A Fresh Take on Festive Blog Posts

From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, ‘tis the season for family, feasting, fun…and, well, awkwardly shoehorned holiday-themed blog posts.

Lifestyle bloggers have it somewhat easier this time of year; after all, they can always share cookie recipes, Pinterest-friendly tablescapes, or holiday decorating tips. For business bloggers, however, writing about the holidays in a natural and organic way may be a bit more challenging.

If you’re writing for a business that sells giftable goods, your job will be much easier. Holiday gift guides, promotions for bestselling or trending items, or year-end “Best Of” lists are perennial favorites to showcase products. However, if you deal in services or items that don’t traditionally make it onto Christmas wish-lists, how can a holiday-themed post serve you and, more importantly, your customers?

It seems like everyone does some sort of holiday tie-in this time of year, even if it’s just a pun in the headline, so ignoring the holidays completely may make you feel like a Grinch. Christelle Lachapelle has some solid suggestions for putting together an effective holiday post for your business blog, such as introducing your business’s family to your customers. “Share photos and short bios of your staff on your blog,” Lachapelle recommends. “Consider taking a photo of your team in ugly Christmas sweaters or holiday attire.” Other blog specialists suggest “decorating” for the holiday with wintery backgrounds or falling snow animation.

While these trappings may put visitors in a more festive mood—and possibly convert a few casual passers-by into customers—this season, try taking a novel approach. While people all over the world celebrate different holidays in different ways this season, most traditions involve elements of thankfulness, generosity, and charity.

With these virtues in mind, here are three ways you can rethink your holiday blogging strategy and give your readers something they’ll really value this season:

• Offer a gift. If you run an online store, try offering a coupon code for a tidy percentage off of your customer’s purchase or an additional freebie thrown in with every order. If your business involves virtual goods or services, consider a free download or exclusive bonus content for visitors. Giving something back to your customers makes them feel appreciated—and it helps boost your end-of-year sales, too.
• Send a card. Create a virtual holiday card—or better yet, a video—thanking your customers for their loyalty and support. You might also take your cue from the traditional holiday letter and use the blog post as an opportunity to reflect on the previous year and look forward to the next. The goal is to connect on a personal level with your customers and express your heartfelt thanks.
• Be Merry and Bright. Sometimes there’s just no organic way to incorporate the holidays into your business blog. When all else fails, share some humor and joy with your readers. Grammarly, which was a Shorty Award finalist in 2013 for best user engagement, shares smart, clever content with readers on Facebook even when it’s not strictly “on-brand.” During the often-hectic holiday season, a little humor can go a long way to bringing peace on earth and goodwill toward men.

How will you tackle the holidays? Let us know in the comments!