How to Get More User Engagement During the Holidays
The holiday season brings a wave of excitement and opportunity for brands. Audiences are more active, emotions run high, and people look for moments of connection. For businesses, this is one of the most important times of the year to strengthen relationships, increase visibility, and inspire genuine interaction that lasts long after the new year begins.
At The BLU Group, we believe the holiday season is not just a sales window. It is a chance to engage. When you focus on connection rather than constant promotion, your audience is more likely to interact with your content, remember your brand, and come back throughout the year.
If you want to increase engagement during the holidays, the key is combining creativity and strategy with a strong understanding of what your audience needs this time of year. Here is how to approach it effectively.
Understand What Engagement Really Means
Holiday engagement covers far more than likes or clicks. Engagement is participation. It is a sign that your audience feels connected to your brand on a personal level.
Common engagement signals during the holidays include comments, shares, saves, website visits, replies to email newsletters, and sign ups for events or promotions. These interactions show interest, trust, and growing loyalty.
Your goal is not to force engagement. It is to create content that encourages natural interaction because it feels relevant and meaningful to your audience.
Plan Early and Stay Consistent
Brands who plan ahead usually see the strongest engagement. Once the season begins, people are flooded with content. If your posts feel rushed or inconsistent, they are more likely to get lost in the noise.
Planning ahead helps you map out key dates and avoid last minute decisions. Create a schedule that blends promotional content with engagement focused posts such as holiday tips, stories, or behind the scenes moments.
Consistency helps keep your brand visible, but quality should always come first. A handful of thoughtful, well timed posts will outperform a high volume of rushed content.
Lead With Meaningful Stories
The holidays are emotional. People look for warmth, connection, and something they can relate to. Storytelling helps you tap into that emotion.
Instead of focusing only on holiday sales, share stories that humanize your team and your brand. Highlight how your staff celebrates the season, how you support your community, or what traditions inspire your work. These stories help your audience connect with you as people, not just as a business.
When people feel something, they respond. They comment, share, and remember your content more deeply than they would a standard promotional message.
Make Your Content Interactive
Interactive content often performs best during the holiday season. People enjoy participating in something that feels fun, relevant, and easy.
Interactive ideas include polls about holiday favorites, seasonal quizzes, countdown themed content, and simple giveaways. You can also invite followers to answer questions, vote on product ideas, or share their opinions on holiday trends.
The easier it is to participate, the more likely your audience will join in. Interaction builds familiarity, which is one of the strongest factors in long term engagement.
Personalize Your Email Marketing
Holiday inboxes fill up quickly, so personalization becomes especially important. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, tailor your content to different groups.
You can send early access offers to loyal customers, helpful gift guides to new subscribers, and re engagement messages to customers who have not interacted recently. Personalization makes people feel valued and increases the chances that they will open, read, and interact with your emails.
Even small touches such as using a customer’s first name or referencing recent purchases can make a meaningful difference in holiday engagement.
Use Seasonal Visuals and Video
Holiday themed visuals help your content stand out. Seasonal colors, cozy imagery, and short videos create an immediate emotional connection. This type of content is also more shareable, which increases your reach organically.
Short videos perform especially well during the holidays. You can use them to share gift ideas, highlight best sellers, show behind the scenes moments, or simply spread seasonal cheer.
Visual content helps people absorb your message quickly, which matters when your audience is busier than usual.
Respond Quickly and Thoughtfully
During the holidays, customers often have questions about store hours, shipping times, availability, or last minute orders. Fast responses help reduce frustration and show that you value your audience.
Set aside time each day to reply to comments and messages. Thank customers for positive feedback and address concerns with clarity and care. Even a brief response can make a customer feel acknowledged and respected.
A responsive brand is a relatable brand. When people feel heard, they come back.
Provide Value Beyond Discounts
A discount might encourage a quick purchase, but value driven content encourages long term engagement. People respond to content that helps them, inspires them, or makes their lives easier during a busy time of year.
Consider offering holiday tips, checklists, gift guides, or small educational resources connected to your industry. When your content helps your audience solve a problem or learn something new, they are more likely to interact with it and share it with others.
This type of value strengthens the relationship and makes your holiday campaigns feel more thoughtful and useful.
Show Gratitude and Give Back
The holidays are a time for appreciation. Sharing a gratitude message, highlighting your favorite community partners, or showcasing ways you give back can significantly increase engagement.
Customers appreciate brands that care about more than sales. A sincere thank you to your audience goes a long way. Gratitude builds emotional loyalty, which is one of the strongest drivers of social engagement.
You can also involve customers in giving back by inviting them to support a charity, donate items, or join a community event. Actions like these create shared purpose and stronger connections.
Measure What Works
Once your holiday campaigns are underway, take time to evaluate engagement. Look at comments, shares, link clicks, website visits, and email responses. These metrics tell you which messages resonated most and which content formats your audience prefers.
Use this information to make smarter decisions next year. Understanding what worked and why helps you refine your approach and build even better campaigns over time.
Final Thoughts
Holiday engagement is not about posting more. It is about creating content that feels thoughtful, personal, and relevant. When you listen to your audience, plan with care, and focus on connection, your content becomes more engaging naturally.
At The BLU Group, we help brands build holiday strategies that inspire interaction, strengthen relationships, and support long term growth. If you are ready to elevate your seasonal marketing, contact us today at 608-519-3070 for more information.
