What does Thanksgiving mean to you? Family, gratitude, abundance, and rest define this precursor to the Christmas season. How can you connect with your audience in a meaningful way during this significant holiday?

  1. Welcome your audience into your family

Hopefully you have been creating a sense of belonging and family in your company or nonprofit online all year long. Brand loyalty relies on making people part of your corporate family. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to remind your audience about your core values – share the importance of family, home, and relationships to give people a reason to truly connect with your organization on a personal level. Show that you care about them and their loved ones.

Highlight your staff, employees, or your own family in behind-the-scenes photos. Share family traditions and family photos and videos. As Social Report states: Make it family focused. “Remember: Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and spending time with family. As cliché as it sounds, make sure to wish your followers a happy holiday with family and friends before promoting sales. Something as simple as a “happy Thanksgiving” post goes a long way.”

  1. Share why you’re thankful in a personal way

Use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to show how thankful you are… to your fans, your customers, your vendors, and your own family. Run a giveaway or coupon code for tangible ways to say thanks. Feature staff stories:“Have an inspiring employee? Feature his or her story this Thanksgiving season. Have the employee share a story that tells why they’re thankful for a family member, friend, or other important person in their lives. You can showcase their story in a video, or share a photo of the employee with the story in a caption. Make the campaign interactive and inspire your audience to submit their own stories using a hashtag. Then, re-share their stories with your audience.”

  1. Rethink Black Friday

As Social Report states:“There’s a growing movement away from Black Friday. Take REI for example: they close for Thanksgiving and Black Friday each year, and encourage their customers to spend the day outside with their #optoutside campaign.

Consider doing the same with your brand. Give your employees Black Friday off, and encourage your audience to spend the day reconnecting with family and friends. Depending on your brand, this may increase Cyber Monday sales instead.”