Holidays are a common cultural connection that many people living in the same country or region share with each other; some are even celebrated the world over. This makes them a great opportunity for companies to connect with their audiences, but trying to do so can be a double edged sword.
Some holidays are treated as more sacred than others, and certain types of social posts may be appropriate for one holiday while being insensitive for another. Follows these dos and don’ts to make sure your company’s holidays stay happy!
Holidays offer a great chance to be fun and festive, and that can feel like a breath of fresh air to anyone who’s ever struggled to come up with new, interesting social media posts. Something as simple as wishing everyone a happy near year or posting a photo of your staff dressed in costumes on Halloween can help humanize your brand and connect with potential customers on a more
personal level.
A major cellular service provider infamously took a lot of flack in 2013 when it shared an image of one of its phones in front of the former site of the World Trade Center on 9/11. The company quickly pulled the image from social media and apologized, but not before inciting a great deal of public outrage and damaging its own brand.
It’s okay to use a lot of holidays to promote your business, but not every one should be about you. Particularly, anniversaries of tragic events are a time when you should either express your heartfelt condolences or, perhaps, not say anything at all. Silence can be golden, and plugging your products in an insensitive way can look callous.
Certain holidays are simply more important to the average person than others, and will be on your audience’s mind well before the day itself. These offer a chance to stretch your holiday campaign out, making multiple holiday-themed posts in the runup to the day.
The fall-winter holiday season offers a lot of opportunities for creative content, but, unless you’re a baker or mathematician, a week of posts dedicated to Pi Day might look like you’re grasping at straws and won’t connect with as many readers as posts about Thanksgiving or July 4th.
Christmas, Hanukkah, and other gift-giving holidays offer an ample opportunity to run enticing sales on your products, but don’t limit yourself to just winter discounts. If you’re going to have a contest, giveaway, or just about any other type of promo, check the calendar first. You might be able to tie your campaign into a holiday and give it a fun twist and increase engagement through your social channels.
Most holidays are happy occasions, so treat them as such. You may not have a big promotion or a sale to post about, but you can still wish everyone a happy holiday.
No matter what your social strategy is, it’s important to remember that not all holidays are the same. Be mindful of sensitive issues and cultural norms when tailoring your posts to each one and you’ll be on the road to success.
There’s a lot of nuance to social media marketing, but you can count on Dotlogics to help you run a successful social campaign!
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