I apologize; I realize that summer still sits fondly in the memory, and you most likely think it’s a little early to mention the festive season. But while it might not yet be time to knock back the mulled wine and over-indulge on luxury mince pies, it’s not too early to think about planning your Christmas social media campaign. For most businesses, Christmas is the busiest and most profitable time of year, so it’s no surprise that many retailers and brands invest heavily in games, competitions, and apps for their various social media platforms.

With that in mind, here’s a list (yes, we’ve checked it twice) of our top five tips to help you plan ahead for the perfect festive campaign:

Start Early

Like your Christmas shopping, your social media campaign doesn’t have to be last minute. Customers are inundated with seasonal campaigns, so be sure to establish your relationship with your customers early. It’s no good creating your social media presence in November and then being surprised when results are unexpected – your messages will likely be lost in the noise. You must also have clearly defined aims and objectives and pick your platform. Are sales your most important metric, or are you more interested in customer engagement and brand affinity? Do you have the resources to do Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest campaigns, or are you better off focusing on one channel and doing it well? Be realistic about your resources and what you want to achieve before you start planning.

Define your Christmas Brand

By any metrics, ‘Elf Yourself’ was a hugely successful campaign for OfficeMax and has since become a Christmas tradition, used year in, year out, often with the same users returning. The campaign, which allows users to put their faces on elves to perform a hilarious dance routine, achieves success through some key but simple factors: bringing the audience into the video, making the campaign personal, adding high viral potential, and modernizing the classic tradition of card giving. So, fear not; if your products are considered somewhat ‘dry’ (OfficeMax is an office supply company), you can still create a powerful Christmas brand with longevity. You just need to think outside of your product range, perhaps. In 2012, a mobile app for Elf Yourself was introduced, taking the campaign to a new level of accessibility and enabling more years of success.

Tis the Season to be Generous

Christmas is the season of goodwill to all men, making it the perfect time to offer discounts, promotions, and vouchers to your customers, spreading the word through your social pages. But remember, Christmas isn’t just about the money, money, money; it’s also the perfect time to thank your customers for their loyalty throughout the year. You could also commit to giving money to charity for every share or RT of your Christmas posts, perhaps. Marks and Spencer’s ‘Pass the parcel’ Facebook app, allowing users to send parcels to their friends in the hope of unwrapping one of 3000 M&S prizes, generated over 1million shares, and £1million in donations to charity.

Help your customers feel less stress

Christmas is not always a joyful time for your customers. The list goes on: relatives, children, cooking, buying presents, wrapping presents. With so many things to keep track of, it’s not surprising people get stressed. Think beyond offers and discounts and give your customers useful tools and apps to help make the festive period a little more serene. Maybe your social media campaign is a handy countdown to Christmas with daily ‘to-do’ items. Use Pinterest to share inspiration for table dressings and gift ideas – or why not run a ‘pin-to-win’ competition, asking your customers to share their favorite Christmas images? The prize could be anything from a fully decorated tree to Christmas dinner, delivered with all the trimmings.

A Social Media Campaign is for Life, Not Just for Christmas

The Christmas season allows you to be creative with your social marketing and capitalize on the joy and spirit of Christmas. However, it also allows you to obtain new customers and show your current customers that you appreciate them. So remember, your social media campaign at Christmas should have your customers at the heart of it, just like they should be for your year-round strategy. Because it’s the small customer service details that might just keep them coming back all year long.