Preparing Your Social Media Team for the Holiday Season

December for most is about presents and holiday cheer, but for social media or community managers, it’s a season of frenzy. Thats why now is the perfect time to start planning your social media holiday campaigns and coverage in order to drive maximum revenue to your business and see your Christmas social media campaigns succeed.

With traffic spikes on social media increasing by 73% over the holidays, and customer expectations set to an all-time high, how will you prepare your team and outshine your competition?

Here are 4 things you need to think about when preparing your Social Media Holiday Survival Guide:

1. 1. 1. Ensure your team is cohesive heading into the busiest time of the year.
         Does your company have a clear hierarchy for your social channels? Does your team know who’s responsible and their roles? How does your team address negative online reviews? Your social media playbookshould explain roles and permissions, provide an action plan, and provide assistance in case of a social media crisis.
      2. Identify potential threats.
         Lay out all the “known-unknowns” so you’re not caught off guard. You will need to account for situations like: “the person with the Snapchat credentials is out on holiday.” Identifying leakage means creating an updated inventory of every point of potential failure. Create a list of channels, new technologies, outstanding training, etc.
      3. Create a social media response plan. 
         When you’re putting out fires online, remember that the longer something is left alone, the more potential it has to get out of hand. Create a time response policy so that all issues and comments are resolved quickly. Keep in mind that theses rapid responses must be handled 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
      4. Test your emergency response plan.
         It’s critical to have an actual, actionable, plan to follow during emergencies. This plan ought to be comprehensive enough for most circumstances, but still simple enough for everyone on your team to understand and follow. Things to think about includes tone of voice, personality, speed and honesty. It’s also highly useful to put this plan to test before a crisis occurs.

It’s never to early to start thinking about how you’re going to maximize the holiday rush. This year, start planning ahead and have your team prepared for what’s to come.