Has anyone spotted their first festive post yet, or is it still too early? It won’t be long before everyone’s feed is full of fairy lights and a mugs of hot chocolate – and then a few weeks later, the Happy New Year posts.

I’m not against a festive post. I love Christmas, and I’ve written plenty about it on this very blog. But whether it’s on your blog, newsletters or social media, I do think a lot of us feel pressure at this time of year to put something out there with a bauble on it, just because everyone else is; and unless you put a bit of intention behind it, you’re likely to fade into the rest of the festive wallpaper. The trick is to think about the people reading it, and what your audience would actually like to read.

Start with your people

What would your ideal readers – the current or potential customers you want to reach – find helpful, entertaining or valuable at this time of year?

You don’t need to sell gifts or run a festive offer to have something useful to say that isi going to be worth a read in December. Think about what’s going on in your clients’ lives this month, and post something to help with that. For example:

• As a bookkeeper, you could talk through the year-end admin that’s much better done now than on 2 January.
• As a web designer, you could remind people to update their opening hours and holiday contact details online.
• As a wellbeing practitioner, you could share some realistic ways to protect a bit of downtime in a manic month.
• As a business coach, you could help clients look back at what they did achieve this year, rather than what’s still on the list.
• A copywriter (hello!) could show people how to plan January’s content now, so they can properly switch off.

You can even hang a bauble on any one of these if you want, because they’re still seasonal, they’re what your people are thinking about, and that’s why they’re more likely to get read.

Or go for entertaining

December is also a time when people are happy to be entertained by their content, as long as it’s got a bit of personality behind it. A few ideas that you can use on socials or expand into a blog post:

• A themed series. Last year I shared a run of A Christmas Carol quotes, because I love literature and I know a lot of my readers do to. A series gives you a ready-made idea for each post, and it gives your followers something to look out for. Pick something you genuinely love, whether that’s a book, a film or a family tradition, and tie it back to what you do.
• Behind the scenes. People like seeing the real person behind the business. Show your desk the week before you close, your January planner, or a week-in-the-life as you wind down for the closure. It’s has you at the heart of it, which is always a good thing.
• A countdown. Twelve days, twelve tiny tips, or twelve little things you’re grateful for: short, easy to schedule and easy to keep up.
• Something a bit playful. A festive quiz, or a “which Christmas film character is your business?”. If it makes you smile, it will probably make your readers smile too.

The key with any of these is the same as for the helpful posts: it should still sound like you, and it should still be something your people would actually enjoy.

If you like a bit of sparkle, there’s nothing to stop you putting a bit of tinsel in your image and sprinkling the Santa emojis. A festive colour palette or a sprig of holly on your graphic is a lovely way to nod to the season, as long as the words underneath are doing the work for you.

And don’t feel you have to be full of cheer if you’re not, or perhaps your readers aren’t. Christmas isn’t joyful for everyone. It can be expensive, stressful or lonely, so you can acknowledge the season without assuming everybody is celebrating in the same way. A simple thankyou for people’s support this year might be all you need to do.

And if Christmas genuinely doesn’t fit your business or your audience, you don’t have to mention it or the time of year at all.

Keep it simple

Useful tips in a blog post, a year-end thank-you and a practical update about your availability is perfect – don’t stress about the posting along with everything else in December.

A speedy posting tip: pick one message you want to share, write it the way you normally would at any other time of year, then read it back and ask yourself whether there’s a natural reason it’s even more relevant in December. Tweak anything that makes it more “December useful” – and there you go. A useful festive post that’s clearly from you, all ready to go.

The businesses that stand out at this time of year are the ones who say something worth reading, in their usual style and tone.

If you’d like some help planning your content for the festive season (and January!), I’d love to help. Give me a shout at Rebecca@RLCWords.co.uk and we’ll get it sorted.