The gap between Christmas and New Year can feel like a vortex in which time is a meaningless construct. Your belly is full, your head is pounding, and your bank account is running on fumes. The last thing you want to do is spring right back into work. But what if we told you that you were missing out on some of the best opportunities to market your business?
In our view, yes, you should be posting on social media between Christmas and New Year. Here’s why.
You can still enjoy the holidays
If you clicked on this article hoping that the answer was no, you don’t need to post, we get it. You want to rest and recover after the Christmas festivities. Not hunch over in front of a laptop poring over marketing campaigns.
But don’t worry. Simple marketing tools like Hootsuite mean that you can schedule everything to post automatically, at a time and date of your choice. You will have to organise a little bit in advance, but once it’s done it’s mostly hands-off. Alternatively, you can get in touch with a marketing agency, and it will be completely hands-off. Our 24 fingers will do the work instead.
Most people are home, on the sofa
It’s cold, it’s dark, most people want to be indoors. As the famous quote goes ‘home is where the central heating is’ (that is how it goes right?). That means there are a lot of eyes on screens that you could be reaching. The few days between Christmas and New Year are particularly busy online, as most people have mandatory days off around this time. Why let that go to waste?
It’s a great time for ‘Brand Awareness’ marketing
Ok, so most people are home. But are they in the mood to purchase? After all, products with a long-term payout (gym memberships, B2B services etc.) feel like a January to-do. At the same time, their bank account is still recovering from buying all of those presents and making merry, so impulse purchases are a no-go. Apart from that must-have piece of art from Seth Armstrong. (Ed’s note: no clue).
So what opportunity could there be? Well, this is a great time to practice ‘brand awareness’ marketing. The goal of ‘brand awareness’ marketing is not to make immediate sales. Rather, you want to put your brand in front of consumers. Let them know who you are, what you stand for, and why they should like you. That way, when they start to make purchases again, you will be the first brand that they think of.
As for what you should be posting, keep it light. Nobody wants to read whitepapers while the fireworks go off.
Generate hype for the New Year
Here’s something that you can only do at the end of December. Create hype campaigns for the New Year. Are you planning to kick off the New Year with a new product launch, or sale, or a webinar on how to get more leads from digital marketing? The gap between Christmas and New Year is the perfect time to tease your fans and create hype. Why not post a countdown, or share info about a new product line in dribs and drabs?
And yes…B2B companies need to post too
It can be tempting to think that B2C marketing is all about ‘vibes’, while B2B marketing is about appealing to data, insights and rationality. There’s some truth to this, but don’t take it too far. Buyers and decision makers are people too. In fact, B2B content with a personal touch gets 37% more engagement than sterile, corporate pieces.
Not sure what to do? B2B marketing over this period could look like strengthening your relationships with clients, with handwritten ‘Happy New Year’ cards from the CEO. Or showing off your expertise with a ’Trends to expect in 2024’ post (here’s ours). Or maybe you want to showcase your highlights with a ‘Year in review’. The possibilities are endless.
Hopefully we’ve convinced you to keep on posting between Christmas and New Year, but if you’re still not sure how to go about it, don’t panic. The small business marketing elves at 24 fingers can sort it for you. Our hands are here to help, through Twixmas and beyond.
