Should Your Blog Go On Vacation Because You Do?

It's a short week for many of us in the United States and elsewhere, as we come off of a long holiday weekend. In fact, lots of folks have taken the whole week to rest and recharge in anticipation of a long summer season of work.

But if you're taking time off from your business, does that mean that your blog should, too?

The Internet Never Sleeps

One of the best -- and most difficult -- things about internet marketing is that your business is on display 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your website, Facebook page, Twitter stream, and Linkedin company profile are all working for you, even while you sleep.

But this can lead to some serious questions of work overload for you, the business owner or marketer, and information overload for your prospects and customers. Just because you can be posting all the time, every day, does that mean that you should?

But Maybe The Internet Should Nap Once In A While

It's not the end of the world if you stop blogging, Facebooking, and Tweeting for a few days while you and your staff recharge your batteries. In fact, if the rest of the country is celebrating a significant holiday, you run the risk of looking woefully out-of-step at best -- and horrifically tone-deaf at worst -- if you continue to blast the same marketing messages, regardless of what meaningful observances your audiences might be enjoying.

On the other hand, holidays are traditionally quiet times on social networks and blogs, so it can be much easier to stand out from the crowd during these times. Just try to make sure that your message and content are in keeping with the spirit of the day -- and double-check any automated tweets or posts, to ensure that they'll make sense on a holiday just like they would on any other day.

Use Common Sense

So much of marketing really comes down to this: Think it through from your customer's point of view. Would posting on a holiday help your audience out, by providing them with some insight, special deal, or uniquely valuable offer that they might not get or see at another time? Or would it come across as insensitive or out-of-sync?

Keep Blogging If You Can

Of course, if it's just you taking some time off, and it's not a widely celebrated holiday, then it probably makes sense to stockpile some blog articles and set them up to publish while you're away. Why not? Consistency counts for a lot in blogging, and every article you publish is another opportunity to rank for some of your favorite keywords. 

Do you plan to keep posting on your blog during your summer vacation? How do you plan to manage it?

Image by saucy pan