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In this episode, we delved into the significance of acknowledging cultural holidays on social media. It’s really important to understand the why behind incorporating these holidays into your content. As the episode emphasized, “If the reason is everybody else is doing it, This is not the holiday for you.”
It’s crucial to authentically connect with the heart of the holiday rather than just going through the motions.
One key takeaway from this episode is the importance of doing thorough research when including cultural holidays in your social media content. Remember, don’t just rely on search engines or automated responses. Seek insights and information from individuals within the community. The further you are from the holiday, the more research you need to do to truly grasp its significance. As the host emphasized, “You don’t have to comment and talk about all the holidays or any holidays. If it’s not relevant to you, it’s okay to skip it.”
It’s also essential to recognize that sometimes, nuanced understanding may require seeking outside support. If you are unsure about the cultural significance of a holiday, consider reaching out to someone from the community for guidance. And remember, if you value their expertise, be sure to compensate them for their knowledge.
So, here’s a quote to ponder upon: “As you engage with holidays that are important for you to share, to recognize, to acknowledge, do it in a way that isn’t the safe copy and paste, but a way that you can authentically, really get in there and look at how that holiday engages and interacts with your brand such that the content you create is powerful.”
Now, it’s action time! Here are a few simple steps to ensure you engage with cultural holidays on social media with mindfulness and authenticity:
- Understand your “why”: Before incorporating cultural holidays into your social media content, ask yourself why it’s important for you to do so. If your answer is genuine and connected to your brand’s values, you’re on the right track.
- Do thorough research: When including cultural holidays in your social media content, seek information from individuals within the community. Don’t rely solely on online sources or generic platforms.
- Consider seeking support: If you feel that you need more insight, consider reaching out to someone from the community for guidance. And remember, if you value their expertise, be sure to compensate them for their knowledge. Lastly, don’t forget to engage with cultural holidays in a way that genuinely resonates with your brand and your audience. Your content should be powerful, unique, and authentic.
For those of you needing social media support, schedule your call at bit.ly/TalkWithTamay to get started.
Let’s continue to navigate social media together with mindfulness and purpose!
Full Transcript of the Podcast:
Tamay Shannon:
Welcome to Social Media Sanity, the podcast that brings you bite sized reminders and insights to navigate the world of social media. I’m your host, Tanae Shannon. In each short episode, we provide practical strategies, thought provoking questions, and permission to be true to yourself as a business owner. Join us on this journey to a mindful and purposeful online presence. Let’s dive in.
Tamay Shannon:
I’m really excited about today’s episode because this is something that I see a lot of people, a lot of businesses, a lot of brands stumble over, and it’s something that can really impact how people perceive your brand. And what it is is, talking about Cultural holidays. And so what’s coming up is Martin Luther King Junior Day, but this can really be applied to Any holiday, religious, not religious, whatever, it can be applied to any holiday where there’s a group of people that participate and a group of people that don’t, Everybody knows it happens. And when you don’t do the work to really have a good foundation context, Things go haywire. So that’s what we’re gonna talk about in this episode. I’m gonna give you some steps that you’re gonna follow so you can make Sure that you really show appreciation in a way that comes across as authentic and not as a copy paste from chat gbt. 1st things first, what holidays am I talking about? Well, it could be remembrances like MLK Day. It could be holidays like Eid.
Tamay Shannon:
It Could be Hanukkah, Juneteenth, anything like that where there are people who this is really important to them And as a society, we know that they exist. And so we wanna make sure we feel people, you know, people feel included and welcome. And when you do it wrong, it goes wrong. So those are the type of holidays that we’re talking about in this particular episode. When you’re considering including these holidays into your social media content, the first thing I want you to think about to consider is why. Why do you need to include this? Why do you want to include this? And if the reason is everybody else is doing it, This is not the holiday for you. Go ahead and take a step back because when you’re engaging and dealing with these particular holidays, it’s really important pie That you tap into the heart of them. That if you’re just copying copying, if you’re just parroting what everybody else is doing, It comes off, as as as not true, as not authentic, as Just phoning it in.
Tamay Shannon:
And that’s not something you ever wanna really share about your brand. It’s something that you just phone in. Another reason to Really consider the why is because if this is important to your audience but you haven’t really done the work Other times to share why it’s important, it could come off as pandering. It could come off as just doing it for a buck And you certainly don’t also wanna give that idea. So after you have your why, then you wanna start doing research. And there’s several ways to do research. However, how you don’t do research for this is you don’t chat gbt Because you have to then verify what Chat GPT gave you is true. So don’t chat chat GPT your research.
Tamay Shannon:
The other thing is don’t just look at the 1st results on the 1st page of Google. What’s really important about doing research pie For these type of holidays is that you get this information from people inside the community. So don’t Go to quote unquote authority figures who are outside the community talking about the community because there are nuances that they probably don’t get. And just as a rule of thumb, the further you the further away you are From this particular holiday, the more research you have to do to really get the context of it. So this includes misquoting people and not only misquoting them or taking their quote out of context using their quote for something That was never meant to be used for or using a greeting for something or using, cultural symbols for something that was never meant to be used for, but for you, you think it makes sense. So the further away you are from this holiday, the more research you have to do And the more research you have to get from people who are in the community. That’s the most important thing is going to people in the community. Now I’m not suggesting that 1 person speaks for everyone because, look, we know that’s not the case.
Tamay Shannon:
But what I’m really suggesting is that when you’re asking and you wanna get cultural context, you actually get it from the people. And here’s a little side note. If you find in your research you don’t have enough background to really create content that supports, authentically what this holiday is about and you wanna get a consultant or you wanna ask somebody, hey. I’ve got a couple of questions. Make sure you come correct and make sure you pay them. If you if you value their knowledge, if you value their The And if you trust that they have good knowledge to give, trust that you should also pay them for that knowledge and that expertise. And finally, what I really want to remind you is you don’t have to comment and talk about All the holidays or any holidays. And so don’t feel the need to have an opinion, to make a post, to do anything about it.
Tamay Shannon:
If it’s not Relevant to you is not relevant to your audience. It’s not something that adds something to who you are, who your brand is. You can skip it. That’s Okay. And then, another thing is, sometimes, nuance requires outside support. So don’t feel like, if you can’t really get the cultural ramifications of a holiday or something, You don’t don’t feel like reaching out to somebody who’s in the community is cop and gaffer. Like I said early, make sure you pay them. And then finally, It might take more work to create this type of content because you have to do more research.
Tamay Shannon:
Just know that just know that If you get to the day of and you wanna whip something out real quick but you haven’t done the research, it’s not going to land as well as your other content. I wanted to give you this guidepost because oftentimes, on, for example, MLK Day, His quotes are taken out of context. And it reflects poorly on the business. It reflects poorly on the person. And so What this leads to is a disconnect. And so, I wanted to give you this guidepost. So as you engage with holidays That you might not be culturally a part of but that are important for you to share, to recognize, to acknowledge. I wanna give you a guidepost so that you can engage with it with confidence, supporting your audience, supporting your business, And doing it in a way that isn’t, the safe copy and paste, that isn’t the safe way to do it, but a way that you can Authentically, really get in there and look at how that person, how that message, how that holiday engages and interacts with your brand such that The content you create is powerful.
Tamay Shannon:
It’s unique, and it’s not something that people can copy, And it’s something that people could connect with you over.
Tamay Shannon:
And that wraps up social media sanity. Apply the insights and strategies to build a mindful online presence. If you enjoyed this episode, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps me reach more listeners like you. Stay tuned for more episodes as we navigate social media together. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Take care, and do you.