Key Takeaways

  • Plan Early for Holiday Success: Build your holiday content strategy framework early to create a solid foundation.
  • Understand Your Brand and Audience: A clear brand identity and a deep understanding of your audience will help you craft more effective and engaging holiday content.
  • Set SMART Goals and Diversify Content: Set measurable content performance goals to guide your strategic efforts, and use a variety of content types to keep your audience engaged.
  • Optimize Distribution and SEO: Be strategic with your content distribution and existing content optimization, ensuring your brand stays visible in search results.

The summer season is in full swing, but savvy marketers, content strategists, and advertisers are already thinking about jingle bells and mistletoe.

Why? 

Because planning your holiday content strategy doesn’t begin at the same time that you start pulling out your heavy coats, but rather right now, when your swim trunks are still the most worn article of clothing every weekend. In fact, planning now will be a gift to your future self you won’t want to return when the festive season rolls around.

For the most effective holiday content strategizing tips and tricks, we like to use a system we call “the Content Strategy Christmas Star.”

For all you need to know, join Winsome Marketing Head of Content and experienced content strategist, Lauren Keller, as she breaks this content system down on Playwire Live, or simply keep scrolling!

 

The Content Strategy Christmas Star: Your Guide to Seasonal Success

Imagine your content strategy as a dazzling Christmas star, with each of its eight points illuminating a crucial aspect of your seasonal marketing plan. By following this guide, you'll craft an effective content calendar that not only shines a light on your brand but also outshines the competition.

As the holiday season approaches, it's time to gear up for the festive frenzy. This means diving into past performance metrics to extract insights, refining your approach, and developing a robust content strategy that captivates your audience when it matters most.

While some retailers might jump into "Christmas in July" promotions to boost summer sales, our focus is on laying a rock-solid foundation for the upcoming holiday season. We're here to help you create a successful content strategy that sparkles with engagement and drives traffic and revenue results.

So, are you ready to turn your brand into a beacon of holiday cheer and success? Let's get started.

1. Brand Strategy as the Foundation

If you want to create content that not only resonates but also supports your goals, you need to know your brand inside, outside, and backward. 

Your brand identity influences where, how, and why you show up in content. It determines the topics you should discuss, the questions you should ask, and how you’re expected to present yourself based on your positioning. 

Not sure where to start? Try this: 

  • Reflect on what your brand stands for. Your values guide your messaging and help build trust. Consider your core mission – what is your brand’s purpose? A clear mission statement can inspire your content direction. 
  • Think about what sets you apart from competitors; highlighting your unique selling points can attract attention. 
  • Articulate the benefits you offer to your audience, and watch engagement soar. 

To keep everything aligned, create a one-page brand awareness summary. This document should include your values, mission, and key differentiators, serving as a quick reference when brainstorming seasonal content ideas.

2. Know Your Audience

Understanding yourself is the first step. But you also need to know who you’re talking to.

You may already know your audience pretty well. But here’s the thing – during the holiday season, their needs and behaviors can do a complete 180.

Do yourself and your target audience a favor by re-evaluating your relationship with your audience during the holidays. 

Start by considering the specific challenges they face during this season. Are they budgeting for gifts? Are they hunting for the perfect present for their parents or children? How do these challenges tweak their behavior? Are they more deal-focused or on the lookout for unique products?

Once you’ve got a handle on their holiday hurdles and behavior shifts, think about how your brand can swoop in to save the day and make the season merrier for everyone. That’s your content planning cue.

A great way to gather insights is to conduct a survey or create an online community asking your audience about their holiday plans and pain points, and encouraging engagement among your loyal users and readers. Use this intel to customize your content marketing strategy. For example, if many respondents express stress about holiday shopping, create content that offers tips for smarter shopping or budget-friendly gift ideas.

3. Set Clear Business Goals

When you were a kid, did you ever write a holiday wish list? (Maybe you still do – we won’t judge!) Well, goal-setting is essentially the content marketing equivalent. 

Setting clear goals for your holiday content strategy will not only guide your efforts, helping create more targeted content, but it will also help you measure success once the quarter is closed. And what marketer doesn’t want to cap off the holidays with a Santa sack full of successful KPIs?

When defining your goals, make sure they are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 

For example, you might aim to boost the engagement of your social content by 20% by the end of December. Now, you’ve got a timeline and a quantifiable, achievable, and relevant target to aim for.

To set more effective goals, make sure you consider your past seasonal performance and build on what you’ve learned. In other words, take a look at previous holiday seasons, identify what worked and didn’t work, and use those insights to inform your current and future strategy.

4. Use a Variety of Content Types

If your goals are the wish list, your content is the gift. What content format are you gifting your audience this year? 

Just like you want to see glittery packages of all shapes and sizes with gigantic bows under the tree, your audience probably wants a variety of content rather than the same, repetitive types over and over again. 

Mixing up your content types helps keep your readers, users, or consumers interested, while also allowing you to take advantage of the unique strengths of each content format.

For example, you might:

  • Write blog content for longer-form gift guides and decor ideas
  • Create videos for how-to guides for holiday games or cooking
  • Design infographics to share statistics about holiday shopping trends
  • Share festive graphics and interactive posts on social that highlight how your team is getting in the holiday spirit

As you plan your content calendar, keep it interesting by mixing up your content types, platforms, and formats. And don't forget to add "sprinkles and sparkles" or holiday flair to your content to make it more engaging and festive.

5. Consider Your Content Distribution

Raise a hand if this has ever happened to you: You say to yourself, “This year, I’m sending out holiday cards.” You buy a stack of cards, write them out… and then they sit in a pile on your kitchen counter until New Year's.

Content creation is not enough – you also need to deliver it to your target audience. And that’s what content distribution – or content delivery – is all about. 

To nail your content distribution strategy, you need to consider two things: 

  1. Which Channels You’ll Use: Is this video best presented as a YouTube video, an Instagram Reel, a blog post (transcription included), or maybe all three?
  2. When to Post: Do certain days and times work best for your audience? Is it the same across the board, or should your posting cadence change for each platform and season? Keep in mind, that online usage patterns change seasonally as well.

Develop a distribution strategy that aligns with your audience's habits. Then, consider how certain content types might resonate differently on each platform and at various points in the holiday season and adjust accordingly.

6. Polish Your SEO and Keyword Research

Just like colorful string lights and baubles draw attention to your freshly decorated house, SEO attracts attention to your content.

Get eyes on each post and boost organic traffic by making sure it’s optimized for search engines.

Here’s how: 

  1. Start by doing keyword research to find out which holiday-related keywords your audience is searching for. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush can help you find relevant search terms. 
  2. Once you have your keywords and key phrases, incorporate them naturally into your titles, headings, and body text.

Creating a list of seasonal keywords and phrases to include in your content will not only enhance visibility and help attract seasonal traffic, but also generate ideas. 

Here’s a quick example: if your audience is searching for “holiday shopping tips” or “best Christmas gifts,” you could create the ultimate gift guide and incorporate those exact keywords into the article. That way, your content is not only visible but also relevant and helpful to your audience.

7. Plan Your Content Calendar

The holiday season may seem like it lasts forever (especially with the entire extended family around), but in reality, there are only so many days of festivity available. Make the most of each one by organizing your seasonal content into a well-planned content or editorial calendar.

First, identify important dates in the holiday season like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas (to name just a few). Planning your content around these dates can maximize user engagement. 

Consistency is key, so make sure you regularly publish new content leading up to those crucial dates to keep your audience engaged.

You can also use your content calendar to create personal holiday events. Try scheduling a "Holiday Countdown" series that features daily tips, ideas, or even mini-games leading up to the big day, whatever that big day is for you and your business (remember, set clear business goals).

8. Analyze and Adjust

Even though you’re planning in advance, when the holiday season rolls around, you’ll still need to be hands-on with your content if you want it to perform well. Use data and reporting tools, such as Google Analytics, to track the performance of each blog post or webpage, and use what you learn to refine your content plan. If a particular content type performs well, give the people what they want and create more of it! 

Key metrics to watch include website traffic, engagement rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and social media interactions.

And don't forget to celebrate milestones or achievements with your audience. Finally hit that coveted LinkedIn follower count? Share the joy! This not only builds your online community but also encourages continued interaction.

Help Your Brand Shine Brighter This Holiday Season with Playwire

Getting your digital content in sync with holiday trends sets the stage for a festive season. By taking the time to evaluate your brand, understand your audience, and carefully plan your content production, you can create holiday cheer that truly resonates. 

But if you want to outshine the competition this year, you’ve got to start early. As the holiday season approaches, you’ll be ready to unwrap the rewards of your hard work. 

Once you have your holiday content strategy down, Playwire can help you amplify your website’s revenue with the integration of our advanced content monetization solutions, which are truly the gift that keeps on giving publishers all year long.

With our technical expertise and solutions, and a little holiday spirit, you can transform your site into the ultimate online holiday destination.

Get started today!

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