community reasons to keep you in mind.
For businesses throughout Hampton Roads, that can mean highlighting local connections, sharing seasonal services, showing behind-the-scenes moments, and making it easy for customers to find the details they need.
And if you’re reading this thinking, “These are great ideas, but when exactly am I supposed to do all of this?”—we hear you.
At Misty Saves the Day, we help businesses with social media management and content creation so they can stay visible online while focusing on running their businesses. 
We can help you plan your content, capture photos and videos, write captions, and keep your social media moving; even when the holiday to-do list seems never-ending.
Ready to make social media one less thing on your holiday to-do list? Let’s talk about how we can help your Hampton Roads business show up online in ways that feel natural, consistent, and true to your brand.
Because social media should be working for you while you focus on growing your business, not adding more stress to the season.
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