Get Your Social Media Ready for the Holidays


by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

I know it's just the beginning of November, but the holiday season is just around the season.  I'm not advocating rushing the season, but if we take time to get ready now, it can cut down on the stress that can come during the holidays. 

So now is the perfect time to get your social media ready for the holidays.

Update Images
The first thing you want to look at your cover photo on the different platforms. Consider ways you could enhance it to give it a warm, holiday feel. 

There are several ways to create cover photos for your social media accounts: Canva, PicMonkey and iPiccy are my favorites. Here�s a screencast I shared, Step-by-Step Instructions for Adding Text to Images using PicMonkey.

The dimensions for cover images vary from network to network so be sure to do some research. 

Beyond changing the look of your platforms by changing your images, you�ll need to plan ahead for social media updates. And yes, I'm working on new holiday headers for all my pages.

Plan Updates
Let�s face it, the holidays are fun, but they�re also hectic. By planning out some holiday updates in advance can save your sanity and keep the momentum going. Here are some ideas for fun social media updates:
  • Share your favorite holiday recipe and ask your friends/followers to share theirs. 
  • Ask your followers to give you tips on sanity savers during the holidays.
  • Share a crazy holiday faux pas and ask others to share theirs.
  • Share some of your favorite holiday reads.
  • Ask for decorating ideas.
  • Share a holiday tradition and ask for others to chime in.
  • Ask about favorite holiday movies.
  • Share your favorite Christmas carol and ask your friends to share theirs.
I think you get the idea.

Remember that by planning these in advance, you can have a list ready to go and not have to spend valuable time creating them.

Tips to Organize Updates & Get Them Ready to Go
It's as important to have the updates easy to access as it is to have them ready in advance. For me, I like to use a combination of ways to keep them organized. 

  • Set up a folder on your computer and label it holiday updates.
  • Inside the folder, I have several subfolders: 
    • A Word document of text updates, complete with links if I want to send them to a specific blog or site.
    • A Word document with quotes that I might want to use on a meme.
    • A folder of images (make sure they're legal to use. If you're not sure here's a link to a blog post about finding legal images.) I think would make good memes.
    • A folder of finished memes ready to share.
    • A calendar/schedule for sharing the memes. This can be in a Word document, spreadsheet or another type of file.

Plan Blog Posts
You can also plan some blog posts in advance. The holidays are a good time to plan a giveaway. You could also plan a holiday cookie recipe exchange or one for a holiday potluck recipes.

Now it�s your turn, share some holiday conversation starters, and blog post ideas.

Don�t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

TWEETABLES
Streamline you #socialmedia now for less holiday stress - @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)


Time saving tips to get your #blog & #socialmedia holiday ready - @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

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