Does your business value diversity and inclusion?
Do you wish your social media strategy better reflected those values?
By recognizing and celebrating a variety of holidays and observances, you have a unique opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Whether it’s through widely celebrated holidays like New Year’s, niche observances like National Pet Day, or more reflective acknowledgments like Juneteenth, holiday content allows you to build genuine relationships by honoring shared values and experiences.
In this post, I’ll show you how to plan, create, and repurpose holiday content in ways that feel meaningful and aligned with your brand. By the end, you’ll have the tools to integrate holiday content into your strategy thoughtfully and authentically – helping you foster stronger connections with your audience while staying true to your mission and values.
What Is Holiday Content?
Holiday content refers to social media posts, blogs, or campaigns tied to date-specific holidays, seasons, or observances that resonate with your audience. It goes beyond the traditional celebrations like Christmas or Thanksgiving – holiday content can include niche or fun holidays, reflective observances, and awareness days. It’s a versatile way to create meaningful touchpoints with your audience while highlighting your brand values.
Examples of Holiday Content
- Mainstream Holidays: Think New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, or Independence Day – widely recognized events that are aligned with the dominant US culture, and allow you to connect with a broad audience.
- Awareness Days: Highlight causes or values that align with your brand, like International Women’s Day, World Mental Health Day, or Black Business Month.
- Fun or Niche Holidays: Add personality to your content by celebrating playful moments like National Donut Day, Pi Day, or National Pet Day.
- Solemn Observances: Show respect and solidarity by acknowledging days like Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, or Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Why Holiday Content Works
- Engagement and Awareness: When you create content around culturally relevant moments, you show that your brand is engaged, aware, and connected to the world around it. This fosters a sense of trust and relatability with your audience.
- Shared Values and Experiences: Celebrating holidays that resonate with your audience allows you to build stronger relationships based on shared values.
- Opportunities for Ethical Storytelling: Thoughtfully recognizing holidays, especially those tied to specific cultures or communities, demonstrates inclusivity and helps dismantle stereotypes or biases in marketing.
Holiday content isn’t just about checking a box; it’s about creating moments that matter. By carefully selecting the holidays you celebrate and crafting content with thoughtfulness and intention, you can show your audience that you see them, value them, and stand for something bigger than business as usual.
When done right, holiday content can help amplify voices, honor cultures, and celebrate diversity. However, it’s essential to approach each holiday with authenticity and care. Avoid shallow acknowledgments or overt commercialization – especially for solemn or culturally significant observances. Instead, strive to honor the meaning and context of each holiday, ensuring your message aligns with its purpose and your brand values.
Planning Holiday Content
Holiday content can be a powerful way to connect with your audience, but thoughtful planning is essential to ensure your efforts align with your brand values and resonate authentically. Here’s a step-by-step guide to planning holiday content that feels intentional, inclusive, and impactful.
Choose Holidays That Align With Your Audience and Brand
Start by identifying holidays that make sense for your business and the community you serve. Consider your brand’s mission, values, and the interests of your audience.
- Use Tools and Resources: The Diverse and Inclusive Holidays Guide is an excellent place to discover a variety of holidays and observances, from widely recognized events to more niche celebrations.
- Focus on Alignment: Select holidays that authentically reflect your brand’s values. For example, a sustainability-focused business might prioritize Earth Day or Green Friday, while a business committed to equity might highlight Black Business Month.
Understand the Context of Each Holiday
Once you’ve chosen the holidays you want to feature, take time to research their history, significance, and cultural context. This ensures your content is both respectful and relevant.
- Go Beyond the Surface: Learn about the origins and traditions associated with the holiday.
- Avoid Commercialization: Be mindful not to diminish the meaning of solemn observances by making them overly promotional.
Example: For Indigenous Peoples’ Day, instead of focusing on a sale, you could share educational content about Indigenous history, highlight Indigenous-owned businesses, or discuss ways to honor the day meaningfully.
Balance Celebratory and Reflective Content
Not all holidays are created equal in tone. A well-rounded strategy mixes joyful celebrations with moments of reflection, showing your audience that your brand values both connection and thoughtfulness.
- Lighthearted Holidays: Engage your audience with fun, easy-going content for holidays like National Coffee Day or Pi Day.
- Thoughtful Observances: Create respectful, intentional content for reflective occasions like Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Holocaust Remembrance Day.
I recommend keeping holiday content to about 20% of your overall content strategy to maintain balance and ensure your audience doesn’t feel overwhelmed by themed posts. If there are more holidays that you want to observe, you could consider making a weekly or monthly “holiday round up” post.
Align Holidays With Your Content Buckets
Consider how holidays fit into your other content categories – credibility, educational, engaging, and promotional. For example, an educational post for International Women’s Day might highlight statistics about women in your industry, while an engaging post for National Pet Day could invite followers to share photos of their pets.
Thoughtful planning ensures your holiday content is more than just a quick acknowledgment; it becomes an authentic expression of your brand’s values and a way to build deeper connections with your audience. Let the holidays you choose tell a story that resonates.
Best Practices for Creating Holiday Content
Once you’ve selected the holidays that align with your audience and values, it’s time to craft meaningful and engaging content. Holiday posts should go beyond surface-level acknowledgments, weaving storytelling, interaction, and alignment with your brand’s offers.
Tip 1: Use Storytelling to Highlight the Holiday’s Meaning
Storytelling adds depth and personal connection to your holiday content. Instead of simply saying “Happy International Women’s Day,” share a story, reflection, or insight that ties the holiday to your brand’s mission or your own experiences.
- Share Personal Reflections: Connect with your audience by sharing how the holiday resonates with you or your business.
- Spotlight Others: Highlight stories from team members, customers, or community leaders that reflect the holiday’s significance.
Example: “This Giving Tuesday, I’m reflecting on how the generosity of my clients and community has allowed my business to grow while staying true to its values. Here’s how we’re giving back this year…”
Tip 2: Make It Engaging
Interactive content invites your audience to participate, turning a simple post into a shared experience.
- Use Polls or Questions: Encourage your audience to share their thoughts or experiences.
- Leverage User-Generated Content: Ask followers to tag your business in their posts celebrating the holiday.
- Create Visual Interest: Use Canva templates, custom photos, or videos to capture attention.
Example: “How are you celebrating Small Business Saturday? Share your favorite small business in the comments or tag them to spread the love!”
Tip 3: Align Content With Your Offers When Relevant
Holiday content can naturally tie into your promotions – when done thoughtfully. The key is to maintain the holiday’s integrity while showing how your offers align with the day’s themes.
- Add Value Without Overshadowing: Position your promotion as an enhancement to the holiday, not its focal point.
- Tie to Your Brand Mission: Highlight how your offer reflects your values, whether that’s sustainability, inclusivity, or supporting small businesses.
- Know When Not to Align With Offers: Avoid leveraging solemn holidays, like Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Holocaust Remembrance Day, as opportunities for promotions. Additionally, steer clear of appropriating holidays from cultures or communities that you do not belong to or deeply understand. Acknowledging these holidays thoughtfully is a better way to show solidarity and respect.
Example: For Small Business Saturday, you might offer a discount or freebie while emphasizing your commitment to ethical marketing practices and supporting other small businesses.
With the right approach, holiday content becomes a powerful tool for storytelling, engagement, and value-driven promotion.
Repurposing Holiday Content
Creating holiday content takes effort, so why not make it work for you long-term? Repurposing your holiday posts ensures that the time and energy you invest can continue delivering value, season after season. With a few tweaks, holiday content can become a lasting part of your marketing strategy.
Create Reusable Templates for Recurring Holidays
Design templates that you can easily update and reuse each year. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency in your branding.
- Use Canva or Similar Tools: Create templates for common holidays like New Year’s, Earth Day, or Small Business Saturday.
- Customize With Fresh Details: Update dates, messaging, or visuals each year while keeping the core template intact.
Example: A reflection template for New Year’s could include a customizable area for your goals or wins from the past year.
Turn Holiday Campaigns Into Evergreen Content
Some holiday content can live beyond the specific date and remain relevant year-round.
- Repurpose Blog Posts: Adapt holiday-related blogs into evergreen content. For instance, a post about Giving Tuesday could evolve into a guide on philanthropy or giving back through business practices.
- Highlight Universal Themes: Focus on messages like community, gratitude, or resilience, which resonate beyond a single holiday.
Example: A social post celebrating Black Business Month could become an ongoing resource page on your website, spotlighting Black-owned businesses or partners.
Organize Your Holiday Content for Easy Access
Keep your holiday content well-organized so you can revisit and repurpose it without starting from scratch.
- Create a Content Calendar: Map out holidays by month to easily see what’s coming up.
- Tag and Categorize Content: Use folders or tags to group graphics, captions, and campaign details by holiday.
Example: Store all Pride assets in one folder, including captions, visuals, and engagement stats, so you’re ready to refresh and reuse next year. The Pride folder would then be organized into the June monthly folder.
Analyze and Improve Repurposed Content
When reusing content, take a moment to evaluate its previous performance. Did it resonate with your audience? Could the visuals or messaging be refined? Use insights from past campaigns to make each iteration even better.
Repurposing holiday content is about working smarter, not harder. By designing reusable templates, turning campaigns into evergreen assets, and staying organized, you can maximize the impact of your holiday strategy while saving time and energy for other aspects of your business.
Measuring Holiday Content Success
Creating and sharing holiday content is just the beginning. To understand its true impact, you need to measure how well it resonates with your audience and supports your marketing goals. By tracking key metrics and reflecting on qualitative feedback, you can refine your approach and create even more meaningful content in the future.
Key Metrics to Track for Holiday Content
- Engagement Rates: Monitor likes, shares, comments, and other interactions to gauge how your audience is responding. High engagement often signals that the content resonated on a personal level.
- Click-Through Rates (CTR): For holiday-related promotions or campaigns, track how many people clicked on links to your website or offer.
- Conversions: If your content includes a promotion, check how many sales, signups, or actions were driven by your holiday post.
- Community Growth: Note any spikes in new followers or subscribers around the time of your holiday content.
Reflect on Qualitative Impact
Sometimes the impact of holiday content isn’t just about numbers – it’s about how it makes your audience feel.
- Audience Feedback: Pay attention to comments, direct messages, or replies that indicate your audience felt seen, heard, or valued.
- Tone of Engagement: Look for thoughtful responses or conversations sparked by your content. Positive, meaningful interactions are a sign your message resonated.
Example: A post recognizing Juneteenth might not generate as many likes as a lighter topic like National Coffee Day, but heartfelt comments or shares could indicate a deeper connection with your audience.
Adjust Your Approach for the Future
Use the insights from your analytics and feedback to refine your holiday content strategy.
- Identify What Worked: Note which holidays or content types generated the most engagement or aligned closely with your goals.
- Experiment With Delivery: If a post didn’t perform as expected, consider adjusting the visuals, copy, or timing next time.
- Avoid Assumptions: Low engagement doesn’t always mean disinterest – it might mean the approach needs fine-tuning.
Keep a record of your holiday content’s performance so you can compare results annually. Over time, this helps you identify trends and better understand your audience’s preferences.
By measuring success both quantitatively and qualitatively, you can ensure that your holiday content not only performs well but also aligns with your brand values and audience needs. Thoughtful reflection and continuous improvement will help you create even more impactful holiday campaigns in the years to come.
Next Steps
Holiday content offers a powerful way to connect with your audience while staying true to your brand values. By thoughtfully selecting, planning, and creating holiday content, you can celebrate meaningful moments, build authentic connections, and demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
Ready to take the next step? Download your free copy of the Diverse and Inclusive Holidays Guide to start building your holiday content calendar today. Inside, you’ll find a curated list of holidays to integrate into your marketing mix.
Want even more tools and support? Join the Content Marketing Membership to access additional resources, templates, and strategies to make your marketing consistent, inclusive, and aligned with your values.
And if you’re eager to dive deeper into content strategy, check out our cornerstone post on the five types of content for a comprehensive marketing plan – holiday content is just one piece of the puzzle.
Let’s create content that celebrates, connects, and inspires. Your audience – and your values – deserve nothing less.
