Posted: 29th November 2017
The festive season is well and truly upon us, and feeds are awash with Christmas activity and festive promotions. When it comes to social media Christmas can provide some headaches. As with most things, a little forward planning can work wonders.
If you are anything like me, you are not ready for Christmas. I know that some people had the presents wrapped up in November but where’s the fun in that. I like to dive headfirst into Christmas like an arctic fox trying to catch a vole – and that means not too much of a run up.
So here’s the Armadillo Social Cut Out And Keep Guide to surviving the festive season.
It sounds straightforward, but do remember to wish everyone a Merry Christmas; a little gesture goes a long way. Give some thought to your message and put some time into crafting it. Are you going graphics or photo? A Facebook Live video or slideshow could be a nice way to say something more personal or meaningful than a simple Happy Christmas Everybody.
Christmas is an important time of year for many, but also remember that not everyone celebrates, and some people find this time of year particularly hard for all sorts of reasons. You can’t please everyone, nor should you, but as always, be mindful of your audience.
AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT CHILDREN READ THEIR PARENTS’ FACEBOOK POSTS (Santa need say no more)
I actually try to switch off over Christmas. Certainly, I might sneak a peek at Twitter while I’m watching TV, but on the whole, it’s an important time for family, and to be present. Social Media can feel a never ending stream that there’s no escape from – but every now and again you need to jump off, and Christmas is a great time to do it.
Decide now when you are going to be around at Christmas. This is not the time to play it by ear. Even if you don’t have a business that’s open to the public, it’s important to manage people’s expectations (including your family’s).
Whatever you decide, tell your clients this – either by posting your opening hours or letting people know you’ll be taking some time off.
It’s much better to be up front than think you’ll be around all over the festive period and end in upsetting someone (either customers or nearest and dearest)
Did you know that Facebook have an out of office option?
It’s quite well hidden, but if you look closely you can find their response assistant.
Set up Facebook response assistant
You can set it up to reply to any messages with a festive greeting
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re taking a well earned rest over the Christmas period, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Pin a tweet to the top of your Twitter profile wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
Christmas is one of the busiest times for people to be online – all that time at home with a tin of Roses and relatives to avoid. There is some hideous statistic about Christmas Day being a time of record traffic for EBay! People rushing to Facebook to show off their Christmas hauls to their friends and family.
So as much as you might be face down in a bowl of trifle, it pays to make sure you have some sort of presence on your platforms while you are.
With a little forward planning, you can make it easy for your customers to do your promotions for you. If they’re likely to have something of yours under the tree, maybe encourage them to share photos on social media by making it easy to tag your Facebook page or come up with a catchy hashtag that they can use. Some little stickers on gift wraps or labels can work wonders.
Just because you’re taking a few days off doesn’t mean your social media has to stop. Sit down with a pen and paper and plan what content you need to prepare, and when you want to share it.
You’ve got plenty of time to think of some topics, maybe use Canva to create some festive graphics and fun messages. Use a tool like Buffer or Edgar to stack it all up and let it go.
Bear in mind, that people will have more time over the holidays, so your day to day posts might take a back seat, but now is a great time for blog posts, guides and videos.
If you genuinely haven’t got time to prepare more in-depth content, Christmas is also a good time to start thinking about doing a little brand awareness campaigns using Facebook Advertising.
Mailchimp automation for social media at Christmas; a 2 week campaign over the Christmas period will keep your content in people’s newsfeeds while you’re away.
It might also be a good idea to collect some signups for a newsletter or run some automated email campaigns. These are campaigns where people sign up to your database and immediately receive something in return. This could be a how to guide, a special offer or something different. You can set these up quite easily under Mailchimp’s paid plan and you don’t have to lift a finger.
I think it’s OK to schedule a few Twitter posts to keep things ticking over at Christmas, but Twitter is always better live where you can actually talk to people, so if you can find a quiet 20 minutes to check your social media, feel free. Also, you might find it’s a good time to have some more meaningful conversations with some individuals who are normally too busy to bother. Those casual chats can be the conversations that make all the difference. It is the Season of Goodwill after all, but if you can’t, then don’t beat yourself up about it. Everyone will forgive you.
I strongly recommend however that you do not attempt this after a pint of Baileys on Boxing Day, otherwise things could get ugly.
I have high hopes for 2018. I’m not going to lie, 2017 has been a little traumatic to say the least, but a new year brings new hope. So use the time to rest, recharge, find some inspiration and peace. You’re going to need it.
If you’d like to get your social media in order in 2018, get in touch for help with strategy or training.
