5 Ways to Stay Connected With Your Followers During the Holidays
Tis’ the season to be Merry!
As we approach Christmas Day, a lot of small businesses are getting ready for either the busy period or their holiday break, depending on their industry. Either way, we don’t have to put off our business socials and online connections just because it’s the holiday season.
In fact, for us here at Social Media Tribe, it is our favourite time to spread the cheer and engage with you all at home. So as a little holiday gift from us to you, here is a short guide on how to stay connected with your followers during the Christmas and New Years break.
1. Add holiday spirit to your online presence
The Christmas holidays only come around once a year and only for a few short weeks, so why not make the most of it?
I just adore the Christmas period, and if you are anything like me, putting up the tree, setting up the lights and creating Christmas gifts for your friends and family is something to look forward to. Why not tap into some of that creative energy and begin using it for your online business socials?
When posting images or creative content over the holiday period, adding some Christmas flare can be as easy as adding a festive image to your socials, using Christmas filters, or even updating your business logo for the holiday period. Something as simple as adding holiday lights or Santa hats to your designs can bring a smile to everyone’s face.
2. Schedule your social media posts
Depending on your industry, Christmas time for businesses either represents a time to switch off and relax, or time to face the mad rush! Whichever end of the scale you’re at, it can leave little time or motivation to post to social media, so why not get organised and schedule your posts in advance?
Facebook and Instagram have free and easy to use scheduling tools available for businesses.
Writing and scheduling your posts in advance ensures your business page is still active and engaging your customers, at a time when you ordinarily would have been too busy (or too busy relaxing!) to post in real time.
3. Send out a holiday newsletter or email
Newsletters are great for engaging your contacts all year round, but especially during the holidays! As many of us start to wind down with our office jobs and take a little time off to be with friends and family, it gives us more leisure time, and that means more time to read.
Christmas emails and newsletters are the perfect opportunities to update your clientele with any new information regarding the New Year and the summer period. This can include information about opening hours, whether you may be closed or open extra hours due to demand, but most importantly it’s the best time of year to say thank you and get creative about it.
Technology nowadays can allow for all sorts of animated fun and stickers to be used, sprucing up those monthly EDMs to compliment the silly season ahead of us.
4. Offer a holiday discount
Who doesn’t love a Christmas special!?
We’re only human, and after all Christmas is the best time to indulge in a sale!
Online or in-store, it is a great opportunity to boost traffic and sales, celebrate the festive season and make your customers happy!
Your Christmas special doesn’t have to be extravagant, but to get the best performance you have to make your followers aware of it. Send out an email, use online advertisements, promote on social media – and they will come!
5. Give back this Christmas
In the spirit of Christmas, you may even wish to give a little love and light back into the community, and there are so many ways to do so. With many different Christmas causes/appeals around, you won’t fall short of finding opportunities to give back this festive season.
There are plenty of local organisations offering a range of programs that you can get involved with. Whether it be donating to a Christmas appeal, fundraising, volunteering with the Salvos or hosting a food or gift drive, there is something that everyone can get involved with! If you’re short on time, you might just like to buy a charity Christmas card or donate a toy online. Even the smallest actions can make a big difference.
Don’t forget to share your favourite charities and local volunteer opportunities with your followers so others can get involved too.
Christmas is the perfect time to stay connected with your followers on a more personal level, and customers love seeing your festive spirit through their screens! Will you be using any of these tips this holiday season?
Comment below your favourite way to stay connected with your audience during Christmas time – we want to know!
