Now that Halloween is behind us, watch out for fruitcake and Jingle Bell Rock. The holidays start earlier each year, which is unfortunate for those of us still mourning summer. But, in terms of content marketing, it's a great reminder to stay seasonal, relevant and creative. This doesn't mean jumping on the consumer bandwagon, in fact it may mean helping people do just the opposite. Read on for eight tips on how to ready your content for the holiday season.

1. Wrap up a gift. Put something in a box with a ribbon on top and it becomes a gift. Think of ways you can package your content so that it becomes a gift or a special offer. Can you put together a resource guide or other evergreen content that will be useful and relevant to a large audience?

2. Do something charitable: In this 2008 pre-holiday post, Chris Brogan requests that instead of sending holiday cards, readers contribute to particular causes. Does your organization support a fundraising or community cause? Rally readers by getting them involved in your project.

3. Cook something delicious: Put your subject area in a blender with holiday themes and see how it turns out. Perhaps you can create a funny guide to the year's best books and/or gifts related to your subject area. Check out this post on What to Buy a Marketing Person for Christmas.

4. Write a letter to Santa: Kids get to write wish lists to Santa, so why not us professionals? A funny, creative format for a blog post at this time of year is a wish list based on your subject area or field of expertise.

5. Holiday newsletter: Lots of people send out personal newsletters to family and friends, giving the highlights of the year. What about concocting a funny or informative holiday newsletter about your industry or company? Other variations: "The year in review" and "Best Xs of 2009".

6. Surprise people: Part of the pleasure of giving is surprising people, so do something out of context, something that rallies against stereotypes or something that taps into people's inner child. A great read on this is Andy Nulman's book Pow! Right Between the Eyes, which focuses on the power of "surprise marketing."

7. Look to the trends in the year ahead. Many media outlets end the year with a "What's hot, what's not" list, looking at what trends have gone in and out over the year. Go out on a limb and forecast trends in your subject area for the coming year. Here's a Harvard Business publishing post about Social Media Trends for 2010.

8. Help people stop binging. Christmas is a time of excess: more spending, more eating and higher expectations. Is there any way you can help people get back to basics and keep it simple? Get Rich Slowly blogger J.D. Roth is already on it, with his post The Regrets of Christmas Past and last year's Do-It-Yourself Christmas: 34 Great Gifts You Can Make Yourself, which received 57 comments.

Happy Holidays!

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