How to Plan Your Social Media Content for December

Before you start churning out snowflake GIFs and Santa memes, take a moment to think about your brand’s festive persona. How does your brand celebrate the holiday season? Are you the jolly, fun-loving Santa or the sophisticated, elegant winter wonderland?

Your festive brand persona should be an extension of your regular brand voice, just with a sprinkle of holiday cheer. This consistency helps maintain brand recognition while allowing you to join in the festive fun.

For example, if you’re a local bakery, your festive persona might be warm, cozy, and full of delicious holiday treats. If you’re a tech company, you might focus on how your products can make the holidays easier or more fun.

Remember, authenticity is key. Your audience can spot a forced festive spirit from a mile away, so make sure your holiday persona feels genuine and true to your brand values.

Now that you’ve got your festive brand persona sorted, it’s time to plan out your content. A content calendar is your best friend here. It helps you:

• Ensure a consistent posting schedule
• Plan for important dates and events
• Balance different types of content
• Coordinate across different social media platforms

Here’s a basic structure you could follow for your December content calendar:

• Mondays: Motivational content to kick off the week
• Tuesdays: Product or service spotlight
• Wednesdays: User-generated content or customer testimonials
• Thursdays: Holiday tips or how-tos related to your industry
• Fridays: Fun, engaging content (polls, quizzes, behind-the-scenes)
• Saturdays: Special offers or promotions
• Sundays: Inspirational or feel-good content

Remember to mark important dates like Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. These are prime opportunities for special posts that can generate high engagement.

Want to add some extra sparkle to your December content? Consider running a “12 Days of Christmas” campaign. This popular marketing strategy can help boost engagement and sales in the lead-up to Christmas.

Here are some ideas for your 12 Days of Christmas:

1. Daily product reveals
2. Special discounts or offers
3. Festive tips related to your industry
4. Holiday-themed contests or giveaways
5. Spotlights on team members or customers
6. Behind-the-scenes peeks at your holiday preparations
7. Charity or community involvement initiatives
8. Holiday-themed user-generated content features
9. Festive how-to videos
10. Countdown to Christmas posts
11. Last-minute gift ideas
12. Special Christmas Eve or Christmas Day message

Remember, the key to a successful 12 Days of Christmas campaign is to make each day feel special and worth tuning in for. Keep your audience on their toes with a mix of different types of content and incentives.

The holiday season is all about community and coming together. What better way to embody this spirit than by showcasing your customers in your social media content?

User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool that can:

• Increase authenticity and trust in your brand
• Provide social proof for potential customers
• Boost engagement and create a sense of community
• Give you a wealth of content without having to create it all yourself

Encourage your customers to share photos or videos of them using your products or services in a festive setting. You could create a special hashtag for the holiday season and feature the best submissions on your social media pages.

For example, if you’re a clothing brand, you could ask customers to share photos of themselves wearing your clothes at holiday parties. If you’re a restaurant, you could encourage diners to share pictures of their festive meals.

Remember to always ask for permission before sharing someone’s content, and give credit where it’s due!

As we deck the halls, we also need to deck out our content with the right keywords and hashtags. Optimizing your social media posts for holiday-specific terms can help increase your visibility during this busy season.

Some popular holiday hashtags include:

• #ChristmasCountdown
• #HolidayShopping
• #FestiveSeason
• #ChristmasGifts
• #WinterWonderland

But don’t stop at generic hashtags. Research trending topics and hashtags specific to your industry or local area. Tools like Twitter’s trending topics, Google Trends, or social media listening tools can help you stay on top of what’s hot this holiday season.

Remember, while it’s important to use relevant hashtags, don’t overdo it. A post stuffed with hashtags can look spammy and turn off your audience. Aim for 2-3 relevant hashtags per post for optimal engagement.

In the age of online shopping, a digital holiday catalogue can be a powerful tool to showcase your products or services. This doesn’t have to be a complex, multi-page PDF (although it can be if you want). Even a series of Instagram posts or Stories highlighting your top holiday offerings can serve as an effective digital catalogue.

Here are some tips for creating an engaging digital holiday catalogue:

1. Use high-quality images or videos of your products
2. Include clear, concise descriptions
3. Highlight any special holiday deals or promotions
4. Make it easy for customers to purchase directly from the catalogue (e.g., shoppable Instagram posts)
5. Consider creating themed collections (e.g., “Gifts under £50”, “Eco-friendly gifts”, “Last-minute stocking stuffers”)

Remember to promote your digital catalogue across all your social media channels and consider using it in your paid advertising campaigns.

The holiday season is a prime time for remarketing. With so many people browsing for gifts, there’s a good chance some potential customers will visit your site or social media pages without making a purchase. Remarketing allows you to reach out to these potential customers and gently remind them about your offerings.

Here are some remarketing strategies to consider:

1. Create Facebook and Instagram ads targeting users who have visited your website
2. Use email marketing to reach out to customers who have abandoned their carts
3. Create special offers for users who have shown interest in specific products
4. Use Google Display ads to stay top-of-mind as users browse other sites

Remember, the key to effective remarketing is to be helpful, not pushy. Instead of just repeatedly showing the same ad, try to provide additional value. For example, you could offer a special discount, provide gift-wrapping services, or guarantee delivery before Christmas.

The holiday season is all about coming together, so why not extend this spirit to your marketing efforts? Collaborating with other small businesses can be a win-win situation, allowing you to reach new audiences and create unique offerings for your customers.

Here are some ideas for small business collaborations:

1. Cross-promote each other’s products or services
2. Create a joint holiday gift guide
3. Offer a combined product or service package
4. Host a joint holiday event (virtual or in-person)
5. Run a shared social media contest or giveaway

When choosing businesses to collaborate with, look for companies that complement your offerings without directly competing. For example, if you’re a local bakery, you might collaborate with a nearby coffee shop or bookstore.

Nothing dampens the holiday spirit quite like a gift that doesn’t arrive in time. As a business, it’s crucial to set and clearly communicate your cut-off dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery.

Here’s how to effectively communicate your cut-off dates:

1. Create a dedicated post announcing your cut-off dates
2. Add a countdown timer to your website and social media profiles
3. Include reminders in your regular posts as the cut-off date approaches
4. Send email reminders to your mailing list
5. Consider creating a sense of urgency with “last chance” promotions

Remember to factor in potential delays due to increased holiday shipping volumes when setting your cut-off dates. It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver than to disappoint customers with late arrivals.

While Christmas often takes center stage in holiday marketing, don’t forget about New Year’s Eve. This is a great opportunity to connect with your audience as they reflect on the past year and look forward to the new one.

Here are some ideas for New Year’s Eve content:

1. Year-in-review posts highlighting your business’s achievements
2. Thank you messages to your customers
3. Sneak peeks at what’s coming in the new year
4. New Year’s Eve party ideas or tips related to your industry
5. New Year’s resolutions or goals (either for your business or suggestions for your customers)

New Year’s Eve content can help you end the year on a high note and set the stage for continued engagement in the new year.

Planning your social media content for December might seem like a daunting task, but with these strategies in your toolkit, you’re well on your way to sleighing your holiday marketing! Remember, the key is to start early, stay true to your brand, and focus on providing value to your audience.

So, pour yourself another cup of cocoa, put on your favorite holiday playlist, and start planning. Your future self (and your customers) will thank you when December rolls around and your social media is as merry and bright as can be!

Happy planning, and here’s to a December filled with engagement, conversions, and plenty of holiday cheer!