Fall is here, which means festivals are filling calendars, home projects are in full swing, and opportunities to connect with partners, community members, and local businesses abound. For marketers, it means you’ll have a treasure trove of engaging content. With users hopping back online, now’s the time to stand out. Here’s a list of content ideas to help you connect with your community and keep them engaged all season long.
1. Updates from Mortgage Lenders
Homebuying is expected to pick up a bit this fall with favorable economic conditions for buyers and an increase in supply thanks to builders ramping up production over the summer. With housing market predictions looking especially favorable into 2025, it’s more important than ever that mortgage lenders remain top-of-mind, and social media is a great way to do it. In short, buyers aren’t looking to buy most of the time, but when they are, they choose lenders they’re familiar with, making a consistent presence on social media crucial. Struggling to activate lenders? Simple processes, accessible content, and streamlined approvals can help by saving them time and making them more comfortable. The result? Better exposure, more authentic content from across your organization’s teams, and a better social presence overall.
So, what should lenders be posting? Challenge them to post once a week about something specific to their approach to clients. Perhaps a highlight from a favorite coffee shop where they often meet clients, a group photo from a recent charity golf outing the bank sponsored, or a shot from the bank’s annual fall festival. Have lenders who specialize in certain types of properties or perhaps are bilingual and engaged in specific local cultures in meaningful ways? Those details and the stories around them are great ways to humanize lender content and create genuine connection and engagement.
2. Coverage of Local Events
Fall events (including football tailgates, fall festivals, fundraisers, food drives, golf outings, Halloween-related activities, partner events with local nonprofits, and school or university-related events) are great social media content. Start by taking a look at fall schedules and slating each event into your planning calendar.
Mark these key dates on your calendar and identify which employees are attending. Use a simple process and some direct asks to empower them to collect photos, videos, and contextual information that can make for great social media posts.
Keep in mind that covering these events shows off a few important things about your values and goals as a community-focused financial institution: How ingrained you are in local happenings, how much you care about the community you serve, how you support (both in attendance and financially) important community efforts, and how consistent and reliable your organization is in doing so.
3. Fun Fall Recipes
Food is a great way to bring people together, and fall is an especially great time for a few fun food shares. Consider a bake-off or cooking competition at a branch location, and turn it into a viral contest on social media (with the help of the social and digital campaign management team at Social Assurance). Then, share the recipes alongside some great photos.
Looking for a way to also highlight commercial lines of business? Round of local commercial clients with deep culinary roots and consider highlighting some of their signature dishes, well-known treats, or family recipes (if they’re willing to share). Include quotes or interviews with owners and locals to add authenticity and relatability.
4. Content from Community Members
Content is all around us, but sometimes getting your hands on it can be the challenge. As a community-centric organization, one effective way to gather great content is by challenging community members to engage with your brand by sharing their own experiences. Many people take pride in showcasing their town or city, and you can harness this enthusiasm to benefit your brand.
Consider hosting a photo contest where community members submit images highlighting what they love about their local area, a beloved pet, a historic moment or memory, or another compelling local experience. It’s a great way to garner engagement, but also to collect content that can be shared across your socials in the future. (By the way, if you need a hand planing a successful, compliant photo contest or other engaging social media campaign, Social Assurance is here to help. We plan these contests start to finish, ensuring traction, compliance, and a positive experience overall.)
5. Embrace the Spirit around Sports
As the fall season brings a resurgence of sports, local high school and college teams are at the heart of community excitement. Football, volleyball, soccer, and other activities capture the attention of enthusiastic supporters. Celebrate this vibrant sports season by showcasing team spirit across your branches.
Consider hosting tailgate events, watch parties, and other types of game day celebrations at branch locations. Invite employees and customers to join in the game-day fun, encouraging everyone to wear their favorite team jerseys or merchandise. Capture these moments with photos and videos, then share them across your social media platforms.
Highlight and celebrate local athletes by sharing updates and successes on your social media channels. If your community bank, credit union, or financial brand sponsors teams, think even deeper, combining social coverage with content on other channels. Tell long-form stories, produce video, consider out-of-home placements, and leverage digital channels to target broader storytelling efforts toward your audience in a cohesive way that ensure major brand lift.
6. Fall Festivities
As soon as the first leaf falls, fall festivities like Trunk or Treats, farmer’s markets, and seasonal fairs fill calendars. Promoting these local happenings is a great way to show your overall support for the community and the people it serves.
Look for opportunities to share posts about upcoming community events, including details such as dates, times, and locations, and be sure to tag the organizers. This helps your post get in front of more people and demonstrates the depth of your ties to the community. At these events, grab a candid shot of trunk-or-treaters making the rounds, delicious-looking food and drinks, and crowds coming together. When you share them, be sure to use established hashtags for these events and/or their hosts.
7. Local Spotlights
Showcasing top local fall spots in your community is a great way to strengthen relationships while also putting out compelling local content. Highlight popular destinations like pumpkin patches, apple orchards, haunted houses, and nature conservation centers. Remember to spotlight nonprofits too, especially those that gear up during the holiday season like shelters, food banks, diaper pantries, and the like.
Aiming for a family-demographic? Consider highlighting some family-friendly activities like nearby pumpkin patches, flower farms, and art studios. Share a brief, engaging snippet about each location, such as their unique attractions or special events. Tag these local spots in your posts to boost visibility and engagement.
8. Community Drives & Donations
Fall kicks off the season of giving, presenting opportunities to organize and participate in food drives, clothing collections, giving trees, scholarship programs, and toy chests. If your organization is actively involved in these initiatives, be sure to share about them on social media. This helps spread the word and attract more donors, while also bringing awareness to community needs. It also helps reinforce your organization’s commitment to serving those who need it most.
As it turns out, give-back efforts can provide great opportunities for storytelling and public relations overall. The best way to harness them? Start by wrapping your arms around the entirety of your organization’s give-back efforts (from CRA loans to board service and from organized employee efforts to donations). By the way, Social Assurance’s Community Spark can help. This user-friendly tool makes it easy to track and manage efforts across your organization, pulling together data and content captured on-site at events, financial literacy classes, and fundraisers so you have what you need to create compelling content for socials.
9. Watch Lists & Book Recommendations
As the weather cools, people often turn to indoor activities like curling up with a good book or binge-watching a favorite series. During this seasonal shift, connect with community members through content about their favorite fall reads and must-watch series.
Create and share lists of book recommendations or binge-worthy series that align with the cozy, autumnal vibe. For example, post a series of graphics with staff picks or popular titles while inviting your community to share their suggestions.
Get Started
With a wealth of seasonal content ideas at your fingertips, now’s the time to bring fresh, engaging content to your community. Whether you need better systems for delegating social post creation, or an easier way to manage and document approvals, Social Assurance’s Marketing Platform streamlines content planning, creation, feedback, approvals, scheduling, and publishing. If you’re ready to outsource or need more hands-on help, we’ve got you covered there too with an expert team of content creators ready to craft compelling, on-brand content every month. Follow the link below to get in touch.
