8 Do’s and Don’ts of Holiday Social Posts According to the Experts

Who is Your Consumer Base?

When you post about holidays, it reveals who your consumer base is and your target audience is. A brand may celebrate “Galentine’s Day” if its consumer base is younger, single women. Maybe a brand celebrates a specific holiday for a country, like Boxing Day in Canada. Does that mean the brand has a lot of Canadian customers?

Probably. Brands try to post relevant content to their consumers to build trust and relationships with them. Before you post about a holiday, ask yourself, does this holiday coincide with most of your consumer base? We will also post silly holidays for laughs.

People ‌find days like “National Cat Day” or “National Drink a Beer Day” fun. We try to bring in engagement through posts like that.

How Relevant is This Day to My Business?

Let’s be honest, we’ve all at some point seen a national holiday and considered jumping on the bandwagon (I know I have). But before we get carried away, sometimes it’s worth asking yourself, “How relevant is this day to my business?”

I absolutely recommend showing your personality through your brand; for example, you could take part in National Donut Day with your team in the office and share it on social media. This can be a fun way to connect with your online audience on a more personal level!

That being said, you don’t need to take part in every national day, and posting about something like “International Nose-Picking Day” isn’t likely to get you the results you want.

What Am I Trying to Convey by Jumping in On This?

Outside of understanding how relevant the holiday is to your business, it’s important to understand what you’re actually trying to convey. When brands use holidays, the best is when they integrate themselves seamlessly into the existing conversation around this holiday, with something of actual value to say.

If you’re just slapping a #holiday onto your typical content, people are going to tune you out. If you’re bringing something new to the conversation, whether it be a statement about how this holiday relates to your business, something people (your followers and those following this holiday) don’t know about this holiday, or ways to celebrate, your goal is to connect to the culture behind the day.

As with any content on social media, people need to get something from what you’re putting out there in order to stay engaged.

Is the Tone of the Post Appropriate?

It’s important that the tone of the message, for example, formal or informal, serious or playful, should align with the holiday in question. So for a religious holiday like Easter, the tone should be more serious than playful regarding the fact that the holiday is likely to hold strong meaning for some people.

The tone should not be out of step with the regular tone of the brand. So if this is usually sassy and playful, then it might be best to avoid posting altogether on religious holidays, but others like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day could work well.

The other consideration for tone would be the channel. At the more lighthearted, entertaining end of the spectrum, you have TikTok and Reels, whereas the tone on TikTok is more formal.

Is This Post Authentic to Your Brand?

There’s a difference between posting about a holiday out of obligation versus thoughtful reflection. Brands need to really think and see if their work aligns with the ethos of a holiday before leveraging it for content.

Of course, there’s always room for timely, seasonal fun, but many holidays come with a deeper sense of purpose. Will your audience notice if your voice is absent from the conversation? Being honest with yourself sooner rather than later will prevent you from turning sensitive topics into branding with poor taste.

Does This Post Add Value to the Brand’s Social Profile?

Often companies post about holidays just because “everyone is doing it.” Honestly, every post on a company’s social media timeline should apply to their target audience’s interests, and should not be filler or fluff.

People follow accounts to read informational, educational, and/or entertaining content. Reading the same holiday greeting from 25 different social media accounts on the same day rarely provides any value to the viewer.

Is It Worth Your Time?

Every piece of content you create for social media requires resources, people, and/or money. Before jumping onto the “holiday” bandwagon, ask yourself whether your business or social media team has the time to jump on this trend effectively and with credibility. Is posting about this on social media a priority compared to other topics you have planned or wish to cover?

Every team has a finite resource, so these judgment calls are imperative to effectively prioritizing your social media efforts. A well-thought-out campaign or content piece on a topical subject like Christmas can do wonders for your brand visibility.

Conversely, a poorly executed response (e.g., one that is in poor taste) could damage your brand and cost your business time. Make sure you consider these aspects before deciding to post on social media.

Does the Post Reflect the Traditional Holiday Theme?

Every holiday has its theme of colors. Any deviation from the color palette can distract from the intent of the ad or post. If it is an advertisement around Christmas, the color palette should not be blue and white.

The color palette should align with the original colors that are associated with that holiday. People are already expecting to see that theme in their timelines, so it is important for social media professionals to stick to those respective colors.