Although we’ve spoken before about the importance of consistency in content marketing, as we approach the Christmas break, many businesses are wondering whether publishing content over the holidays is worth the effort. The answer to this concern is “it depends on your audience”. To help you make the decision for your brand, we’ve put together a list of key factors to consider.
3 considerations for your holiday content marketing
1. Who is your audience?
Almost all content marketers frequently stress the importance of defining your audience, so if you’re working from a documented strategy, it’s likely you already have some kind of definition. But did you consider religious affiliations in your profiling?
If you’re working in a western country, it’s easy to project your own traditions and expectations onto your audience. However, if your audience is global, or has a lot of multicultural variation, it’s not safe to assume they will be celebrating Christmas over the coming months. For these audiences, their day-to-day lives will not be so disrupted from the norm, and they may still have an appetite for your brand’s content over the season.
2. What seasonal effects is your audience experiencing right now?
If your audience works in the retail or food industry, they’re going to be experiencing very different symptoms in their business and personal lives over the Christmas period than if your audience works in financial services. Different industries have different cycles of demand, and for many, Christmas is the busiest time of their year.
It’s important to consider even if your own brand is experiencing a lull, that doesn’t mean your audience will experience the same. For example, a family medical centre may have a slow period in appointments. Their audience will still be concerned with the health and safety of their children, especially given the statistical increase in childhood injury and fatality experienced over the Christmas period.
If you’re a B2B communicator, a key consideration of yours should be whether or not your audience will be closing their office over the Christmas break. While some businesses have a mandatory period of closure, many will continue operating as usual with reduced staffing numbers. For these consumers, the lack of available advice from colleagues or managers may lead them to seek help from your content. It’s a great time to steal mind share.
3. What content is your audience looking for right now?
Will your audience have a different appetite for content than usual over the Christmas break? Many marketers report their most successful content over the holidays features a higher than usual emotional intensity, yet this won’t be the case for all audiences.
Take the time to consider what your audience will be feeling over the coming weeks and try to phrase your content accordingly. For some audiences, the Christmas period may be a time they require help and support. For others, actionable guides and resources are in demand. There is no over-arching guide on how every audience behaves over this period, so your approach will need to be substantiated by research.
If you’d like advice on how your brand should publish over the holiday period, contact Lush Digital Media. We love to provide strategic content marketing advice to brands of all shapes and sizes.
