6 Social Media Management Items to Seriously Consider Before Taking Your Holidays

One of the things that just about every business experiences is that feeling of heady excitement that comes just before that long-awaited holiday vacation. You can feel yourself down-shifting gears and beginning to ‘coast’ towards that ‘finish line’, as that monumental weekend approaches. Freedom, at last! But before you leave for the holiday festivities, you will want to make sure that your hard-won social media presence doesn’t also ‘downshift’, as well. In order to avoid that disaster, I would now like to offer 6 things that you need to pay attention to, before you head off towards those holiday celebrations!

1.     Give your readers/followers a holiday gift that consists of fresh content

You’ll want to set up a schedule that will provide interesting, fresh content while you’re away from your office. This is absolutely imperative since this is the time of year that the most people will have the time to poke around their computers and focus a bit more seriously on what they’re reading – without the distractions of work. You can easily do this by using your SMM tools to post periodic updates, according to your knowledge of your audience’s online viewing habit. By the way – Make sure you cover the time when you initially return to work. This way, you won’t have to stop and create new content while you’re playing “catch up” at work!

2.     Enlist some trusted support

Having someone “on call” is a standard operating procedure for nearly every company that wishes to remain in the public eye. Some of the biggest events and stories can occur during the holidays and you don’t want to miss any opportunities by being “out of touch”. Have a sit-down with the “holiday available” people you trust and who understand your goals, while enjoying the energy of SMM. This is nothing big, as it will mainly just be the coverage needed to keep things running smoothly while you’re away. Remember, you’ve also scheduled fresh content for your vacation days.

3.     Double check your mobile connectivity

Of course, you don’t want to be cut off from your own social media while you’re on vacation! This is the time to look over your mobile connections, hardware and software in order to access your network. Some tips along these lines:

• Ensure that you have WiFi connectivity (passwords from relatives, etc.) and/or other dependable fast access (your parent’s old AOL account with a 2400 bps modem just won’t do).
• Have your account’s secure passwords handy for changing, creating or deleting a post.
• Have a way to directly connect with anyone watching the store while you’re gone.

4. Let the people know that you’re away for a bit

Be aware of those who may be used to getting an immediate response from you regarding questions and problems/grievances. Make sure you have posted your holiday time off notice prior to leaving for vacation. You’ll want to tell them that it may take a bit longer to address their concerns because of this – but that you will be answering ASAP. Unless you’re providing an emergency service, your readers will generally understand this concept.

5. Set up the appropriate email alert notices

During the holidays, you certainly don’t want to spend your time constantly checking your email. Seriously, this makes it a bit stressful when the family is singing a holiday song and your disembodied voice is joining them from a different room! With the proper alerts (network and platform email, Google Alerts, etc.) in place, you’ll be covered. Hopefully, you’ve also signed up for various updates, articles and news reports from your industry resources.

Hints- Try Google Alerts or more specific alerts – One useful service is IFTTT. This will allow a connection between different web applications, while using specified commands. For example, you can receive an email notice every time someone has tagged you or your business. This provides great connectivity no matter where you’re spending your holiday. You can also use email alerts that are categorized through “Signals”, in order to avoid having to sort through conversations during you holiday.

6. Pick up additional information at your own pace

Whenever you have a free moment (possibly at bedtime, provided you haven’t been enjoying that eggnog a wee bit too much), check up on our website and blog posts. We make it easy for you to keep abreast of social media developments and other SMM information that anyone can read, understand and enjoy.

Happy Holidays!!

Tell us, What tools are you using to stay informed this holiday season?