The holidays are swiftly approaching, and I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing. How can I take time off from work, without negatively impacting my business?

Well, lucky for you, I’ve compiled some tips and tricks to help you stay on top of your social media management, without having to spend the whole season creating and managing content on a constant basis.

1.    Use a scheduling platform to manage your posts

When you schedule your posts, you can sit down for an afternoon and draft out all of your posts for the week, or even the month, all at once. Once the posts are drafted you can schedule them to go live whenever you want. This allows you to set up all of your holiday posts now so you can relax later. If your Instagram and Facebook business pages are linked, you can do this right in Facebook’s creator studio for free. But there are many paid services that allow for even more customization when scheduling posts. Some popular platforms include Later, Hootsuite, and Buffer Publish.

2.    Shoot and create extra content NOW

The holidays can get busy so fast. You don’t want to be stuck in a position where you don’t have any content because you don’t have time to go out and shoot, or because the weather is horrible. Create extra content now! This way, when scheduling conflicts or inclement weather do come up, you won’t have to stress. You’ll have back-up content already created and ready to go.

3.    Create and schedule holiday-specific content in advance

Who wants to spend their holiday creating content and working all day? Not me! If you plan to post on specific holidays or for specific events, create that content well in advance. The sooner the better! Then all you have to do engage with your followers when those posts go live and you can spend your holiday celebrating and relaxing.

4.    Be prepared to spend more on paid social content.

The demand for paid ad campaigns on social media always increases this time of year, which means the prices do as well. If your budget allows, the price tag can be well worth it, especially with so many users shopping around for gifts. If you have a smaller budget and can’t afford these increased costs, consider focusing on organic reach and engaging more with your followers.  

5.    Create genuine holiday messaging.

 Your followers and your customers want to hear a genuine message from YOU. Not another recycled holiday message that they’ve seen 100 times. Make sure that all of your holiday posts mirror your other unique content and stay true to your brand. Posting for every holiday is great, but if it’s not genuine your followers will see right through it.

6.    Post about the holidays you personally celebrate and how you’re celebrating.

Posting about your own holiday celebrations is a great way to form genuine connections with your followers. Don’t be so worried about political correctness that you don’t post about the holidays you participate in. Those are part of who you are and what makes your content special. With that said, it’s always good to keep inclusivity in mind, there are so many holidays, not everybody celebrates the same ones! 

7.    Appear present online, even if you’re not.

It’s absolutely ok to take personal time and step away for the holidays, and you deserve it! But you don’t want to lose any of your hard work. Social media platforms favor users who post often and have high engagement. If you’ve set up strong content in advance, then all you’ll have to do is spend a little time every day engaging with your community and staying on top of time-sensitive communications. Depending on the size of your following, 15-30 minutes a day might even be enough!

There are so many ways to stay active and engaged online while also taking time off during the holidays. We all work so hard and we deserve to take a break! Hopefully, these tips will help you relax AND keep growing your business this holiday season!