Creative Social Content During the Down Season

Written By: Shannon Briggs

There are times of the year where social media content just feels easy. Springtime and fall posts come naturally with the onset of events, outdoor activities, and fun holidays. From October through New Year’s Day, we’re full speed ahead into holiday specials, promotions, donation opportunities, and all things Chrismahanukwanzakahgiving. 

Then January hits, and February follows. In June and July, it seems like people are too busy living their lives, deep in summer fun, to spend time scrolling through Instagram. August rolls around and people are trying to settle back into a routine with back-to-school. What do you do during these months to stay relevant, fun, and engaging?

Here are a few ideas to keep up your social media presence and engagement when it seems like other priorities take the wheel.

Create High Quality Content

When you don’t have much to play on for social media posts, create your own high quality content! In what area is your business an expert? ? Create a set of videos or blog posts to educate your audience and demonstrate your expertise. If you have more availability at a certain time of year, create this content in bulk to be able to use throughout the busy season too.

Run a Contest

There is no better way to get engagement on social media than giving something away. It could be related to your business, or it could be something valuable in your community that speaks to your target audience. A contest offers  a great opportunity to use an incentive to build your newsletter database, grow your following, or increase your brand awareness. Pick your goal and craft a campaign around it.

Feature Customers

When you’re out of ideas, turn to your customers for help. Are there posts featuring your business that you could share? Even better, can you film a video series highlighting their experiences with your business? Give away some fun swag, and host a customer photo or video shoot with it. 

Spotlight Community Partners

If your business doesn’t have much activity, are there other businesses or organizations you support that could benefit from your platform? Share their content onto your page. Collaborate with them to create original content about them to feature on your social accounts. Partner with them for an event, and use your platforms to promote that.

Get the Team Involved

People love peeking behind the curtains of the businesses they support. They want to know how the sausage is made and who is making it. Post some fun, candid photo and video content of your staff on the job - it can be serious, funny, or a mix of both. Feature your employees  and let your audience get to know the staff a bit better. If your team members are involved in the community, spotlight what they’re doing. Allow each team member to take over your business social media for the day for a different perspective behind-the-scenes. 

No matter what you decide to do, there is always room for fun and creativity on social media. Each post doesn’t have to be (and honestly shouldn’t be) a direct call to action or sales pitch. Humanize your brand with fun content. It’ll create brand awareness, get people engaged, and ultimately create a connection to your business.