It’s hard to believe but we’re coming up on the end of the year and the holidays are going to be here before you know it. During this time, I don’t know about you, but for me it’s especially hard to keep the social media ball rolling. It’s so tempting to put it aside for a few weeks while you partake in all the parties and fun.
But, come January, if you let it languish, you’re going to be sorry.
Ignoring your channels for a few weeks can cause you to lose followers and any traction of gaining them. But the alternative of being on your channels 365 days a year nonstop isn’t good for your mental health either. Everyone needs a break. So, what’s a cammer to do?
The truth is you can take a few weeks off, the key is planning.
Read below for five tips to give you some much needed rest without sacrificing all the gains you’ve made over the past year/years.
1) Invest in a Scheduler – if you don’t use a scheduler to post on your accounts, the holidays are the best time to take the plunge. With a scheduler you can create your posts ahead of time, pop them in the calendar and the app will post them for you on the date you specify. If you want to take off the month of December get started now. Yes, it’s going to take you some extra work to fill up all those spots in the next few weeks but it’ll be worth it for the time off. Companies like Hootsuite, Postify, and Brandwatch are popular.
2) Create a Holiday Schedule – Decide on two days during the week that you’ll check in to answer comments from fans or respond to their posts – and give yourself a time limit – 30 minutes max. So, instead of your daily shlep of touching base every day for hours on end (it can be surprising when you add up how much time you actually spend on social media on a weekly basis), for December, stick to a lighter schedule. If you’re consistent you’ll maintain your social media presence. You can get back to the relentless rigamarole come January.
3) Content – Start creating your content now so you have it to put in your scheduler.
Making festive content is actually easier than coming up with everyday posts because you have a concept – the holidays! Create posts of everything from Santa to Kwanzaa, elves to reindeer and anything you can think of to do with the season. You can also share Wish Lists – how about 12 Days of Gifts you want from fans along with some cute photos? That’ll give you posts for nearly two weeks. What about recipes? Share your favorites while donning your sexy cam outfits in the kitchen…
There are a million festive ideas, plan them out now.
4) Contests – The holidays are also great for running contests to award the winner signed photos or other swag. If you create a competition where your fans have to submit artwork or GIFs, you can then use their content as easy extra posts.
5) DMs – For two weeks in December, consider shutting off your DMs. It’s not going to make or break you. But it may give you the needed space to breathe. Turn them back on at the beginning of the year.
You don’t have to let your channels languish while you fill yourself with extra helpings of turkey and stuffing, with simple tips like these, you can make the most of the season with the least amount of effort!
Main Photo credit: iStock.com/deagreez
Second photo credit: iStock.com/Kerkez
—
Alyssa Collins hails from Minnesota, where snowy days were the perfect excuse to stay warm inside and write. Over the years, she turned that joy into a career and has authored numerous articles for various publications (under pen names). Email Alyssa via alyssa@ynot.com.
