The Secrets To Successful On-Brand Seasonal Content
Do you ever see people’s fun holiday posts and think, “How did they come up with that so quickly?!”
Perhaps you log into Instagram and see it’s National Cheese Day (who knew?) – and you have a charcuterie business! Now you’re struggling to create a fun, engaging post that should have been posted hours ago.
Many people look forward to playing on seasons with their businesses and find it engaging, but it can feel like a lot of work to others.
Still, creating seasonal content is good for business because it can help:
anchor your brand in its own traditions
show your investment in your brand via imagery that changes with the seasons
boost your marketing power by giving you a reason to promote your products or services
provide you with content you can repurpose in the future
With all of those benefits, it’s clear that seasonal content is a powerful marketing and branding move that can look effortless and fun for your audience—once you know how.
In this post, you’ll learn how to use your brand photo sessions to create seasonal content that’s both on-brand and successful with your audience.
What Matters Most For Seasonal Content: Thinking Ahead
Seasonal brand photoshoots take more planning time than people often try to give it.
But a good rule of thumb for seasonal brand photography is this: You should always plan next season’s shoot, NOT this season’s.
Here’s why you need so much time:
You’ll need time to plan and shop for your shoot – so give yourself a few weeks BETWEEN booking and the actual shoot.
You’ll need time to put everything together for social media, blogs, newsletters, etc. – so give yourself a few weeks AFTER you get your final images.
But it’s important to think ahead in other ways, too.
Planning intentionally for the seasons of your business means taking time to find gaps and identify typically slow times in the year that you can fill with fun or cash-bringing. One way to do that is to perform an annual business review.
Once you perform a review, you can approach seasonal content strategically and informally.
Your Need-To-Know: Your Brand Determines Your Seasons
Your brand should serve and attract your ideal audience, so you want to plan for seasons that appeal to them.
Do your customers tend to be movie buffs or sci-fi fans? You may want to plan a fun “May the 4th Be With You” post.
Is providing peace of mind and supporting clients’ mental health one of your brand’s core values? If so, you might not want to forget that May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
Are the clients you serve primarily composed of women? You’ll want an International Women's Day post on the ready.
If figuring out which holidays you’ll want to celebrate and share about feels overwhelming, fear not, my friend. There’s a tool for that.
Use a social media calendar like this one to review upcoming dates. Then, add the ones that apply to your brand or audience to your calendar. When you know it’s coming up ahead of time, you can prepare accordingly.
A word of caution I want to add right here…
Every season has things that are fun, special, and "on-trend."
You do NOT have to do it all, and you don’t even have to do something every season. Trends do not dictate your brand.
You are building a brand for longevity – not trends – so instead, pick and choose what matters to you, your audience, and your brand.
If Christmas isn't your thing, and there's nothing Christmas-sy in your business that you're trying to tease, touch on, sell, then forgettaboutit. Does Valentine’s Day feel cheesy? Skip it. It’s your brand. You get to make the rules.
3 Things To Consider When Planning Seasonal Content
1. Props
Consider the props you can use for your seasonal content. You’ll want items that express your values, mood, or personality for that season. Choose your props and clothing with intention.
2. Lifespan
Consider the lifespan of any seasonal imagery you create for your business. Evergreen outfits and props will be the most useful. By evergreen, I mean more traditional seasonal colors, themes, decor, etc. – or season-neutral things.
When infusing seasonal colors, try to incorporate the shades of the seasons that complement your brand’s color palette. Matching and complementing your brand colors will make everything feel more high-end, timeless, and cohesive. Best of all, you’ll get the most leverage (longest lifespan) out of those images.
3. Differentiators
Use the seasons to distinguish your brand personality and show how you are different from other brands. This part of planning will take some reflection. You can use these questions to guide you as you craft your content:
What is it you LOVE about this season/holiday/milestone?
What's your HOT take on it?
What do you cherish during these times?
What are your values around these holidays?
How can you relate these reflections to your brand/service?
What are your favorite things to do this season? Your favorite places to visit? Things to wear? To eat? To reflect on?
Why do you celebrate this particular holiday?
What does this day mean to you?
Which story can you tell?
How To Refresh Your Images For Seasonal Content
With fresh, ongoing seasonal content, you’ll be able to elevate your online presence and get booked solid with your dream clients – and I know this because I’ve been lucky enough to help hundreds of creatives achieve just that.
If you’re in (or going to be in) the Austin, Texas, area and are ready to take control of your seasonal content with preplanning, book a free discovery call with me. We’ll discuss pricing and the process and select a date far enough in advance for you to prepare.
Then, together, we’ll create fun, seasonal content related to the holidays YOU want to shout out.
Say hello, my friend.