Things can be a little hectic in the run-up to the Christmas holidays, but it’s well-worth ensuring your online profiles are as up to date as possible before you close the office (or your laptop) for the festive break.

Here are three quick things you can do today to ensure your online profiles stay active and informative over Christmas and the new year.

1. Schedule content

Scheduling content in advance means that your brand can stay visible online whilst you take a well-earned break.

You might already be using Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule content. If not, certain platforms like Facebook allow you to schedule posts for the future as part of their offering. Just head to “Publishing tools” and click “Schedule post”.

Whether you want to wish clients (and prospects!) a merry Christmas or share some handy financial planning tips for the new year, you can get everything set up and ready to go well in advance.

2. Update your business hours

Whether the office is closed for a few days or a couple of weeks, it’s a good idea to update your Google My Business listing to reflect your availability over Christmas and new year.

In your Google My Business profile settings, head to your “Info” section, click on “Special hours” and complete the details.

These hours will be prominent when anyone searches for you on Google, so it’s a great way to reassure clients and prospects if they’re waiting to hear back from you through an email or phone call.

If you haven’t claimed your Google My Business listing (or if it’s not quite as up to date as it ought to be!), Phil’s recent blog post covers the steps you need to take.

3. Pinned posts

Finally, Christmas is the perfect time to make good use of the pinned post functionality on your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter company pages.

Pinning a post will keep it at the top of your page, so it’ll be the first thing an individual sees if they visit you. Simply publish your post, click the three dots on the right of the post, and select “Pin to top of page”.

In the pinned post, make sure to include:

• A Christmas and new year message
• Dates the office will be closed
• A picture of your team in ridiculous Christmas jumpers.

Have a great Christmas and a very happy new year, from all of us here at Yardstick!

We’re here to help

To learn more about how we can help you with your marketing in 2022, get in touch with us by emailing hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call us on 0115 8965 300.