This blog is brought to you by Conley Sweeney, Senior Account Director at Girlilla Marketing.

Fair warning: this blog is about holiday planning. I know... it's July. Other than Hobby Lobby, who is thinking about the holidays right now?

But if you're still reading, you're already ahead of the game.

Whether you're promoting new music, launching holiday merch, planning a seasonal content series, or simply trying to avoid the end-of-year scramble, now is the perfect time to start thinking ahead. A little planning in July can save you a lot of stress later and help your holiday campaigns perform even better.

The artists, brands, and organizations that seem to have seamless holiday campaigns in November and December usually started planning them months earlier.

Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Solidify Your Goals‍

Before you jump into content calendars or ad campaigns, ask yourself: What do I actually want to accomplish this holiday season?
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Are you trying to:

• Drive streaming during year-end downtime
• Maximize merchandise sales
• Grow Email & SMS Lists

Don't underestimate the value of capturing email addresses and phone numbers from your audience. Social platforms change constantly, but your email and SMS lists belong to you. As you're planning holiday campaigns, think about opportunities to collect that information in a way that provides value to your fans and benefits your marketing efforts long after the holidays are over.

Once you've identified your priorities, it's much easier to build content that supports those goals instead of posting just because the calendar says it's a holiday.

2. Get A Plan in Place

No, your plan doesn't have to be fully built out with approved creative, social copy, and scheduled posts (although that would be the dream). Start with the basics.

Map out the major dates that come around every year:

• Halloween
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
• Black Friday
• Small Business Saturday
• Cyber Monday
• Giving Tuesday
• Christmas
• New Year's
• Valentine’s Day
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Take that list and decide how your brand fits each date and where it makes sense to participate.

If you have an online store, now is the time to start thinking through your holiday sales strategy instead of trying to throw one together the week before Black Friday.

3. Get Creative to Engage Your Audience

There are plenty of holiday content ideas out there, but one thing to be intentional about is how you stand out from the sea of people creating similar content.

What will make your audience stop scrolling, engage with your content, stream your music, or purchase a merch item?

Think of yourself as the user. What would catch your attention while scrolling through your feed?

I can’t help myself so here are a few example ideas:

• Create Valentine's Day card graphics that align with your brand and are easily shareable.
• Ask your followers to help you choose a Halloween costume by voting on the ideas you're considering.
• Start a holiday series where you make a holiday dish and offer the recipe as a free download in exchange for joining your email list.

All three of these provide opportunities to engage with your audience while putting your own spin on holiday content.

It's also worth considering how a holiday content series can benefit you beyond the season itself. Creating a recurring series encourages consistency across your social platforms, gives your audience a reason to keep coming back, and helps build viewership over time. Consistent, engaging content can also contribute toward the audience and watch-time thresholds needed to unlock monetization opportunities on platforms like Meta, YouTube, and TikTok.

4. Stay Strategic (and Sensitive)‍

Not every day is the right day to promote something. The holiday season moves quickly, and so does the news cycle, so be prepared to adjust your content if something bigger is happening in the world. Sometimes the best marketing decision is knowing when not to post.

You also don't have to post for every single holiday just because it exists. Posts should never feel forced. If it doesn't feel natural for you, it won't feel natural for your fans either.

For example, Veterans Day is intended to honor those who have served our country. Be thoughtful about how your content, promotions, or messaging align with the meaning behind the holiday.

Keep in mind ways you can give back as well. Whether it's through a Giving Tuesday campaign or ongoing support throughout the holiday season, consider highlighting an organization or cause that is meaningful to you and your audience.

If you're a nonprofit, take advantage of the fundraising tools available on social media platforms. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all offer features that make it easy to collect donations directly through the platform, helping reduce friction for supporters who want to contribute. The easier you make it for your audience to give, the more likely they are to take action.

5. Plan Your Ad Budget Early

If paid social advertising is part of your holiday strategy (and let's be honest, it should be), don't wait until November to think about your budget.

The digital advertising space gets incredibly competitive during the holidays, which usually means higher advertising costs. Planning your budget now helps you set realistic expectations and ensures you're ready when it's time to launch your campaigns.

If you have a larger budget, consider researching ad agencies that can help ensure your ads are optimized for your goals and target audiences. While platforms have made self-serve advertising easier than ever, agencies often have access to resources and rates that may not be available to individual advertisers.

6. Start Banking Content Now

When the holidays actually arrive, everything speeds up. Schedules fill up, approvals take longer, and somehow there are never enough hours in the day.

If you have the time now, start creating content early. Film videos, capture holiday photos, design graphics, and build out assets while things are a little less chaotic.

What type of things can you realistically start banking?

• Start collecting content from throughout the year now so it's easier to put together an end-of-year recap reel highlighting your favorite moments of 2026.
• Revisit content from the past. Sort through old photos and videos or reminisce on your favorite holiday memories with your fans online. Everyone has a memory to share!
• Once you have a store sale plan in place, you can easily start designing graphics. Starting this early, will also allow you the time to get product photos or lifestyle content to promote your store, which typically performs better than a graphic. 

Future you will be incredibly thankful when December rolls around.

Need Help?‍

It may feel way too early to be talking about the holidays, but the best holiday campaigns rarely come together at the last minute.

Starting now doesn't mean you have to post holiday content tomorrow. It simply means you're giving yourself the time to be more thoughtful, more strategic, and a whole lot less stressed when the busiest season of the year arrives.

‘Who ya gonna call’ to be even less stressed? Give us a shout at hello@girlillamarketing.com and we'll help you out. 

Happy Holidays!
Conley

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