Share Some Social #Thanks!

4 Simple Ways to Thank Your Followers this Holiday Season

I know all too well that during the holidays, growing workloads and looming deadlines for end-of-year projects sometimes mean social media strategy temporarily takes a backseat or is hastily thrown together in a last-minute push for donations or sales.  From managing social media campaign successes (and failures) through the years, I’ve learned that while the workload this time of year can feel stressful, social media doesn’t have to be!  With Thanksgiving  and the busy holiday season just around the corner, here are some simple strategies you can use to share thanks in your organization’s social media campaigns.

1.  Share the spotlight with user-generated content.  It’s easy to be thankful when you gain new followers to your social networks, but don’t forget about the faithful followers who have been supporting your page all along!  You can show your supporters thanks by putting them in the spotlight on your page, publicly sharing or re-posting content they have created.  These posts don’t need to directly relate to your brand, but they should contain valuable information or meaningful content that aligns with your brand’s values.  Highlighting user-generated content on your page not only shows that you are actively listening to your supporters and that you value what they have to say, but it also takes some of the hard work of constantly creating new content off your plate.  Sharing meaningful content from your followers always shows that they are meaningful to you.

2.  Reward your active followers with a contest or giveaway.  Creating a unique social media campaign is a great way to offer thanks through recognition and rewards while also giving your followers an original opportunity to engage with your brand. Keep in mind that rewards don’t have to cost your organization a cent, and they can be as simple as sharing and highlighting a winning post or celebrating a winning photo entry by making it your page’s cover photo for a day.

3.  Provide real value to your followers’ feeds.  The users in your social media networks are following you for a reason – for what your brand stands for or has to offer.  Create original, specialized content that aligns with your brand, whether it be news updates and opinion pieces you post to your blog or online tutorials and informative how-to videos you create in your area of expertise, and share these resources across your social media networks. While it does take extra work to create these posts, it is time and effort well-invested into content that is valuable and important to the supporters who are valuable and important to you.

4.  Share your #GivingTuesday support.  Whether you’re focused on marketing Cyber Monday deals for your business or generating #GivingTuesday donations for your own nonprofit organization, take a moment to stop and share a #GivingTuesday campaign worthy of your followers’ attention (and possibly donations).  Many pages focus solely on self-promotion in their social media posts, so it would be refreshing to see the genuine voice of your brand taking the time to thank an outside organization for their hard work and positive impact, preferably on issues that are also important to your followers.  So, find that meaningful cause in your networks and proudly share your support!