Winter is Sticking around: Build Engagement on your Social Media This Winter

Shelby Aldred
Mar 1, 2023
3 min read

Apparently Winter isn't over so here is a great time to show your followers that you're a part of the community. It's also a great opportunity to grow your audience by finding ways to make them laugh, smile and feel connected with some simple ideas.

Engagement doesn't have to take a break when the weather does!

Here are some ways you can continue engaging your audience throughout the winter weather:

Use hashtags for a chance to get featured on Instagram Explore and possibly gain new followers
Use stories like Instagram and Snapchat that allow you to post more frequent updates with photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours
Try live stories, which allow viewers to comment in real time on what they see while also giving you an opportunity to engage with other users

Of course let's celebrate holidays on Social Media!

Holidays are a great time to get creative and think outside of your box. You can use this tip all year round to help promote your business, build engagement and create a dialogue with your followers that may not have happened otherwise. Look for opportunities that you can leverage for a deeper understanding of who your audience is, what they want from you as well as how much time they're willing to spend engaging with you online during these busy times.

Ask Questions

Questions are a great way to get your followers engaged. Ask them about their holiday traditions and they’ll be more likely to share their own thoughts with you. Try asking related questions like “What’s the best present you ever gave or received?” or “What’s the worst gift you ever got?” You can also ask things that relate to your niche. For instance, if your business is all about dog training, ask people for their favorite dog training tricks in honor of National Dog Week (October 22-28).

You can even ask questions that don't require much thought at all—like how much sleep they got last night—and let them fill in the blank by replying with "a lot" or "not enough." These types of questions work well because they're short and easy to answer!

Show everyone how you celebrate the winter holidays

This tip doesn't end after Christmas! Holidays are a time to come together, and it's also a great opportunity to show your audience what makes you happy. Here are some ideas:

Share your favorite holiday traditions. If you have family traditions or holiday activities that mean something special to you, share them with your followers. For example Valentines day just happened... Do you share chocolates with loved one or make cards?
Tell us about the music that reminds you of the holidays. What songs do you listen to while decorating trees? What songs do you listen to while baking cookies? Which album puts everyone in the mood for Christmas? When was the first time someone played this music for their family—and what did it mean for them?
You can also tell us about any favorite movies or TV shows that are part of your annual winter viewing schedule; tell us which ones were childhood favorites or how they're still relevant today; talk about why these films resonate so deeply with people every year when they air on TV.

Run a contest that offers a gift card to the winner's favorite store.

A great way to get more engagement on your platforms this winter is by running a contest that offers a gift card to the winner's favorite store. For example, you might offer an instagram contest where the winner gets an Amazon gift card (or another similar online retailer) and all of their followers get a discount code for your products.

For those who don't sell online, there are still plenty of options! Hosting a Facebook group contest with multiple winners will help increase engagement in your group as well.

Use Winter Themed Captions: Here are a few to get you started

Blanket of snow and presents in rows
Santa is coming
Wintering in. (With a cute dog, of course.)
Warm your heart with this hot cocoa. (In a mason jar, obviously.)
How do you celebrate the holidays? (With wine.)
Brrr-ing it on!
Sledding in my best dress.
No matter how many times I fall down, or how bad my hands freeze off, nothing will stop me from having fun!