Social Media Holidays — There's a Right Way for Brands to Celebrate
Social Media Holidays. Hashtag Holidays. National Holidays. Whatever you call it, these holidays have become essential to many social media managers’ social media strategy. These social media holidays are a great way for brands to join in on a trending topic in order to use the moment to amplify the message of their brand; however, brands need to be careful on how they do this.
It’s no secret that social media has become a crowded place and that it is getting more and more difficult for brands to gain traction on social media platforms. Posting on social platforms and having a presence isn’t enough anymore. More and more brands are realizing that they need to add value to their content and join the conversations happening online in a tasteful and authentic way in order to results.
It’s no different with these social media holidays. If you go online and say “Happy #NationalCoffeeDay! Stop by and buy our coffee today to celebrate,” it is not going to go well for your brand. This type of participation offers no value to your audience, instead it just shows that your brand is hopping on a social media trend for your own benefit and at no benefit to your consumers.
Dunkin’ Donuts did it right when they celebrated National Coffee Day this year. Instead of telling their audience to go buy coffee to celebrate the national holiday, they offered it for free to their DD Perks members. No better way to celebrate a holiday than with a gift! This is a perfect example of leveraging a social media holiday to your brand’s advantage AND to the advantage of your audience.
It doesn’t have to be a free item; it could be a discount code or a special product launch too. It can even be a piece of content that offers value to your consumer — something informative, inspiring or entertaining. Just make sure it’s special.
So now that we are on the same page regarding providing something of substance to your audience, I want to also discuss that your brand should NOT be celebrating all the social media holidays. Your brand should be celebrating a select few and only the holidays that pertain to your brand directly. Dunkin and National Coffee Day have a direct connection. Dunkin and Nation Doughnut Day have a direct connection. And if you are going to celebrate a holiday that isn’t of direct significance, you better be offering a whole lot of substance your audience. Remember, we want to join the conversation and have something to contribute to it, not butt into the conversation. For example, dogs have no direct correlation to Dunkin’ Donuts, but Dunkin can celebrate #NationalDogDay IF they post very cute pictures of dogs with Dunkin products on their Instagram. Many will agree that pictures of dogs on their feed is a win for everyone involved.
You can go to nationaldaycalendar.com to check out all the social media holidays your brand can participate in! And remember, choose wisely and add value.
