A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Your Holiday Social Media Strategy
The holiday season is just around the corner, and no matter what or how you celebrate, you can be sure that your customers and clients will care what you have to say. If your business doesn’t already have a holiday social media strategy, now is the time to create, plan, and execute one so that you can engage your customers throughout the season and well into the new year.
DO I REALLY NEED A HOLIDAY SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY?
Some businesses, especially those in the B2B space, mistakenly believe that holiday marketing is only for consumer businesses that sell products and services that can be “gifted.” The reality is, every business should be thinking about how to market themselves and reach consumers during the busiest time of year, regardless of your industry or primary offering.
To stand out from the crowd and make sure your message is heard, you need a solid strategy to rise above the noise and meet your customers and clients where they are.
5 STEPS TO PLAN YOUR HOLIDAY MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Haven’t started on your holiday social media strategy yet? Here are five steps to ensure you’re ready for the start of the season.
1. Research and list out all the major holiday dates.
Posting about the holidays doesn’t just mean creating general “Happy Thanksgiving,” “Happy Holidays,” and “Happy New Year” social posts. It’s important to plan ahead and consider what kind of content might be relevant for your business to share on special dates like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.
Even if you’re a B2B service provider, you can create special offers for clients who book a package on one of these dates, or share a list of your favorite small businesses and/or nonprofits to support on the “shopping holidays.”
2. Think of fun, unique ways to infuse the holiday season into your regular social media content.
Your social media content during the holidays doesn’t have to just be limited to sales and discount offers (and it shouldn’t be!). Share a behind-the-scenes look at how you and your staff are celebrating the holidays together. Post #ThrowbackThursday pictures of employees’ childhood holiday photos or pets dressed in holiday outfits. Record and post a video message thanking your clients and customers for their loyalty and support throughout the year. The more authentic and genuine you can be, the better your message will be received.
3. Incorporate interactive elements into your social media presence.
Get your followers in on the holiday spirit with fun themed polls, virtual events, and giveaways. For example, you can hold a contest and ask followers to submit photos of their favorite holiday traditions and share the results on your feed (bonus points because it’s user-generated content that you don’t have to create yourself!).
4. Consider what worked last year.
Maybe your “12 Days of Christmas” Instagram Story series got the highest engagement of anything you’d posted in the weeks prior, or your “5 Reasons We’re Thankful for Our Clients” video from last Thanksgiving earned you tons of referral leads. Look back on what’s worked in past holiday seasons and double down on the types of content that were popular with your audience (but don’t forget to experiment and try something new, too!).
5. Engage a PR/marketing professional to help you manage your holiday season campaigns.
Coming up with great content ideas and offers is only half the battle with holiday season marketing (and even that can often be challenging). If you want to make the most of your holiday and end-of-year campaigns, you need to make sure you’re consistently monitoring results and adjusting your strategy accordingly.
If you don’t have the time or energy to keep up with it all yourself, a digital PR and marketing firm like NB Talent Services can help you streamline, optimize, and manage your campaigns, even long after the holiday season is over. Contact us today to learn how we can help you make the weeks ahead your business’s “most wonderful time of the year.”
