Snap! There’s a Holiday around the corner! No, it’s happening RIGHT NOW! It’s today, but I didn’t have anything planned for my business of choice! How will people hear me among the shouting of Holiday Sales? Don’t worry, you can jump on the bandwagon and still have your voice heard, you just have to be savvy about it.

Let’s focus on Memorial Day, as it’s happening in the next few days while I write this blog post.

It is currently the year 2017 and Pirates of the Caribbean (what is it like number 5?) is eating up the airwaves. It’s everywhere, as it was once a staple of the summer opening. TV Commercials, radio spots, and more. Which leads us to our first trick:

1.) Don’t Jump on the Bandwagon, Set Sail on One

Did you see what I did there? No, not yet, because I haven’t explained the tip yet. Here’s what you do, don’t use the tired old trait of Memorial Day (or said holiday). I mean, we’re going to use it, but it’s not going to be your main motif because no one will see that it’s any different. Instead, find something else relevant that is going on. You then get TWO hashtags for the price of one message and your voice is reaching TWICE the audience. Got a tweet ready for Memorial Day or a Facebook post? Pirate. It. Up. They ALREADY have a hashtag: #PiratesLife. So let’s compose a quick tweet, shall we? How about the one I’ll use for this blog post that caught your eye!

“ARRRRGGGGHhhhhh Mateys, I’ve got 5 Tricks on Holiday Posting this #MemorialDay, read about the booty now! #PiratesLife”

Boom. Done. Not only have I had a chance to use the common Memorial Day hashtag (that is inevitably trending) but I’ll stand out in that hashtag for using another trending item! Ergo, use the holiday to your advantage, but don’t drown in it, stand out, and set your own sail against the sea of sales.

2.) Let the Image do the Talking

Instagram, you on it? Maybe not, but I’m not about to tell you to be, what we’re going to focus on is how Instagram combines storytelling with the social media elite. The image I’m using to promote this blog, what’s it tell you (seen right)? A few things, one, I’m vain, there I am in my American flag tank top from the 4th of July last year. Two, I’m branding me, hey, that’s why I’m front and center. Three, we’ve got 5 tricks we’ll be reviewing on Holiday Posting for businesses and brands. What will the 5 tips focus on? Well, probably Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Hashtags…. And something about Pirates of the Caribbean? Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Instagram does the same thing but a little different. Snap a pic of your product/brand/sale with your “twist” like Pirates of the Caribbean (can be as simple as tossing a pirate emoji on the pic on your phone. Then, use your hashtags, ANYTHING that is relevant to your item, brand, and “twist.” Instagram allows up to 30 tags, but that’s not saying you need ALL of those. Sometimes you can google “top hashtags in ‘item desired’” and you’ve got your work done for you. NEVER post on ANY Social media site without an image, Facebook doesn’t like that especially, so get friendly with your camera phone.

P.S. I had a learning curve on IG, you can’t post links there…. So I guess you have to say “link in bio” when you want to promote a link, so don’t forget about that. It’s easy to do, just update your bio link whenever needed.

3.) GO LIVE (Facebook Live)

Facebook is all about YOU generating your own video content because Mark Zukerberg (facebook creator) kinda has a tiff with YouTube. So right now, all the rage is going “live.” Get a few employees ready, your camera phone, and decide what you’ll go live about. Say it’s Memorial Day, you’re a brewery, and you’ve got a special ‘Merica brew, but people aren’t coming through the door. No problem. Knock a dollar or 50 cents off a pint and get ready to go live baby! I hope you’ve got red, white, and blue in your tasting room, oh you don’t? Hit up the dollar store (spend like 10 dollars, maybe) get your current customers that ARE there (call your friends, mate) prepare a sign that says “Memorial Day Special: Red, White, and BREW – one dollar off every pint of ‘special brew name.’”

Okay, you’re ready now. When you start Facebook live, use a clever title “ARGH, Memorial Day Special Now!” Give your patrons (friends) a pint (or sample) of the special brew and have every one of them say what they think about it within 10 seconds each (keep it short), near the end, zoom in on the beer and sign you created while saying: “Come on in! Ask for the Red, White, and BREW special for a dollar off your pint!”

Once you’re done, Facebook allows you to “post” the live outing, do that and bing, bang, bum. Pay attention to your comments and messages and you’re on your way to more foot traffic. Be sure that your have your location easy to find on your Facebook page though! An easy way to do that is to follow up with an image with your location on it. So post right after and get back to Tip Two with an image speaking for you. BUT, us millennials love copy paste. So if Google doesn’t know about you yet, be sure to include your address in the post!

4.) Snapchat Is Your First Mate

Dude, if you don’t have a snapchat for your business yet, you are missing out on SO much fun. Actually, at this point, please hire me and let me do it for you? There is SO much to with for snapchat for a relatively cheap price! So let’s get started.

One. Create a snapchat with an EASY NAME to find, if I were to have one, let’s make it DirectingYourBrand. No crazy numbers or signs in there. Next, make sure people know about it! Post about it on your social media and in your place of business.

Two. Get to business. Snap pictures and post them to your story, use the fun filters and capability of “writing” on the picture to your advantage!

Three. “Screenshot” pictures sent to your account and post them on your other forms of social media. That is your fan base telling you how much fun they have there or with your products. Make your customers into your fan base, and they will go rabid for you!

Four. Get a geolocation filter going for your busy times (when relevant for your business). It is super fun to create and set up! And snapchatters LOVE finding new ones to add to their collection. Honestly, lots of us prefer snapchat as our go to camera app even more than our super awesome camera app. The filters do a lot to help that need and want. (See right, that is a geofilter of me at Area 93.3 Kegs and Eggs events on Saint Patrick’s Day.)

Five. Need to learn more about geofilters? Check out this nifty article or email me for more help at directingyourbrand@gmail.com.

5.) Be the Captain of Your Ship

Finally, don’t get discouraged. Not every post will be a gem and sometimes you’ll get feedback. Make sure you’re always respectable to the holiday at one point or another and do NOT jump on sad bandwagons, unless it directly relates to you or your business, stay quiet or respectable for sad things. But aside from that, listen to your audience. See what they like and post more of that stuff! I hate saying “stuff,” but I don’t know what your business is mate, I can only generalize so much. What is most important though is to be proud of your work and your product! Don’t let pride get in the way, you did something amazing! You have an awesome deal for them! Shout it at the top of the crow’s nest and get your specially-crafted message out there.

###

Questions? Comment below. Think this was a great read? Share it! Think it was a terrible read? Share it! Think I’m like the worst ever? Well, screw you Captain NoFun.

Thanks for reading!

Next blog? Stealing a Meme and Making it Do the Work for You!