Now is the time to look at your social media strategy for the holidays. Somehow the holidays always sneak upon us and before you know it, its Christmas holiday shopping. In all this craziness, how do you make sure that your Rec Center is ready to put their best foot forward?
Here are some tactics to make sure your social media strategy is ready for the holidays, while you are enjoying some turkey and quality time with the family.
Contests
Fairly easy to implement and execute, contests can be addictive and entertaining and they get people excited about your business. Everyone ones free stuff and a chance to win something or belong to a movement, so why not capitalize on it and get your Rec Center the extra boost it needs their year. In return, you’ll end up with new fans and followers you can market to starting in the New Year. Just keep in mind to follow each network’s guidelines for contest and adhere to them.
Promotions
You have already thought of sales, discounts and promotions for the holiday period, haven’t you? So why not announce all these specials and deals on social media as well? You can make then available on all channels or get a specific deal going on only one thus boosting your fan base and traffic from this channel. Whether you have a holiday sale, a special package or may be a winter promo you can utilize social media to get extra eyes on your offer. Take it a step further with paid social media advertising to give your special an extra boost.
Tips for surviving the holidays
When everybody gets crazy, provide a little value to your community by giving them helpful tips for surviving the holidays. If you are a ski resort, make it easy for your guests to find on your website how to deal with the extra crowds and what to do ahead of time. If you are in the public transportation business, provide tips on where and how to buy tickets online. Turn these tips into visual assets and share them on your social networks.
User-Generated Content
People love to share their experiences so why not encourage them to share their photos of using or experiencing your Rec Center. You can the reward them for the effort and share their content on your channels. People love to be featured and you end up with that extra content you need. You can also come up with various interactive questions that are simple to answer and guaranteed to get people excited, for example: “What’s your favorite wintertime workout? Or “What do you do to reduce stress?”
Gratitude
Show gratitude toward your patrons. If its not for them, you wont be in business. Send your holiday greetings and don’t forget that digital only goes so far. Don’t skip the traditional greeting cards for your most loyal members.
Milena Regos is a principle at Out&About Marketing. Out&About Marketing is a social media consultancy with focus and experience in the fitness industry. For more information visit, www.outandaboutmarketing.com
