Boost your Christmas bookings with creative content and design

For many hospitality firms, a busy festive period can be enough to see them through until Valentine’s Day. Here’s how you can use creative content to boost your bookings…

If your hospitality company operates in a region where Christmas is celebrated, you don’t need us to tell you that it’s a big deal. From restaurants and bars to hotels and attractions, December should be one of the busiest months in your calendar. But in such a competitive market, few can afford to take bookings for granted.

What’s more, with cost-of-living crises affecting multiple territories, many potential guests are likely to be keeping a close eye on their outgoings this year, meaning you’ll have to pull out all the stops to attract them to your venue. So, in the absence of a huge advertising budget (which, let’s face it, most companies just don’t have), how can you make your brand stand out?

Getting creative with your website and social media content is a great way to reach prospective customers and convert them into bookings. Here are #TeamDuck’s top tips on developing festive content with the power to draw a crowd.

All they want for Christmas is…
Start by asking yourself, what does your day-in, day-out clientele want? What is your typical customer looking for when it comes to celebrating in December? One size won’t fit all (even in elasticated-waist buffet trousers), so you need to show your audience what’s on offer in a location where they’re likely to see it.

This might mean creating an eye-catching flyer to advertise your two-course festive lunch to the older ladies who fill your tables on weekday lunchtimes. Alternatively, it might involve producing a TikTok video to showcase your Christmas-themed bottomless brunch to the younger crowd that shows up on weekends. Or perhaps the best move is to design a LinkedIn post to catch the eye of anyone planning an office party, like the clever folks at Open Kitchen.

Always ask yourself: what do our customers want and where can we find them?

Tap into the festive spirit
This may sound obvious but do your best to create words and visuals that capitalise on that warm, fuzzy feeling that Christmas conjures, like this post from Coast Restaurant and Teras Bar. Peace on Earth, goodwill to all and plenty of shiny baubles can really help to bring people through your door.

Creating an inviting festive vibe is also a smart way to highlight the features that make your venue a great place to visit at other times of the year. Make the most of this opportunity to share anything out of the ordinary you and your team will be doing to make your customer experience extra special.

The example we’ve given above is in keeping with the Coast Restaurant’s elegant, grown-up aesthetic. Make sure your content reflects the feel and focuses of your brand in a similar way.

Share your Christmas wisdom
Giveaways are great, but when the purse strings are tight, they don’t have to cost the earth. Last year, Riverford Field Kitchen shared some festive dinner tips in the run-up to the big day – a great way of showcasing the restaurant’s delicious organic produce as well as the expertise of its head chef.

This creative content is a winner because it’s in the generous, sharing spirit of the season to open up your private recipe book. At the same time, it subtly reminds potential customers that your team (hopefully) has the skills to make it better than they can at home – and with a lot less washing up – so they’d better book a table.

Be clear as a crystal wine glass
Whether developing content for your website and social media channels or printed promotional materials, consistency, clarity and user-friendliness are your best friends. 

Consider creating a dedicated Christmas landing page with all the relevant information clearly laid out, and share this link whenever and wherever you promote your festive offerings. Focus on making the experience as seamless as possible for prospective customers.

Interested in booking a table? Easy.

Want to pre-order your food? No problem.

Looking to buy gift vouchers? We’ve got you covered.

Nobody needs extra stress during the holiday period, and guests will run straight into the wide-open arms of your competitors if your booking system or offerings are overly complicated.

Maintain some mystery
Clarity is key, but you shouldn’t feel compelled to give everything away at once. Building suspense by revealing different elements of your Christmas offering over the course of a few days or even weeks is an effective way to keep your audience coming back for more. 

This could mean enticing customers back to your social channels to like and share new content throughout the festive period, or – in the best-case scenario – to book repeat visits during the month of December to sample your various offerings. This Instagram post from Birmingham’s Original Patty Men teasing the launch of the restaurant’s festive special is a perfect example. The team also provided a masterclass in audience participation with a follow-up post, asking followers to help name said special.

Start planning now
Christmas may still seem like a long way away, but it’s never too early to get organised. Once December hits, you’ll be in the thick of it, and content creation will be the last thing on your mind.

By planning and developing your digital and printed content now, you’ll leave yourself with some wriggle room to be reactive. A well-thought-out campaign will also minimise the amount of time you spend responding to queries that could have been covered in your promotional materials.

We’re not saying things will be as leisurely as this crème anglaise pour, but acting now will certainly help to give this impression. By knowing your audience and planning ahead, you’ll be able to create and share consistent, clear and engaging content that fills customers with the joys of the festive season – and fills your booking diary for the month of December.

Check out our post on social media planning for some more helpful tips and advice. And, of course, if this all sounds too daunting and you’d like to enlist a content-creation sous chef to help cook up some Christmas magic across your website and socials, feel free to drop us a line at info@chattyduck.com.

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