Did you know that the holiday season is the best time to build your personal brand?
Why? Because it’s the time for connecting with others. People are happier, more positive and optimistic during this time of year. They are all about gratitude, developing relationships, and kindness. If you’re willing to put the work in, and you get the marketing right, you can take your personal brand to the next level at the time of year when the not so business savvy start preparing for stagnation. Here are five ways to grow your personal brand during the holiday season.
Stay Active on Social Media
Just because everyone else has taken a vacation doesn’t mean you’ve got to do the same. According to a study conducted by Bizreport there is a 30% increase of consumers messaging brands because they’re interested in making a purchase during the holiday season. Hence, this a critical time to remain active on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. As a personal brand, there’s a high chance that you don’t have the luxury of a social media manager. In which case, you’ll be responsible for all the content creation and audience engagement. This can become tedious during the holiday season (especially Christmas and Thanksgiving). You’ve got family and friends to see, events to attend, and whatever else you have on your schedule. You’ll find that a lot of personal brands take a break during this time, and you’ll see posts like, “I’m jetting off with the hubby for Thanksgiving...have a good one, see you when I get back.” Everyone needs a break from social media, because it can get draining when you’re responsible for your accounts. But when you’re trying to establish yourself in your industry, the holiday season is the perfect time to grow because there’s less competition. You can make it easier for yourself by scheduling posts in advance so that your only job during that time is engagement.
Focus on Your Strengths
If you want to keep things going, do what you know works. You can compare this strategy to the Pareto Principle which states that 80% of our results, comes from, 20% of our efforts. When applied to your business, this means that the things that bring in the most profit are the result of 20% of your efforts. In other words, you already have a system in place that works so stick to it for now. It’s all well and good wanting to improve your skills and turn your weaknesses into strengths, but holiday season is not the time. Why? Because you only have a small window to take full advantage of this lucrative season. So ramp up what you already know works for you, and stick it out until business returns to normal.
Targeted Advertising
The link between Christmas and shopping has always been a strong one. Regardless of what you’re offering, be sure to take advantage of the Christmas spirit. You might be thinking, “Well, I don’t sell products.” That doesn’t matter, because not everyone wants a physical gift for Christmas. Some people want to enjoy an experience. You might find a consultant, or a chef, a customer could be looking to buy your services for a friend or a loved one. You can gain a competitive advantage by making your brand stand out by using humor, creating visual puns, or jumping on the holiday tropes bandwagon. You’ll notice that Starbucks change the color of their coffee cups to red and white. Coca-Cola are known for having Christmas trucks decorated with Santa Claus and lights. Nike never fails to deliver by using celebrities such as Anthony Joshua and Rita Ora for their memorable Christmas advertising campaigns. You probably haven’t reached a point where you can start using celebrities to advertise your products and services, but there are plenty of less expensive creative ways to immerse your brand in the Christmas spirit.
Change Your Message
This year is the perfect time to get more personal with your messaging considering what the world is going through. Now is the time for a people first approach. Your social media platforms will tell you everything you need to know about the mind-set of your audience. Spend time analyzing the comment sections of your posts. What are your customers talking about? Is there any mention of a common struggle? You can then test out different messages with a range of adverts to see what works best. Facebook is the perfect medium for this, their advertising platform allows you to experiment with a range of ideas without spending all your budget on one theme that’s not guaranteed to work. Personalize your messages and let your customers know that you understand what they’re going through. During this sensitive time, what you don’t want to do is come across too sales-y (even though that’s the main aim). Let your audience see your human side by showing how your brand can meet their unique needs.
Be Your Authentic Self
As the old adage goes, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” However, despite the fact that most content these days is a spin off because everything has literally been done already, be unique. Let your authentic self shine through in your content, your advertising and everything else you do that’s connected to your brand. Customers are looking for ways to stay entertained, and connected at home, by offering authentic, value packed experiences, you are going to stand out from the crowd. Gone are the days when businesses could just throw an advert out and hook customers, today people want more. They want to know the person/people behind the brand, and being your authentic self is one way to provide this.
Find out what works best for you and take full advantage of this time to expand your brand, and connect with your audience in a way that will ensure they remember you during the holiday season and beyond.