Webinar Replay: Award-Winning Winter Content Ideas for Government

TRANSCRIPT

Sarah Loyd: Welcome to today’s webinar, Winter Content Ideas for Government.

We are pleased to share ideas we’ve curated from government communicators across the country and hope that you’ll find some new additions to your social media schedule.

We’ll share a ton of ideas today, so feel free to grab screenshots, but be sure to stick around to the end of today’s webinar to learn how you can download our free year round holiday ideas for social media ebook. This resource will include everything we’re going to go over today, plus even more ideas for content throughout the entire year.

So be sure to stick around so you can download that at the end of today’s webinar. And before we get started, just a little bit about us. Social News Desk is the only social media management software that’s Purpose built for important business. We were founded in 2010 and since then we’ve proudly supported America’s largest news companies, cities, government agencies, universities, and businesses who require powerful, always on social media tools.

And a little bit about me. I’m Sarah Lloyd, the head of product success and evangelism here at Social News Desk. I’ve been with the team for 10 years now. And prior to joining SND, I managed social media and worked in several newsrooms. And I was actually a Social News Desk customer before I joined the team.

So feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. The address is right there on the screen. And I’m going to go ahead and turn off my camera so you guys can see all of the great ideas we have. Winter, of course, can be a slow time of year for social media, but there are plenty of opportunities to connect with your audience and remind them how your agency or organization continues to serve them throughout the year.

So let’s jump into a few ideas that you can use all throughout the winter months. As folks get out to visit their friends and family during festive holiday get togethers, there may be more people on the road. Sharing ideas for caring for cars during the cold winter months can help your audience get more life out of their automobiles.

Driving safety tips are always a good reminder for folks who will be hitting the highways during those busy traffic days. As the weather changes, potholes may be growing on surface streets and reminding folks how they can report potholes to your municipality is always welcome information. You can also help your audience stay safer on the roads by sharing how they can put together a cold weather emergency kit to keep in the car so Just in case of trouble on the roads, we love this post from the Texas Department of Transportation with the holiday checklist reminding drivers not to text and drive with more folks staying inside during the winter months.

Fire safety is also a big concern. Many fire departments put together videos to remind residents about ways to safely enjoy their holiday decorations like Christmas trees and outdoor lights. This is also a good time of year to share tips on preventing and safely extinguishing kitchen fires. Residents trying to keep warm with space heaters, candles, and fireplaces can also benefit from tips to safely stay cozy in their homes, like this post from Springfield, Missouri’s City utilities.

Tips for winter proofing windows and doors can help your residents save money and energy. Other energy saving tips like turning down the thermostat and putting on an extra layer can also be helpful at the risk of sounding a little like my dad every winter. And reminders to wrap pipes and keep cabinet doors open during a freeze can save your residents a huge amount of headache when those temperatures drop.

This post from Old Dominion Electric Cooperative reminds fans to Switch to LED lights for holiday decorating to save money and energy. Keep your residents ahead of the weather by sharing winter storm alerts before they hit. Reminders to keep plants, pets, pipes, and people warm and protected from freezing temperatures can’t be repeated too frequently.

I see a lot of agencies share if you’re cold, they’re cold posts, which can sometimes be really funny when they feature park rangers or other outdoor workers, but they are a great reminder to bring those pets indoors during extreme temperatures. Finally, share information about warming centers in advance in case residents lose power during winter storms, so they can find a warm, safe place if necessary.

This post from the City of Round Rock, Texas shares information about an upcoming winter storm and reminds their audience to take action around their homes to stay safe during extreme weather. Winter can also bring changes in how residents interact with local utilities. Share tips on recycling or properly disposing of the unusual items that sometimes come with holiday gift giving as well as holiday decorations like this great post from the city of Baldwin, Missouri.

Residents may need reminders about where to park their cars during snow removal activities or local ordinances about keeping sidewalks clear and passable. You may also want to share information about utility assistance for neighbors who may be in need of help this time of year. Here’s a great example of a campaign from Watertown, Massachusetts, where they challenged residents to participate in their annual Watertown Fire Hydrant Snow Clearing Contest.

The communications team shared instructions on properly clearing fire hydrants and then invited neighbors to send in their photos for a chance to win a prize. The team got 25 entries, many of which they shared on their Facebook page for additional engagement. It was also a great help to the local fire department.

At the end of the contest, the city thanked residents and recognized their winners. What a win win for Watertown. Public health is also a good topic to bring up in the winter. You can help your audience find ways to stay active during the chilly weather. Share tips on how to prevent communicable diseases and give your residents mental health tips for challenging winter months, including posts like this from the Arizona Department of Health Services, reminding residents to check on neighbors and loved ones who may need extra support.

The winter holiday season often gets people in a service minded mood, so share opportunities for your residents to help out by volunteering or participating in clothing, food or blood drives. This post from the City of San Diego invites residents to volunteer during their local Kate Sessions Day tree planting event.

Certain types of scams can increase in the winter as well, so share information to help your audience avoid falling victim to things like holiday specific scams and utility disconnection scams like this post from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Now, while November is technically still fall for many folks, it’s when the weather starts to cool down, not so much here in Texas, but this is when the holiday season really truly begins.

There are many monthly observances that government agencies may want to recognize throughout the month, including Child Safety and Protection Month, November, and National Gratitude Month. Additional observances include National Veterans and Military Families Month, Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, and National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week.

And remember, we’ll have information to download our year round holiday ideas for social media ebook at the end of today’s webinar. So if you miss any of these ideas, be sure to grab that resource. November is National Family Literacy Month, which is a great opportunity to promote resources for families at public libraries in your area.

This post from Universal Cities Public Library encourages families to download a digital resource for ebooks, and audiobooks to share with the entire family. You can also share tips for encouraging families to read more at home. November is also Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Now only about 25 percent of senior pets find homes versus about 60 percent of younger animals.

So it’s a great time to promote awareness and help find homes for those older animals in municipal shelters. You can also invite your audience to share their stories and photos of senior pets to help drive the point home. Of course, Thanksgiving is one November social media holiday you can’t miss, and it presents its own set of social media ideas.

And here’s a few to get you started. You can share a simple post thanking your audience and residents. You can, of course, remind residents how to take care of food scraps during Thanksgiving, like this post from the town of Castle Rock government. Of course, we don’t want any grease monsters showing up after dinner.

Share a post showing how thankful you are for your employees. And if you’re holding a Thanksgiving event for your employees, make sure to share those pictures on social media. You can also post about your city’s updated hours of operation and utility schedules if you are closed for Thanksgiving. Of course, small business Saturday presents a huge opportunity for local businesses to capitalize on the holiday shopping season, and you can take advantage of this November holiday by reminding your followers to shop local and inviting them to share their favorite small businesses.

You can also bring attention to local shopping districts in your town, like the City of Boise did in this post featuring a local bookstore as the site of their Small Business Saturday proclamation. Cyber Monday can also present opportunities for social media content. Share cyber security tips to help residents shop safely online, ensuring they protect their personal information during Cyber Monday shopping.

We also love this post from the Caldwell Police Department featuring seven ways to stop package theft. You might also promote online public services such as bill payments, permit applications, or library e resources. Use Cyber Monday as a way to encourage residents to explore and use those digital services.

You can also encourage residents to shop from local businesses by promoting Cyber Monday deals offered by small businesses in your community. December is when the chilly winter months truly get started, and with it comes plenty of opportunities to engage with your local audience. Here are a few monthly observances you may want to take advantage of by crafting content around things like Operation Santa Paws, which encourages gifting to animal shelters.

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month and Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Month. December also marks observances for National Cat Lovers Month, National Handwashing Awareness Week, and Thank a Soldier Week. Now should your government page celebrate holidays or not? A lot of municipalities and government organizations only post about holidays when they impact the facility’s schedule or if the facility will be closed.

Many also use language like in observance of a holiday instead of celebratory language. As one government social media manager puts it, We don’t want to cross that line between government endorsement of a religion and having someone get upset because their holiday wasn’t represented. Religious holidays are not a part of the organization’s mission, so there’s no justifiable business case to celebrate them.

Instead, we only post about holidays that directly relate to our services and organization or about facility closures on holiday dates. Not the holidays themselves. Now, that said, you can wrap up many of the general winter safety tips we talked about earlier in today’s webinar into a series, such as the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s 12 Days of Safety campaign.

Throughout December, they shared 12 tips related to winter weather, which included shopping safety, driving, mental health, and more. It’s a simple way to put everything together and encourage your audience to seek out all 12 tips. You can also still get a little festive by sharing winter decorations from around your city, virtual holiday cards, cause driven campaigns that all residents can participate in, as well as reminding your followers about facility closures and other winter holiday events around town.

This post from the City of Las Cruces invites residents out for their annual tree lighting celebration and showcases the sights and sounds from the year before. December 1st is National Christmas Lights Day and many folks of all walks of life enjoy seeing holiday displays featuring thousands of lights.

Show off your city’s holiday decor and invite local residents to share photos of their own displays. The City of Shawnee, Kansas invited residents to enter their Shawnee Rocks the Lights competition for a chance to win a prize pack and a resident family pool pass for the summer. This is also a good opportunity to share tips about installing and using holiday lights safely inside and out.

December 4th is the observance for World Wildlife Conservation Day. You can highlight local wildlife as well as efforts to protect it. This post from Gateway National Park features a piping plover that’s protected in the park. That’s a lot of peas. If you’re not a wildlife organization, consider pairing up with your local university, conservation groups, or state and national parks to share more information.

You can also share conservation tips that residents and their families can do at home. Educate and engage families by sharing “fun facts” and “did you know” content about the local wildlife unique to your area. December 14th is National Ugly Sweater Day, which can be social media gold. You can hold an ugly sweater contest in your offices and share the winners on social media.

Even design a virtual ugly sweater about your municipality, sharing what makes your local area unique, or just showcase the ugly sweaters around your offices. Like this great post from the city of Sweetwater government. The winter solstice is December 21st, which is the shortest day of the year to showcase fun winter activities in your area.

Use the opportunity to promote winter wellness. and safety tips and even educate the community about local cultural traditions around the winter solstice. This post from the City of Farmington Hills, Michigan Municipal Government reminds residents that brighter days are ahead and encourages them to take a stroll through the holiday lights at City Hall.

January brings a new year and with it lots of opportunities to talk about new beginnings and what’s coming up in the year ahead. Monthly observances include Family Fit Lifestyle Month, Get Organized Month and National Hobby Month. A few other fun ideas for January include National Skating Month, National Train Your Dog Month, and National Book Blitz Month.

January is really a popular month. More observances include National Staying Healthy Month, National Mentoring Month, and National Blood Donor Month. And don’t forget, all of these observances are in our year round holiday ideas for social media ebook that we’ll have a QR code for at the end of today’s webinar.

You might consider sharing a review of the year that just came to a close, highlighting some of the great things your municipality or agency accomplished. You can use several formats for this, including videos, carousels, or even spreading this out over multiple posts. This video from the City of College Station showcases several major projects and events from the last year.

With the new year often comes New Year’s resolutions. Share how your local facilities can help residents keep those resolutions, such as enjoying parks, gyms, and even nutrition classes like this post from the McDonough County Health Department. Many folks like to put together a mood board to set intentions for the upcoming year, so consider putting together a local mood board of opportunities and local points of interest.

You can also share service opportunities for people to get out into the community and help them reach resolutions for increasing service and volunteerism. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is often recognized as an opportunity for public service. You can share service opportunities happening around the holiday and of course remind residents of closures and changes in municipal service schedules.

This post from the Mayor of Columbia, Missouri shares a quote and encourages residents to celebrate the day as a day of service for making communities more equitable. January is also National Skating Month. Many cities offer facilities for ice skating, roller skating, and skateboarding, and this is a great opportunity to show them off.

The City of St. Joseph, Missouri government shared a skating clinic to help participants learn the basics of ice skating. Meanwhile, the City of Fort Collins Parks and Recreation Department reminds residents that they shouldn’t hit the ice on city lakes and ponds unless there’s a sign explicitly saying that it’s safe.

As I mentioned, January is National Blood Donor Month, and it’s a great opportunity to partner with your local blood bank or hospital to host a blood drive, as well as educate your audience on the importance of blood donation. You can also promote other local blood drives to give folks opportunities to participate.

February often encourages us to share the love with our residents and wraps up some of the cooler months of the year before spring gets underway. Monthly observances in February include Black History Month, Teen Dating Violence Month, and Dog Training Education Month. Other observances include National Cat Health Month, National Library Lovers Month, and National Bird Feeding Month.

Black History Month is an opportunity to showcase local figures who are important to your area, both those who have contributed to your area’s history and the people who continue to shape the future. Amplify stories and voices from the Black community and highlight local Black owned businesses throughout the month.

This post from the City of Banning recognizes a local City Council member who shares some of her family’s four generation history in the area. National Heart Health Month can give you a lot of content ideas, including sharing heart healthy tips and quizzes from your local health department, holding a quit smoking challenge among employees and of course sharing the personal stories of people who have been impacted by cardiovascular diseases.

Carson Tahoe Health kicks off their celebration of National Heart Health Month on Wear Red Day, which is the first Friday of February. February is also Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, and we do love this post from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, which has a great visual punch sharing what love is and is not.

The caption also encourages families to address healthy dating behaviors with teens and shares details on resources for teens who may be experiencing partner abuse. Valentine’s Day is of course one of the biggest holidays in February, and many municipalities and government organizations get creative around the big day.

You can create virtual, municipal, or government themed Valentines for your followers to share with friends or family, like these from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. This is also a great time to share ideas for free date nights at points of interest in your city. And of course, you can share the love and show appreciation to your social media audience.

February is also Spay Neuter Awareness Month. The city of Mansfield, Texas took a page from longtime Price is Right host Bob Barker to remind residents to quote, have your pets spayed or neutered. They also advertised their spay neuter assistance program for qualified residents to help control the unwanted pet population.

So how do you wrangle all of these holidays and add them to your social media plan? You can use a tool like Social News Desk Calendar Tool, which gives you an easy way to plan and execute your social media strategy. Easily add notes to your calendar for upcoming holidays, office closures, and weekly and monthly observances.

Plus, you can schedule your content in advance and see the whole picture of your social media game plan in one place. Get ahead of planning for the rest of 2025 with our year round holiday ideas for social media ebook. This free downloadable resource features many more ideas for social media observances throughout the entire year, plus prompts to help you craft content that’s unique to your municipality or government agency.

Scan the QR code on the screen to get this great resource. And if you want to learn more about Social News Desk, head to socialnewsdesk.com/demo to get a free trial started today. Or you can email us at info at socialnewsdesk. com and we’ll have someone from our friendly team reach out to you.

I’ll leave this QR code up for a little longer if you would like to register for that free ebook. But otherwise, thank you again for attending today’s webinar. We hope to see you next time.