5 Thanksgiving ideas to boost your holiday social media campaigns in 2022
Turkey, crispy potatoes, yams with a thick layer of marshmallow, juicy gravy, a generous slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of sweet cream…
Sorry, we got a bit carried away there.
Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food (although the food is pretty great), it’s about taking a step back, truly seeing everything that you’ve got, and giving thanks for it.
Some people see Thanksgiving as the official start of the holiday season. Halloween has just passed, Black Friday is creeping up ahead, and then Christmas and New Year are ready to crash in with countdowns, fireworks, and big-bearded-present-giving men dressed in red.
With so many consumer holidays on the horizon, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to catch your audience’s attention early with your Thanksgiving social posts and put yourself at the forefront of their minds.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve put together a list of our top 5 Thanksgiving ideas for 2022.
Because we’re nice like that.
Top 5 Thanksgiving ideas
1. Tell people what you’re thankful for
Okay, fair enough — we get that the first of the Thanksgiving tips being “give thanks” is a bit obvious.
Actually — it’s extremely obvious.
But that doesn’t make it any less of a great idea.
And it’s not just scribbling handwritten Thanksgiving card messages, or stopping people in the street to tell them how much you love them. It’s also about allowing people to take a peek behind the curtain of a business and see its human side. That makes this a fantastic opportunity to put out some feel-good content about what you’re giving thanks for.
Maybe it’s your wonderful staff that you’re thankful for, perhaps it’s your lovely customers, it could be the massive meal you’re about to demolish, or even just the chance to run a business that you love.
Take this post from personal care brand Dove:
This is a great appreciation post that sends thanks to a whole bunch of lovely people. It highlights what matters to the company and is just an all-around feel-good post.
2. Know when it’s your time to shine
A big part of marketing in social media is knowing your audience and knowing your place in the market.
This is especially true for businesses that are tailored towards a certain climate, season, or even a certain time of day. We can only imagine what happens to all of those candy canes outside of December, or woolen sweaters in the midst of a searing hot summer, or a company that specializes in selling turkeys…
Poultry company Butterball absolutely smash their holiday social media post here. They know exactly when their time to shine is and they grab that opportunity with both hands.
This post is fit to burst with awareness and humor, and to top it all off — it’s made entirely in their brand’s color scheme.
Bravo Butterball.
3. Tap into the holiday spirit
The idea of Thanksgiving is traditionally built around a few classic elements: family, good food, football, parades, and naps.
So when it comes to Thanksgiving theme ideas, these elements can give you the building blocks for creating your marketing content.
Take this YouTube Thanksgiving advertising from building company Schell Brothers:
Even though it’s a short video, it taps into every element of what people tend to associate with Thanksgiving:
Reuniting families –
Good food –
A crackling fire –
Snapping the wishbone –
Knitted sweaters –
Slightly awkward conversation –
4. Cater to the late-ers
The holidays are a hectic period for everyone.
You’re dashing around the shops, desperately trying to come up with Thanksgiving activity ideas, making sure Grandma is picked up at the airport (she had to hitch-hike last time and hasn’t let it drop since), making sure your nephew who definitely knows how to cook understands all of your Thanksgiving safety tips, grabbing the dusty spare dinner chairs from the basement — there’s a lot to do.
So it’s pretty easy to forget a thing or two.
If you’re running a business that caters to the holiday and is either open on Thanksgiving or late the day before, throw out a reminder!
This example from Walmart is perfect — it’s a super-simple post that hits all the right notes. You’ve got the gorgeous-looking turkey dinner with sumptuous sides — and a short but effective message saying they’ll be there when you’re in need.
5. Food, food, food
If it feels like we’ve mentioned food in every point so far — then you’re right. But it’s for a very good reason:
Food is a huge part of Thanksgiving.
It’s gotten to the point where if a Thanksgiving social media campaign doesn’t mention food, it seems a little…off.
And when you can’t beat them, join them.
If you’re running a business that has anything to do with food, then this is an obvious opportunity. But even if you’re not, the way to people’s hearts is often through their stomachs. Whether it’s through promoting healthy Thanksgiving ideas, or reminding people that this is the time of year to treat themselves.
I think it would be fair to say that Hot Wheels has little to nothing to do with food. But that doesn’t stop them with this excellent company Thanksgiving post.
Cool whip as the smoke coming from the spinning wheels?! Absolutely inspired.
Here’s something to be thankful for
Hopefully these five alternative Thanksgiving ideas can help give you the creative boost you need to get your holiday posts started.
But we get it — holiday posts can be tricky.
You want to be able to promote your business and your services without crassly jumping on the holiday bandwagon or using the same Thanksgiving post ideas as the thousands of other businesses.
One of the best ways to differentiate yourself in your Thanksgiving engagement posts is through original, eye-catching designs and images.
Luckily for you, VistaCreate has got your back on this one. With everything from our range of Thanksgiving templates and images to our Thanksgiving card ideas and themed Thanksgiving Facebook cover photos, you’re bound to get some Thanksgiving art ideas to help you along the way.
That’s just one more thing to be thankful for.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, check out ideas for Labor day campaigns with plenty of insights on how to revamp your socials with creative Labor Day social media posts.
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