There’s a holiday feeling in the air. The invites to parties, soirees, concerts, and other festive affairs are about to hit your December calendar. The law office canteen will soon be filled with cookies and candies. Greeting cards are printed and soon to be lined up on the conference room table, ready for signatures. Law firm client gifts are approved and ordered. The database housekeeping and eCard production is done. Ooops. You didn’t forget your holiday social media content plan did you?
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Content…
All year long you’ve been collecting followers, friends and fans. Now is the time to give them something to really “like.” Even for the stuffiest of law practices, a little creative festivity at this most wonderful time of the year…can go a long way to bring good cheer to valued clients, referral sources, and prospects. (Bonus to legal marketers: It’s a last minute tactic that’s not too tough to deploy, what’s not to like about that?)
Although we know that a true content marketing strategy is not a “campaign” —it’s a way of doing business—dressing up your content with a holiday theme is an entertaining and cheerful approach that can expand exposure and strengthen brand reach. This year, give the gift of content.
You’ve got 12 days of Christmas, 8 days of Hanukkah, and 12 days of Kwanzaa. Santa, well, he gets only one day.
- Instagram it.
- Pinterest it.
- You Tube it.
- Facebook it.
- Tweet it.
- Link-In with it.
Ten ideas for your social media outreach this holiday season
(1) Reprise the top 8 or 12 posts from your blog or articles from your website. Add some holiday graphics…the best of 2014…or something like that and post them consecutively on 8/12 days or both. Or, post 8/12 famous quotes about business, law, life, happiness, family or holidays. You get the idea. Use these holiday markers to reach your audience in a spirited way and bond with them on social media, taking you into the upcoming year together.
(2) Deck the Halls…
- Add a holiday flourish to your website home page…
- Give your blog a (temporary) holiday brand…or winter theme.
- Music? Offer a download of a public domain holiday mix.
- Brand all your online media with a holiday theme. Add a holiday background to your profile pages.
- Incorporate holiday hashtags in your tweets.
- Let it snow! Lift a glass of cheer to the relationships found or nourished over the past year, virtually.
(3) Endorse the spirit of giving.
- Give clients a behind the scenes look at the charities you support. Tell a story. Be authentic.
- Or, entertain them with a game or test their knowledge on a topic and reward them with a small donation to your charity.
(4) Post meaningful holiday stories. Has someone in your firm overcome a challenge? Heart-warming stories or even funny stories can have great impact. Include visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words.
(5) Holiday tips. Employment practices have lots to offer here…how to avoid liability when companies throw holiday parties that feature booze. Or how to manage religious considerations and paid days off.
(6) Offer something practical and useful. Odd as it may feel, you might do a quick piece on something like “how to survive the stress of litigation over the holidays,” or, offer 10-tips for “closing that deal before the end of year.” If you have a family law practice, anything to do with shared custody over the holidays can be really apropos. And, there’s always the end of the year tax break advice, dress it up with a bow.
(7) On the lighter side, consider sharing 12/8 days of attorneys’ favorite holiday recipes. These could be from childhood memories, family traditions, fav restaurants, regional specialties, and etc…
- Create a unique board on Pinterest.
- Post a “calendar” of holiday events in the cities where your law firm has offices on your website, blog or Pinterest.
- Instagram photos from old family recipe books or scripts scratched on tattered index cards…
You may be surprised…the authenticity of a holiday post is powerful, no matter how stuffy you are the other 11 months of the year.
(8) Do a survey, share the results wrapped up in a bow. Happy Holidays! (Plan for next year…)
(9) Re-ignite interest in that white paper you published last March that everyone missed while they were vacationing with their families on Spring break. Position it as an exclusive download—a gift from us to you for the holidays. Send an email blast…
(10) Blog with a festive subject matter or tone. This goes for almost any law blog, but especially for a niche blog. There’s got to be something relevant that authors can latch onto, such as the history of the copyright to “White Christmas.”
If all this sounds too cute, I’d argue that you’re thinking too narrowly. Substantive or entertaining content, wrapped in a holiday bow, can bond your followers, fans, and friends with your brand. Good will to all and peace on earth…
Need help developing a consistent, year round content marketing strategy? The Virtual Marketing Officer offers comprehensive content marketing solutions. Contact here…
