The holiday season is upon us. Don’t waste it.
You know them: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (December 24 and 25), Hanukkah (now past—it ended on December 10), Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1) and New Year’s Eve and Day. If you’re in Canada, you have Boxing Day, too. Or maybe you’re a Seinfeld fan and you celebrate Festivus (For the Rest of Us) on December 23.
Whatever you do, don’t miss this chance to engage with your followers on social media. Just don’t perform Festivus’ “Airing of the Grievances” on Twitter. Or maybe that’s the perfect place to do it. Have you seen Twitter?
Seriously, though, here are some social media tips and tricks for the holidays.
Go behind the scenes.
You can post photos and videos of your office holiday décor, parties, and treats. You can show how busy the mailroom is (all those holiday cards!) and you can give a shout-out to the hardworking mailroom director (Hi, Wayne!). You can post pictures in your holiday sweaters; you can share your white-elephant gifts.
Also, if you’re closing down your office over the holidays, be sure to remind your clients.
Encourage engagement.
Make a hashtag and encourage your followers to post with it. For example, at CreativeOne, we might do something like #CreativeCheers or #CreativeCelebrates. Ask your followers to share what they’re celebrating this season. Or ask them to share what their favorite holiday traditions are with a hashtag like #CreativeTraditions. You can ask them to share their holiday plans, too. What’s happening? Are people traveling?
Give back.
If you’re like us, you probably have a way to give back to your community, but you might not highlight the work you do very often, or you might not have time to start something new. After all, you’re running a business—and you don’t need a gold star for doing the right thing. Still, the holidays are a time to spotlight charitable giving, giving thanks to people who volunteer without needing thanks. Our employees who volunteer do it under our Creative Cares program.
You can also launch holiday-specific charitable programs. Gather gloves and coats for veterans or kids in need. Go to a children’s hospital and put together care packages. Host a cookout.
Remember, when you post these kinds of things on social media, it’s best practice to do so in the spirit of encouraging others to give back, too—you’re not just in it for the likes.
Share tips on how to help.
The holidays have a dark side. People get stressed out, overwhelmed. There are too many advertisements; there’s not enough money. So, share tips on how people can cultivate kindness, mindfulness, and stress-free relationships during the holidays. It’s also a good time to remind your clients that you’re there for them as well—after all, as financial planners, you take some stress off of your clients’ shoulders. It’s a nice way to remind people exactly what you do for them.
Recap your year.
Tell everyone what you got up to in 2018 (or whatever year it is when you read this). Did you hire new employees? Remodel your offices? Move locations? Or did you have personal news to share? Clients like hearing about other people’s health, wealth, and children, as long as you’re not, you know, oversharing. But you can also have some fun, like our friend Jim Lee does.
Say thank you.
Express your gratitude. Clients are the foundation of any good advisory business—they’re the lifeblood of your firm. Be sure to give them a heartfelt thanks when you’re busy making your social posts. So, say “thank you” to them for joining you on this journey, supporting you, and letting you serve them. The holidays are a great time to show gratitude and with them well!
Speaking of…