The weather may be a bit cold and dreary, but many businesses are heating up in the winter. And even if your business shines brightest in the sunny summertime, a successful always-on marketing strategy means keeping people engaged throughout the year.
With all that in mind, you need a constant flow of content ideas to keep your feeds, newsletters, and blogs fresh and interesting. And we’ve got ‘em!
Here you’ll find over 100 clever, creative content topics and ideas to use throughout winter. Plus, you’ll see several examples from brands that know how to stay top of mind with their customers for the long haul.
Contents
End-of-year content ideas
The end of the year means different things to different people and businesses. For some, it’s time to slow down and reflect. For others, it’s a mad dash to the gift-shopping or fiscal-year finish line. These content ideas are varied enough to reach everyone.
New Year’s Eve
If all you do is help people plan and enjoy the best New Year’s Eve party ever, you’ll have enough content ideas to fill every marketing channel.
This brand created an aesthetically pleasing New Year’s Eve Instagram carousel. It’s a guide for curating the perfect bar for the big night.
You can easily replicate this idea for decorations, food, party games, and so on.
Here’s a handful of additional New Year’s Eve content ideas:
- Post a quick YouTube Short of hairstyles and outfits befitting the holiday.
- Write a blog post with tips on how to have a great time without over-imbibing in alcohol.
- Share a list of NYE traditions from around the world (in Denmark, they smash plates!).
- Compile a collection of NYE events around your town.
- Create a list of pet safety tips for when the inevitable NYE fireworks start popping.
- Send a heartfelt Happy New Year wish to your customers and followers.
Want an entire year’s worth of marketing ideas for social media, promotions, and more? It’s all here in The Only Marketing Calendar You Need.
Wrapping up the year
For a more reflective vibe, share some sort of “year in review” about your business. Add in a big thank you to your customers while you’re at it.
Here’s how a local non-profit did it in their December email.
Try to be as specific as you can. Call out milestones, advancements, and awards.
Then, follow up with a few of these ideas:
- Highlight new employees hired over the year.
- Include some customer success stories in your holiday newsletter.
- Post images of how something has changed over the year (like an office redesign).
- Share a state of [industry, business, etc.] report that recaps the biggest trends in your market.
Best of the year
This is a really fun end-of-year content idea that always gets lots of engagement. Pick an item and create a numbered list of the best versions of it from the past year.
You can even do this with things you’ve created. This podcast shared the best episodes of the year in its recap.
Now, go crazy with the themes here. Start with a few of these and let your imagination run wild:
- Share a ranked list of the best travel destinations for the past year (make it a theme that matches what you sell, like “best destinations for yoga”).
- Rank the best new products in your industry.
- Create a Spotify playlist of the “best” songs of the year.
- Post a poll where your followers vote on the best (new restaurant, cutest dog picture, etc.).
More end-of-year content ideas
Once you get started, the ideas will flow like nicely chilled champagne. Here are several more content ideas to use in your end-of-year marketing content.
- List your favorite books or movies from the past year.
- Share your goals or ask people to share theirs for the upcoming year.
- Write a blog post with ideas for a safe and fun family New Year’s Eve.
- Give predictions or list trends for things like fashion or pop culture.
- Create a monthly calendar with events your specific audience will need to remember.
- Make a fun infographic of data points important to your industry (e.g., the number of rescue dogs saved from a vet hospital).
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Winter content ideas
Winter offers both a lot of magic and a little menace. Snowy streets and warmly lit homes fill us with joy. Frozen water pipes and icy roads, however, leave a different impression.
Help your followers make the most of the magic and minimize the menace this winter with these content ideas.
Winter fun
Forts, angels, and snowball fights are just the beginning of fun awaiting us this winter. Put together a list of the best ways to enjoy the frosty fun times. Try tailoring it to your audience, like how this post is all about winter activities with kids.
How else can you use your winter content to help people enjoy the season? Try these ideas:
- Make a big list of winter-themed events in your area, like makers’ markets, carriage rides, and such.
- Share your favorite joints for wintery foods (think: spice cake and hot chocolate food trucks).
- Offer safety tips for playing in the cold and ice.
- Write a list of ideas for indoor activities like themed movie nights, game nights, etc.
Winter home prep
The cold weather can wreak havoc on all sorts of things we use daily. Your followers will love you all year if you help them avoid any wintertime mishaps.
This plumbing company did a great job of it by sharing an easy-to-follow winter home prep checklist. They backed it up with a blog post explaining some of the tips.
Of course, our homes are just one thing to get ready for winter. Here are some more winter prep content ideas your followers will love:
- Share ideas on how to make a home a cozy wintertime retreat.
- Post some tips on navigating icy and snowy roads.
- Create a checklist for winter car maintenance.
- Partner with a local gardener for a video on protecting an outside garden in the winter.
- Work with a local expert on tips to reduce heating bills in the winter.
Winter health
Long nights, dreary days, and icy weather can also affect our mental and physical health. We have some ideas you can add to your content calendar that are all about staying healthy throughout the season.
Viome posted this handy list to its blog. It’s full of things to do and things to avoid to lead a healthier life.
You can take this idea in many different directions. Here are a few variations to consider:
- Make a mini cookbook of healthy comfort food recipes.
- Share safety tips for exercising in the cold (e.g., stretching, dressing, etc.).
- Prepare a list of tips for enjoying holiday parties without overdoing it with unhealthy food and drinks.
- Video a tutorial on winter skincare (that dry air is brutal!).
- Post some ways to create quiet moments in the mayhem, like morning meditation sessions.
- Collect and share ways to overcome the winter blahs (seasonal affective disorder).
More winter content ideas
- Post ideas for keeping kids on a consistent schedule throughout winter.
- Explain how to recycle packages, cardboard, and gift wrapping.
- Provide a reader-sourced list of books to read for mental health in winter.
- Explain the health benefits of being outdoors in winter, plus add a few safety tips.
- Ask your followers to share pictures of your product in pretty winter scenes for some user-generated content gold.
- Make a list of personal care appointments your followers can use as reminders (think dental cleanings, oil changes, HVAC check-ups, etc.).
December content ideas
December is absolutely frantic on just about every marketing channel. You’ll need to bring your “A” game to your holiday emails, your December social media posts, and all of your marketing this month.
World Wildlife Conservation Day (December 4)
Not everything has to be holiday-themed in December. Content not about presents, parties, and the North Pole will stand out in a sea of season’s greetings.
With that in mind, consider showing a little love for World Wildlife Conservation Day. Of course, it makes sense for a zoo to participate.
But any brand can share the message of conservation and protecting animals. Try posting some cute animal pics or just pointing people to where they can help the cause.
Christmas (December 25)
Anything to do with Christmas will be especially competitive. The key to success is trying a few different types of Christmas content to see which rises above the holiday din.
See how this headspace addressed the burnout many people feel when things get really busy this time of year?
That’s a great option because the message is on-brand for the business. Plus, it’s a popular and important topic.
Think about the questions your followers will have leading up to Christmas, and create content that answers them. Here are a few examples:
- Make a mini manual of Christmas gift-giving games.
- Curate the funniest holiday content you can find for your Christmas social media posts.
- Share a bunch of ideas for handmade gifts.
- Publish a gift guide for your target audience (like a gift guide for yogis if you run a yoga studio).
- Write a guide to Christmas on a budget with meal, gift, and decoration ideas.
- Post some ideas for decorating an office or professional space with images of great examples.
More December content ideas
Use these holidays and themes to fill in the gaps in your December content calendar:
- Rosa Parks Day (December 1)
- National Apple Pie Day (December 3)
- Free Shipping Day (December 14)
- National Cupcake Day (December 15)
- Ugly Christmas Sweater Day (December 16)
- Hanukkah (changes annually; December 25, 2024-January 2, 2025)
- Boxing Day (December 26)
- Bacon Day (December 30)
January content ideas
January comes in with a bang but tends to calm down for most people after the first week. Make your January content follow that flow from revelry to relevance. Since we covered New Year’s earlier, we’ll focus on some other key moments in the month.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January)
Few people have had a greater impact on more people than Martin Luther King Jr. Set aside some of your content during that week to celebrate his contributions and spread his message.
Dr. King was an amazing orator and thinker, so a popular way to commemorate the day is by sharing one of his many memorable quotes.
There are other ways to take part, just do not be salesy. Here are some more options:
- Write a blog post listing 10 lesser-known facts about Dr. King and the work he did.
- Share biographies and sources people can access to learn more in one of your January emails.
- Simply ask people to take a minute and reflect on Dr. King’s message and what it means to them.
- Sit it out (let your followers know the day before that you’ll observe a day of silence).
Get to Know Your Customers Day (third Thursday in Q1)
This is a great time to learn a little about the people who support your business—especially if it’s a slower time of year.
Try sending a short survey to your email subscribers. Ask them about favorite pastimes, travel plans, product feature preferences, or anything that will help you serve them better.
Notice the brand offers an attractive discount in exchange for taking the survey. That’ll help boost participation and build more affinity for your brand.
How else can you take part? Try these ideas:
- Run a poll on Facebook or Instagram with a simple “this or that” question.
- Pick a theme and ask people to share a story about it (funny food fails, etc.).
- Have people share pics of their pets or travels with a little blurb about them, then add what they send into upcoming emails.
More January holidays and content ideas
January is full of observances and themed days you can use to fuel the rest of your content for the month.
- National Blood Donor Month
- Trivia Day (January 4)
- Take the Stairs Day (January 8)
- Dress Up Your Pet Day (January 15)
- National Popcorn Day (January 19)
- National Cheese Lovers Day (January 20)
- National Pie Day (January 23)
- Backward Day (January 31)
February content ideas
Sometimes, February marketing feels a little like a slog. It’s the tail end of winter and many people are tired of the cold. It’s far enough away from the holidays that that magic has worn off.
But February does have Valentine’s Day. And it’s when people start to think about spring. These February content ideas tap into those themes and several other good reasons to reach out to your customers.
World Pizza Day (February 9)
World Pizza Day and National Pizza Day are both celebrated on February 9. Get a slice of the attention with a blog post full of fun facts and recipes.
Pizza is pretty popular, so just about any content you deliver will be consumed quickly. Try a few of these to get started:
- Have a cheesy joke contest in honor of Pizza Day.
- Heat up the conversation by asking which style of pizza is the best.
- Share “staff picks” for the best pizza places around.
- Post instructions for a “build your own pizza party.”
Valentine’s Day (February 14)
Valentine’s Day is a content creator’s dream. There are so many social media ideas, clever Valentine’s Day slogans, and email opportunities to explore for the holiday.
Take this one from the Steppenwolf Theater, for example. It’s a list of romantic comedies featuring actors in the theater’s ensemble.
You may not have employees with leading roles in feature films. But you can create a checklist of rom-coms for your followers to view. While you’re at it, use a few of these other Valentine’s Day content ideas to sweeten up your followers’ day:
- Plan a simple “We love our customers” message in your February social media calendar.
- Gather up a bunch of date night ideas for a blog post, or get your followers to share their favorites.
- Play into the Galentine’s theme to celebrate women’s friendship.
- Go anti-Valentine’s and show singles where the best non-holiday events are happening.
More February content ideas
There are some very important messages to share in February, like celebrating Black history. And some less serious themes, like National Flannel Day. Here are several content ideas spread throughout the month:
- Black History Month
- National Cancer Prevention Month
- Groundhog Day (February 2)
- World Cancer Day (February 4)
- NFL Super Bowl (changes annually; February 9, 2025)
- National Flannel Day (February 10)
- NBA All-Star Game (changes annually; February 16, 2025)
- National Play Tennis Day (February 23)
Keep your marketing momentum with these winter content ideas
Whether your business peaks in December or grows faster come spring, you’ll benefit by staying in front of your customers throughout the winter. When it’s time to buy what you sell, your audience will turn to you as a familiar, trusted source.
This list of winter content ideas will help you do that. Use a mix of mediums (email, social media, video, etc.) and messages (funny, inspirational, educational, etc.) to stay in your target audience’s consciousness. Test a few, see what works, and go all in on the winners.