Top 15 Holiday Content Ideas for 2018

For many businesses, the holiday period from November to January is one of the busiest and most profitable times of the year. According to BigCommerce, the majority of ecommerce brands – around 21 percent – start their holiday content planning in September. Is your business ready for the holiday season? To help, here are 15 ways to bring the holidays into your content marketing efforts this year. Holiday Content Ideas for Social Media According to Social Media Today, 64 percent of shoppers visit social media platforms for inspiration and gift ideas. 1. Say Thank You The holidays are the perfect time to send your loyal customers a simple thank you message – especially before Thanksgiving Day. 2. Create a Gift Gallery Use social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to showcase your best gift ideas. Around 93 percent of Pinners say they use Pinterest to plan for purchases. 3. Cyber Monday Offer Cyber Monday isn’t just for big brands. Let your followers know about your offers well in advance. 4. Photo Contest Create a unique hashtag and encourage followers to share themed photos for a chance to win a prize. You can choose the winner randomly. 5. The Year’s Top Articles To drive backlinks and increase your blog’s internal traffic, gather your top-performing articles of the year into one post and share the link across social media. This is a great way to drive incremental value from your ecommerce content. Holiday Content Ideas for Email According to one study, the best time to send holiday emails is in the first two weeks of November, so start early. 1. Black Friday Offer In 2014 on Black Friday, email marketing was the number one driver of online sales. Send a series of emails leading up to the holiday weekend about your special discounts. 2. Holiday Coupons Everyone wants to save on their holiday shopping. Send exclusive email coupons as an extra bonus for your subscribers. 3. Share a Story Show the human side of your company. For example, share a story about how you and your staff celebrate the holidays. 4. Shipping Deadlines To drive sales, offer free shipping on shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 5. Product Reviews Build customer confidence by including product reviews and testimonials in your holiday emails. Holiday Content Ideas for Your Website or Blog 1. End-of-Year Update List your best-selling products, highlight awards you’ve received, talk about community events you took part in, or celebrate employee achievements. It all helps to make customers feel more connected to your brand. 2. Festive Photos and Videos Let customers know how you’re preparing for the holiday season with behind-the-scenes photos and videos. Be authentic. A smartphone and some simple editing software is all you need. 3. Holiday Gift Guide A page devoted to holiday gift ideas is a great way to provide value to your audience and highlight your products at the same time. Create several guides for different audiences. 4. Highlight Causes You Support People are more likely to connect with brands that share their values. Show which causes you support and how you contribute to the local community. 5. Look Ahead to the New Year Look at growing trends in your industry and highlight your plans for next year. Give customers something to look forward to. Use Lesser-Known National Holidays for Marketing As well as basing content around well-known dates, use lesser-known national holidays to add some fun content to your marketing. It’s an ideal excuse to run sales and special promotions. Here’s a list of fall and winter national holidays for inspiration: National Courtesy Month Self-Improvement Month National Coffee Day, September 29 International Podcast Day, September 30 October 2018 Emotional Wellness Month Customer Service Week, October 1 – 5 National Kick Butt Day, October 8 Columbus Day, October 8 National Boss’s Day, October 16 Get to Know Your Customers Day, October 18 National Cat Day, October 29 Halloween, October 31 November 2018 National Stress Awareness Day, November 4 Veterans Day, November 11 (observed November 12) Thanksgiving Day, November 22 Black Friday, November 23 Small Business Saturday, November 24 Cyber Monday, November 26 National Day of Giving, November 27 December 2018 Chanukah, December 2 – 10 Miners Day, December 6 National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, December 15 Free Shipping Day, December 14 Christmas Eve, December 24 Christmas, December 25 National Thank You Note Day, December 26 Boxing Day (Canada), December 26 Make Up Your Mind Day, December 31 New Year’s Eve, December 31 Summary When it comes to holiday content, the key is to prepare early. Don’t leave it until late November – start now. Mark your content calendar with key dates. Think about what your customers care about. And take chances. Holiday content is not only a great opportunity to engage with your audience, it’s your chance to stand out from the crowd. Does your company need high-quality content to support your marketing? Learn more about out content writing service and content catalog.