PLANNING CONTENT IS KEY.
PLANNING CONTENT IS KEY.
PLANNING CONTENT IS KEY.
Should I say it again?
The other day, I got an email saying ‘It’s already Q4 do you have all of your holiday posts and brand collabs lined up?’
Um. No.
This is the first I was hearing of it being ‘Q4’ (do bloggers really think like this?) and I had no idea I was so behind. To be honest, I started to panic a little bit. I took to some of my Facebook and Instagram groups to check in with some of my blogging pals to see if they were already up to their holiday planning.
Of COURSE, everyone already is…
Okay, so continuing to freak out, I realized I had to make a plan. The holidays are my favorite time of the year. On September first I was so excited that it was almost Christmas, I pulled out my décor and left it waiting in my closet for November first. But the thing about the holidays is that they are crazy. It’s just a crazy time of the year for everyone, especially bloggers.
The holidays tend to be the times where brands put most of the efforts into marketing. A brand that turned you down before, might now be open to collaborating because they want to drive their product sales during the holiday shopping months.
The National Retail Federation estimates that last year holiday shoppers spend more than $456 BILLION on gifts. This year more than 50% of shoppers will buy their presents online. And a majority of the shoppers have already started. My best friend Brianna is already done all of her Christmas shopping. How are people this prepared I will never understand? I’m still finishing my Christmas shopping from last year…
Among all of the millions of people and parties and events that you have in your own social calendar lined up for this holiday season, your blog still needs a holiday makeover. So, I’m going to break down The Best Holiday Strategy for Profitable Bloggers!
Start Planning…NOW
Apparently, we’re already really behind – but don’t worry. All you need is about an hour to plan out your holiday content. The best place to start is by pulling out your planner or printing off a calendar for November and December from Google.
I’m breaking down an Easy Guide on How to Plan Your Blogs Content HERE.
Personally, I don’t want to make my holiday content any different than my year-round content. I like to deliver the goods all year round and make sure my readers are up to date on my favorite trends, DIYs and blogging tips.
Holiday Themed Posts
Not everyone celebrates the holidays. But bloggers are always doing the most! Holiday-themed posts let your followers and readers know that you are keeping up with the holidays. One of the best things to do is make your readers lives a little easier this holiday season. I like to make a few DIY gifts or tutorials for styling/beauty. Here are a few ideas for Holiday Themed Posts:
- Festive and Chic Holiday Outfits
- My Favorite Holiday Songs
- Beauty Products to Glimmer and Shimmer in the Holidays
- What I’m Wearing for X Party/Holiday
- X Comfortable and Cute Shoes for the Holidays
- Ugly Christmas Sweaters that Aren’t Ugly
- Family Christmas Card Photo Ideas
Sharing Your Holiday Life
I follow some of my favorite bloggers because they share their lives perfectly. I want to feel like I am right there with you eating Tofurkey on Thanksgiving Day. Another important part of your holiday strategy is to share some of the personal moments of the holidays. Traditions, gifts you’re giving to family, how your decorating your home are just a few easy ideas to incorporate your personality into your blog.
Marketing
Marketing is the hardest part because you really do need to get creative here. There are a few different ways to get the word out about your holiday content:
Social Media
Sharing all the updates on your latest holiday posts is crucial – and free! Just be sure to use all of the right keywords, tags, and hashtags in your posts. If you’re over 10K on Instagram you can use the swipe up feature and get more readers that way!
Pinterest is my biggest social converter! I like to link my gift guide graphics and each additional product from the gift guide, all my holiday DIYs and outfit ideas.
Giveaways
There are a few different giveaways that you can take part in:
- Loop Giveaways on Instagram and other Social Media Channels
- RaffleCopters
- Sponsored Giveaways with a Brand
- 12 Days of Christmas Type (I’m doing a secret one this year!)
Giveaways entice readers to come to check out your blog/socials because they’re interested in a certain product that you’re talking about. I find that these are great and they can help get you more social followers or email subscribers!
Sponsoring Ads on Social Media
Depending on your budget, this may or may not be an option for you. I typically like to sponsor the posts that are linking back to the important holiday blog posts (sponsored/gift guides). I typically run mine for 3 days and set the location for Canada/USA, Women, 18-30 and interested in Fashion, Beauty, and Motherhood.
They are either a hit or miss for me.
Emails to Your Email List
Always the best method of advertising! I find that most of my blog post readers are the people that bounce in from my email list. I mean, they subscribed for a reason, right?
Dedicated Gift Guides
Brandon actually said to me the other day, you know what you should make for your blog?! A gift guide to help guys with shopping! Thanks, babe, I’m already on it
I love gift giving, but I’m also the worst gift giver. Unless you tell me exactly what you want, I have no idea what to get you – and I bet I’m not the only one. I can get really creative with DIY gifts, but buying gifts for specific people, uhm. No. I love looking online at gift guides, especially the really specific ones. They can be really helpful to a large community of online searchers if you make them with love.
Learn How to Make Your Holiday Gift Guides Stand Out + Make Affiliate Income in my post HERE.
Last year I made a few gift guides and I actually had so much fun making them. These gift guides also turned out to be more profitable to me than any of my sponsored content or shoppable photos.
Are you feeling as overwhelmed as I am?
The holidays are intense, babe. Even for just regular people who don’t blog their lives. We’re all barely making it to that Christmas party with a gift for the hostess that wasn’t picked up from the gas station. I’ve created this Holiday Strategy Work Sheet to help keep all of your plans and ideas organized. Download it in the link below and get it sent straight to your email!
In this workbook, you’ll get a content calendar for the rest of the year, with important sales and holiday dates marked, 20 perfect holiday-themed blog post ideas, and an easy-to-do list to keep you on track and on schedule!
Download my Holiday Strategy Work Sheet HERE.
