Your Guide to Holiday Content Planning

Despite soaring temperatures across the country, it’s time to start thinking about holiday content-marketing campaigns. Getting your ideas brewing now, with fall creeping ever closer, means you’ll be well positioned to execute them when it matters, and have eyeballs on them when it counts – well before Christmas.

So, crank down that air conditioning, pull out your toque and grab a hot chocolate: it’s time to get into the winter spirit.

Here are some holiday planning tips from the Fifth Story team:

Summer – September

Back to basics

If you haven’t done it already, use this late summer to lay the foundations. Make sure you understand the needs of your audience, and think about how you fit in their holiday season. Look back at your takeaways from previous years and scope out upcoming trends. This is the time to set your goals, do your research and dig in to know your audience.

Early September

Make your choices

 Once you have your foundations set, it’s time to commit to your means and methods. Plan your strategy using what you’ve learned. If you need a little help deciding between digital or an earned campaign, boosting promotion of your online store or creative for an ad, connect with us here at Fifth Story. We love putting together content marketing strategies. Just remember the hard lessons of the past two years and stay flexible.

September – October

Time for production

You’ve got your ideas and a plan in place, so now it’s time to get producing and create some winning assets. Start production in September and early October to create quality assets just in time for prime holiday exposure.

This is especially important for campaigns that take time to generate results.

For example, News Canada’s earned-media articles are published a month ahead of the issue month – that means the December issue is live for newspaper editors on November 1st. Because publication timelines include content edits and approval, we’ll need to receive your topic briefs the first week of October to include them in holiday distribution.

For News Canada radio segments (ANRs), any Christmas or holiday-related content must be distributed by the first week of November to have enough time in market to reach audiences over six to eight weeks. Remember, ANRs take an average of four weeks to produce, so get that info to us the last week of September for best luck.

If you’re behind, feel free to reach out and we’ll see what we can do.

November – December

Distribution

It finally starts to feel like the holiday season once November rolls around, so thank goodness your content is produced and ready to share! Google Trends reveals that holiday search terms such as “Christmas gift ideas” begin a sharp increase as of November 1^st, peaking between November 29^th and December 7^th.

It’s a no brainer that you want your brand to be on consumers’ minds at this point in the year. It’s the most profitable time for many businesses large and small. Overall, thinking about holiday strategy from the middle of a heat wave makes sense, and pays off.

Find more tips in last year’s post. You can also check out this free campaign planner from Facebook, or reach out to us at info@fifthstory.com. The Fifth Story team is here to help elevate your holiday content.