The holidays are fast approaching, and everyone is ready to celebrate! Is your brand holiday-ready? There are lots of fun ways to be festive on social media, but there are also potential pitfalls. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help guide your holiday spirit!

DO create holiday themes for your social media cover photos and posts. Here’s a chance to showcase holiday spirit and share the personality of your brand. This is also the perfect time to be a little more personal with your posts. Share holiday wishes with your followers. Post your company celebration photos. Sharing your holiday cheer helps build your relationship with your followers. You can even go beyond social media and reach out to your customers with handwritten notes or company holiday cards.

DON’T forget that holidays have different meanings to everyone. Keep your greetings inclusive-“Happy Holidays” is better than “Merry Christmas.” And obviously avoid anything that could cause controversy. While joking about universal themes like holiday stress or whacky relatives can be funny, you have to be very careful not to offend. This makes “edgy” jokes about religion or culture or social issues strictly off-limits! Edgy doesn’t always go over well, especially at the holidays.

DO create holiday promotions and giveaways. This is a fantastic strategy for upping your audience engagement, and everyone loves a gift or surprise at the holidays! Holiday promotions help you expand your reach through shares and reposts. If your brand has a clear tie-in to the season, it might be a good idea to increase your ad budget. Advertising increases significantly during the busy buying season, and a bigger budget makes sure your brand stays visible.

DON’T forget to put an end date on your seasonal promotions. You don’t want customers trying to redeem holiday promotions well into the new year! And don’t try to force a connection between your brand and the holidays. If there is not a clear tie-in, trying to create one will appear forced and disingenuous.

DO keep up with your social media interactions. Everything gets busier during the holidays, and your online interactions are no exception! Questions, comments, and even complaints tend to increase this time of year. Make sure you’re keeping up your side of the dialogue!

DON’T post content just to fill space. This is the time of year that your followers are focusing on connecting with friends and family, and a news feed clogged with pointless posts won’t be welcomed. Make sure you continue to post fresh, valuable content that your readers will enjoy throughout the holiday season.

If you follow these guidelines while sharing your holiday cheer, you can be sure that your social media marketing campaign is truly embracing the magic of the holiday season.

Learn more about how a social media manager can help you navigate the do’s and don’ts of holiday social media marketing!