Sahail Ashraf — December 22, 2017 — December 22, 2017
Being ready for Christmas on social media is quite easy as long as you keep a few guiding principles in mind. It requires preparation, even if everything is happening ‘last minute’.
It’s the perfect time of year to celebrate the brand and its achievements, and that concept of celebration should inform all that you do during the holidays.
We’ve put together a last-minute list of things (and some ideas) you should be focusing on with your social media at this time of year.
The look
There is a lot to be said for getting into the Christmas spirit in a visual way. This involves talking to the creatives on your team and ensuring that they put together some graphics and animations that can add a little Christmas sparkle to your social media property.
This should not be done in an over the top manner. You’re aiming for subtle but seasonal too. Anyone who visits your social media should be able to tell that it’s Christmas soon, and your brand wants to celebrate it. But being a strong brand means that you keep it sophisticated.
This is something you may well have to experiment with a little. Try a few simple graphics and run them past your client. If they like them, that’s all you really need to do. The client should be aware of what their style and look are all about.
If they’re not, then this is a little trickier. One good thing to do is see what the competition is doing. This is not an invitation to copy, but is instead a chance to see what is being done in the industry, and how your client will fit into all of that.
Tweak it a little here and there, and focus on a simple Christmas message. Whatever you do, don’t ignore Christmas. Your client will present as both seasonal and current if they have some Christmas features on their social media.
Offer seasonal advice
Because it is Christmas, you should use this opportunity to offer some seasonal advice. This could take the format of gift guides (obviously covering what your client offers) as well as other helpful ideas that cover the industry you are in. An audience will enjoy reading these because they are seasonal. And you are also offering useful information which keeps your value clear.
If you do offer gift products that will appeal to your audience, create blog posts around them. Special offers should be placed in your social feeds so people know the deals they can have at this time of year. What needs to be clear here is that the presentation is of paramount importance.
Use the resources you have to create high-quality photographs and content. The kind of stuff that an audience would expect. The look should be fresh and bright so it feeds into the holiday spirit.
If you are wondering how to make your social media more seasonal, try focusing on what you sell and how an audience can feel like they’re getting a good ‘deal’. They kind of expect it, but you need to make sure the content is compelling and better than the other guys in your industry.
The actual content
There is no point creating content for a holiday season without actually making that content seasonal. This is a perfect opportunity to spread some actual goodwill and show your brand’s human side.
Putting your product and service to one side for a little while is kind of essential. Your audience will expect to see at least a couple of pieces of content that are not about you. What they will want to see are some genuinely fun pieces that celebrate the time of year. So for example, a piece on ‘getting the right gift for a loved one’ will sit perfectly for your audience, who will be expecting to wind down for the holidays and enjoy time with their families.
Don’t underestimate the value in just simply posting messages around family, gift-giving and relaxation. Because this is what the audience will be expecting to see.
The way your audience will be using social
This is a key aspect. Essentially, it is vital that you are consistently spreading these messages because your audience will be using social media in a few specific ways at Christmas. They will be logging on to find their friends and family and offer their own seasonal greetings. This means that, if you’re there and doing the same thing for your audience, they will see this.
Take the time to make your Facebook and Instagram as bright and colourful as you can because if you imagine how much Christmas content will start to fill up feeds for your audience, yours has to stand out.
Get UGC on them
This is user generated content. It is the very best way to get engagement at this time of year. A competition, for example, for the audience to upload pictures of their favourite Christmas jumper (with a prize being offered by your brand) will almost guarantee two things. First, you will receive healthy levels of engagement. Secondly, you will have UGC on your feeds, which makes for a great base for the future.
If you can get UGC on your social, you have a lot of leverage to move forward with. Once your audience finds that they can enjoy contributing stuff to your brand’s online property, they will do it again and again. That solves a content problem for a start. But it also means that they have an investment in your brand.
Focus on charity
This is an important part of Christmas, thinking of others. And your brand can get involved with this and show how human the brand is. Think of a charity you’d like to highlight and focus on creating content around it. Your brand will love the chance to help a charity, and it will also mean that the help you provide can be enhanced because you have an audience that will want to get involved too.
Pledge money for a certain action that your audience does. Whether this is a Like or a simple comment, it will add up, and you’ll be able to help the charity in a massive way. It’s always good to play a part in the good work a charity does, and your brand can do so.
The above ideas and methods are great ways to get involved in Christmas legitimately. By taking each one in turn, you’ll be able to gain more engagement, as well as help people, including your audience. Get seasonal and enjoy the experience. It’s not hard to do, and the returns in engagement and simple communication with your audience are worth the effort.
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