It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go! And just like the song says, in just a few weeks’ time the holidays will be here. Or will they? Sure, there’ll be holiday decorations in your home and the stores, and many of your friends and family will be winding down to take a well-deserved break. But does that mean you can do the same, and just stop publishing content for a week or three? Surely, nobody’s going to notice if you do, right? Wrong!
Here are four reasons why content marketing matters as much—if not more—during the holidays as any other time of year. Get yours all set up and then you can let it snow, baby, let it snow!
Rankings Don’t Rest
The primary reason not to slow down with your content posting is that Google doesn’t take time off. Neither do other search engines, if you consider them important in your industry. If anything, Google’s algorithm is likely to “step up” its performance during the holidays to cope with the seasonal SEO changes. With eCommerce sites starting to publish holiday specials well before Thanksgiving, by the time mid-December rolls around the rankings are cluttered with holiday terms and keywords based on the various special dates, while the tsunami of content marketing continues to flow unchecked. Rankings don’t rest, and neither should you.
Take-Away: Prepare your content ahead of time and use tools such as WordPress’s future date postings to publish it while you’re lying on the beach somewhere sipping a margarita.
Thought Leadership Lasts
Imagine if you needed expert help during the holidays and everyone was away? Sure, that used to be a common scenario in the days of brick-and-mortar businesses, but in the virtual world we’re beyond being able to use that as an excuse. If you’re in the process of developing a reputation for thought leadership in your field, it’s vital to be available when you’re needed. If you don’t maintain your regular business blogging schedule, it’s the ideal opportunity for someone else’s posts to bypass yours and leave you standing in the dust.
Take-Away: Regular posting during the holiday season keeps you top of mind with your followers, even if they’re reading your stuff on their mobile device on a beach in Mexico. If your material needs the human touch, consider hiring an inbound marketing agency to handle it for you during this time.
Promotions Bring Publicity
Everyone struggles to find something to write about during the holidays, including other bloggers and online journalists. Women’s magazines are famous for their “10 things your home MUST have these holidays” type articles, and they have to get their information from somewhere. If your products or services are home-related, posting your special promotions on your blogs and your social media marketing is a great way to catch the eye of someone making up such a list.
Take-Away: Publicity comes to those who are easy to find. Nobody’s going to go back through your old posts to look for something to write about. If you aren’t publishing current posts, you won’t make it onto the list. Period. Find a content marketing tool that lets you pre-load your written posts onto an auto-blogging platform and set up dates for releasing them.
There’s Money to Make
Consumers spend money during the holidays, in some or all of the following ways:
- Buying gifts for family and friends
- Spending holiday bonuses on items for their homes, cars, etc.
- Using year-long savings to get that special something
- Investing money for the coming year
- Equipping themselves to carry out ambitious New Year resolutions
Any of these could be a reason to buy your product or service. Whether you market costume jewelry, home renovation services or orthodontic treatment, if you aren’t visible through your content marketing you aren’t going to be one of the options your target audience considers.
Take-Away: Regardless whether your customers are treating themselves or others, the vast majority are looking for something to buy during the season. Don’t let them be disappointed. If necessary, set up your posts ahead of time to self-publish using a tool such as the WordPress plug-in for automated blogging.
