Unleashing Holiday PR Success: A Strategic Guide for Businesses
With the holiday season approaching, there’s never been a better time for businesses of all shapes and sizes to amplify their festive PR efforts. While many companies perceive December as a time to slow down their PR activities, I’ll go out on a limb to say it’s actually completely the opposite. So, before you think about ‘logging off’ this year to enjoy a well-deserved break, why not sit back, grab a coffee, and read our blog on how your business can leverage the festive season to maximise its brand visibility and engagement over the coming months?
Navigate Media Deadlines
Believe it or not, journalists take a break over the holidays too. Of course, this doesn’t mean they stop working entirely, but reaching them is trickier than usual. So, the first step to any successful PR strategy over the festive season is to understand the diverse deadlines of different media outlets. While monthly publications will almost certainly be out of reach, your local and regional daily press, as well as online portals, remain accessible avenues for visibility. Naturally, I would normally suggest planning your story angles a few months in advance… However, if you’re running a bit behind, you can still reach the right audiences by staying on top of your industry’s news and responding to events as they happen. This is a great way to lead the conversation and position yourself as an expert in your field.
Harness Seasonal ‘Special’ Occasions
Identify and seize special days during December that align with your business values. Whether it’s something serious or just your office’s Ugly Christmas Jumper Day, these occasions provide a platform to pitch creative ideas to the media to ensure visibility for your business this year. Failing that, they always make great posts to go on your socials. We suggest aligning this strategy with the spirit of goodwill, giving, and community engagement that characterises the holiday season. Organising charity events, outreach programs, or introducing holiday-themed products are great ways to enhance your brand’s image and appeal at this time of year.
Stay #Engaged with your socials
Following on from the above, now is the perfect time to leverage the heightened user activity on social media platforms during the festive season to boost your online presence. Actively posting throughout the holiday season only means one thing; Your business WILL gain momentum and visibility through social media engagements and ‘impressions’ by tailoring your content to resonate with your brand, whether it’s festive-themed posts, community initiatives, or sharing valuable insights.
Don’t be a Grinch
If your business is B2B, we understand you may not want to come across as unprofessional to your clients over the holiday period. But this doesn’t mean saying bah humbug to the festive season altogether. By all means, craft non-festive content that stands out amidst the holiday noise; this will still capture the attention of your target audience (In fact, we recommend all businesses continue to do this).
Set yourself up for a fantastic 2024
Adopting a proactive festive PR strategy, rather than succumbing to a traditional holiday slowdown, will set your business apart from the competition this year, demonstrating dynamism and commitment—something every customer wants to see in a brand.
However, if you – like many of our clients – are hitting a ‘peak season’ this time of year and can’t actively pitch exciting stories, both holiday and non-holiday themed, to maintain a consistent presence in target media – then why not get in touch to see if we can lend a hand? Drop us a line for a chat at PRworks@neopr.co.uk
We ho-ho-hope, you have a fantastic Christmas and a lovely New Year.
