It’s the most wonderful time of the year … to be on social media! The holidays are about connecting with those around us, making it the perfect time to humanize your brand and develop closer ties with your client base. Posting holiday content that is personal and relatable will help you foster a sense of community and trust among your followers.

Luckily, that type of content doesn’t need to be flashy or sophisticated. It just needs to be authentic. So here are some ideas to help you get personal on social media this season.

Help your customers spark ideas for the perfect gift by curating a holiday gift guide. But instead of creating a list of your own, leverage your audience to generate ideas. Here’s how:

This is not only a great value-add that will generate a lot of engagement, but it’s also a way to collect user-generated content (UGC), which adds authenticity to your posts.

Here’s a clever way to tout some of your business accomplishments while keeping it casual and holiday-themed. Make a “My Favorite Things” list of your favorite moments in 2022. Include your most impressive business achievements, but also highlight some personal things (like getting a new puppy or that amazing vacation you took). If you can say it in pictures, even better! Scroll through your phone and find pictures to sync up with each “favorite moment,” and turn it into a Reel or video with descriptions of each event.

People love sharing their opinions and personal experiences, so invite your followers to share their thoughts on the holidays with some fun conversation starters. You could use one of the following ideas, or turn it into a series of themed posts called “How Do You Holiday?” (or whatever catchy title feels right). Here are some questions and statements to try:

The goal here is to get people engaging with you, even though it’s not business related. Generating discussion creates a memorable experience and anticipation for your next post. You could take it even further by taking a screen capture of the most comical responses and sharing them to your Stories. At a minimum, be sure to respond to every comment.

Take your holiday thank-you notes up a notch and create a thank-you video. Simply record yourself (with your smartphone) sharing a message of gratitude. Talk about the things you were most grateful for this year. Express appreciation for your team and customers. Tag and thank a partner or local business for their contributions. Discuss the things you’re looking forward to next year. Keep it short, sweet, and sincere. The benefit of sharing it in a video format is the ability to connect on a human level. Seeing your face, eye contact, and nonverbal communication will help your message better resonate with your audience.

Supporting a cause is not only good for the world around you, it can also be good for business. If you’re giving back this holiday, promoting it on social media can help you communicate your values and invite your customers to do some good in the process. Donating to a charity? Encourage your audience to do the same, and consider matching donations as an incentive. If you’re volunteering at a local food bank, share a live video of you and your team in action. Perhaps there’s an issue that’s close to your heart or has even impacted your life in some way. Use this opportunity to share your story while also raising awareness and inspiring others to take action.