The holidays are right around the corner, and with everything going on in the world right now, it’s inevitable that the holidays are going to look different this year. Not just for you and your family but for your business as well. And if we have learned anything this year as small business owners, it is that we need to have a plan…or at least somewhat of a plan…maybe just some ideas written down on paper. 

This year I have seen more small business owners realize that they need to take their social media marketing seriously, and if you are one of those business owners who has found yourself reading this blog post, welcome! Let’s get your shit together. 

If I had to guess…the majority of you reading this right now do NOT in fact have a holiday strategy. In fact, you probably never have, but you realize you need one and are hoping to have a plan by the end of this blog post. 

When planning your social media content for the holidays consider the following:

Step 1: Plan a timeline

It might seem very obvious to you that you need to come up with a timeline and strategy, but oftentimes, I have clients form a “plan” or a “timeline” in their heads, or write it down on a piece of paper that gets lost in a sea of other pieces of paper and post-it notes. When creating a timeline (even if it is for yourself) I HIGHLY recommend using something like Asana or another project management platform that way you can then outline the following: 

• When your campaigns will start and finish

• Which platforms you’ll utilize and how often you will post to each one

• Holiday photo shoots/ holiday themed content

• Email campaigns, blog posts, promos

Step 2: Scope out your competition

You should always be creeping on your competition. Creeping NOT copying. Take a look at your competitors past holiday campaigns and content. What types of content did they create? Did their copy contain any specific messaging? How about hashtags? What worked for them that you can borrow? What didn’t work for them that you should avoid?

Step 3: determine Promos & ads

Are you even going to run ads? If so, what platforms do you intend on using? What products are you going to promote and when? Be able to answer these questions in order to move onto step 4.

step 4: create Holiday photo shoots/ holiday themed content

Photo shoots

Create a list of pictures you will need for any campaigns you will be running along with other holiday imagery you may need (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Black Friday, etc).

Graphics

You will also need a list of graphics you will want to create (holiday gift guides, holiday this or thats, Pinterest pins, blog post graphics, etc). Coming up with a master list will help you break it down into smaller to-do lists

step 5: Track your results

This is the most crucial step to think about. Where and how are you going to track your results? In an excel sheet? Determine what you are going to track on each platform and where you will track it. You can thank me later. 

Still feeling overwhelmed and need help creating a holiday game-plan? Schedule a 1:1 coaching call with me for planning support, and/or be sure to get on the waitlist for my next e-course, Social Media Marketing for the Holidays, launching August 10th!