Thanksgiving is an often-overlooked opportunity to promote local. While others focus on the bigger shopping holidays, your Chamber, CVB, or Main Street Association can fill the gap by spotlighting local businesses, featuring members, and giving people more reasons to explore your community.
Promote Shopping Local
A few well-planned social media posts can help them reach more people, attract customers, and make the most of the holiday season.
But coming up with fresh content can be a challenge, especially when your team is already juggling a dozen other things.
Get Planning Early
To help you get started, we’ve rounded up 10 Thanksgiving social media ideas you can adapt for your organization. We recommend beginning your planning process 3-4 weeks in advance of Thanksgiving so your social media posts are scheduled well before the holiday week.
Whether you’re looking for a few quick post ideas or planning an entire Thanksgiving campaign, these 10 ideas will help you make the most of the holiday.
Pro tip: Repurpose each idea into multiple formats (Reels, Stories, carousels, blog posts, email newsletters) to maximize your content with minimal extra work.
Grab Our Free Plan
And if you want to take the guesswork out of planning, grab our free Thanksgiving Social Media Blitz Plan. It includes a full week of post ideas, stories, reels, and more to help you make Thanksgiving a great shop-local holiday.
IDEA #1
Share a List of Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving Day
Finding a restaurant open on Thanksgiving can be challenging, especially for visitors spending the holiday away from home or residents who don’t want to cook.
Create a list of local restaurants that are open, their hours, and whether pre-orders are required.
Gather the Information Early
Reach out to your restaurant members and ask them to share their holiday hours, special menus, and reservation details.
You can turn this information into a social media carousel or a simple graphic so people can find everything in one place. This post is highly shareable and positions your Chamber/CVB as the go-to source for community information.
Include the Details
Include details such as:
- Restaurant names and locations
- Thanksgiving hours
- Special holiday menus
- Reservation requirements
- Takeout and catering options
Why this Works
For Chambers of Commerce, this is a simple way to give restaurant members more visibility while providing a useful community resource.
Tourism organizations & CVBs can use the post to help visitors find places to eat during their stay.
Pro Tip: Ask participating restaurants to provide photos of their Thanksgiving dishes. Tag each business in your posts. Encourage them to share your content with their own followers.
Bonus Tip: Send this entire list out in an email to your mailing list. Post it on your website and update it every year.
Social Media Examples of Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving
We’ve curated a few examples of social media content featuring restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day. Take a look for ideas for your community!
- See an example from the Venice Chamber
- View the Nashville Moms Reel
- Take a look at the Greater Mystic Chambers’ post on Thanksgiving Specials
IDEA #2
Highlight Local Volunteer Opportunities
Thanksgiving is a time for giving back. As a Chamber, you can encourage people to get involved in your community by featuring volunteer opportunities over Thanksgiving on social media.
Information to Gather
Your community may have food drives, meal delivery programs, food pantries, shelters, or community dinners that rely on volunteers. Reach out to local nonprofits and ask how people can get involved.
What to Create
Create a roundup of volunteer opportunities.
Share it on your social media channels and include registration links, contact information, and any important deadlines.
Consider creating a separate post for each organization or combining several opportunities into a single carousel. You can also share reminders in your Stories as Thanksgiving approaches.
Why This Works
This is a meaningful way for Chambers of Commerce to support their nonprofit members while encouraging community involvement. It also gives tourism destination marketing organizations an opportunity to highlight local charitable events and activities.
Pro tip: Add links to sign-up pages and contact info. Ask the organizations you feature to share your post with their followers. This helps more people discover the opportunities and gives your content a wider reach.
IDEA #3
Share What Your Team is Thankful For
Thanksgiving is a natural time to show appreciation for the people who make your community special. Give your audience a glimpse of the people behind your organization by sharing what your team is thankful for.
What to Create
You could create a simple graphic, share a team photo, or ask each team member to name one thing they’re grateful for.
What to Include
Talk about why you’re thankful for your members, tourism partners, local businesses, and community supporters. Include team photos and tag the people featured. This type of content consistently generates strong engagement.
Rather than using a generic holiday greeting, share specific reasons you’re grateful for your community.
- Chambers of Commerce can highlight their members, volunteers, community partners, or the local businesses that support their organization.
- Tourism destination marketing organizations can highlight the attractions, hospitality partners, and community members who help make their destination a great place to visit.
You can also invite your audience to join the conversation by asking them what they’re thankful for this year. This gives people a reason to comment and creates an opportunity for meaningful interaction.
Why this Works
A heartfelt gratitude post from your team builds connection and trust. People want to connect with other people, not organizations or businesses.
Pro tip: Feature individual team members in your Stories throughout Thanksgiving week. A few personal moments can help your audience feel more connected to your organization.
Social Media Examples of Chambers Giving Thanks
We’ve curated a few examples of social media content for you to use as ideas for your own Thanksgiving thankful posts.
- The Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce opted for a group photo and thanks.
- View the Northern Brazoria Chamber of Commerce’s Peanuts-inspired post.
- Take a look at the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce’s heartfelt thanks.
IDEA #4
Share the Five Things You’re Thankful For in Your Community
Create a social media carousel featuring five things about your members or your community that you’re thankful for.
What to Include
It can be an amazing football team, the great fall weather and colors, or something more serious like the strong sense of community in your town or the people who make a difference in your community.
For Chambers of Commerce, consider featuring:
- Small businesses that support the community
- Local events that bring people together
- Members who go above and beyond
- Community volunteers and nonprofit organizations
- Unique places that make your town special
Tourism destination marketing organizations can take a destination-focused approach. Highlight scenic views, favorite attractions, local restaurants, or memorable experiences visitors can enjoy.
Get More Interaction
At the end of your post, or in a separate post, ask your audience:
“Tell us one thing you’re grateful for this year!”
This encourages comments, which boosts visibility.
For example, you can say, “It’s more important now than ever to focus on the things we are grateful for. At the Chamber, we’re grateful for [INSERT ITEMS HERE]. Help spread the positivity and share what you are grateful for in the comments.”
Idea tip: Feature individual team members in your Stories throughout Thanksgiving week. A few personal moments can help your audience feel more connected to your organization.
Pro tip: Tag the businesses and organizations you mention. They may share your post with their own audiences, helping you reach more people.
Social Media Examples of Chambers Giving Thanks
We’ve curated a few examples of social media content for you to use as ideas for your own Thanksgiving thankful posts.
- Princess Cruises had their staff members tell the 3 things they’re thankful for in a reel.
- This tourism-related post shared why their community is so special.
IDEA #5
Promote Local Thanksgiving Meals, Desserts, and Catering
Not everyone wants to prepare an entire Thanksgiving meal. Some people want a homemade pie, a few prepared side dishes, or a complete meal they can pick up before the holiday.
Help your audience find what they need by highlighting local businesses offering Thanksgiving food and catering.
What to Include
Reach out to restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and catering companies to find out what they’re offering.
Then create a roundup of local Thanksgiving food options featuring:
- Restaurants offering complete Thanksgiving meals
- Bakeries selling pies and holiday desserts
- Restaurants offering prepared side dishes
- Local businesses selling smoked or roasted turkeys
- Catering companies accepting holiday orders
Include preorder deadlines, pickup dates, prices when available, and links to order. This makes your post more useful and gives people a reason to save or share it.
Why This Works
For Chambers of Commerce, this is another opportunity to help members generate holiday sales.
Tourism destination marketing organizations can also share these resources with visitors who are staying in the area for Thanksgiving.
Pro tip: Start gathering information early. Many businesses require advance orders, and your audience will appreciate having enough time to plan.
Chamber Pro Tip: Ask each restaurant to provide a photo and tag them on Instagram; schedule posts to go live Tuesday before the holiday.
Chamber/Tourism Tip: Share this in local Facebook groups or community pages to increase distribution.
IDEA #6
Create and Share a “Things to Do When Family Visits” Guide
Thanksgiving often brings family and friends together.
While the holiday meal may be the main event, visitors also need ideas for what to do during the rest of their stay.
Once the meal is over, people will want to entertain their family, so provide them with a list of the best things to do that are open over the holidays. ‘Cause somebody has to entertain Aunty Suzy after dinner is over.
What to Include
Help residents entertain their guests by creating a custom travel itinerary:
- Local attractions and museums
- Parks, trails, and scenic drives
- Historic sites and walking tours
- Holiday events and seasonal activities
- Local shops and shopping districts
- Restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries
- Farms and outdoor activities
You can turn your list into a social media carousel, a short video, or a blog post that you promote throughout Thanksgiving week.
Be sure to check holiday hours before recommending specific businesses or attractions. Some locations may close for Thanksgiving or operate on a limited schedule.
For visitors arriving early or staying late, highlight fall festival options, scenic drives, and multigenerational activities.
Why This Works
For Chambers of Commerce, this is a great way to introduce residents and visitors to members they may not know about. Share this Thanksgiving activities guide on social media, post it on your website, and send it as an email.
For tourism destination marketing organizations, it helps position your location as a place worth exploring.
Pro tip: Create a shareable guide with links to each attraction or business. You can also feature a few activities each day in your Instagram and Facebook Stories.
IDEA #7
Create a Thanksgiving Social Media Poll
Not every Thanksgiving post needs to be a detailed graphic or a long list of recommendations.
Sometimes, a simple question is all you need to get people talking.
Use Instagram and Facebook Stories to create quick Thanksgiving polls. They’re easy to make, encourage interaction, and give your audience a fun way to participate.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Pumpkin pie or pecan pie?
- Turkey or ham?
- Thanksgiving dinner at noon or in the evening?
- Football or the Thanksgiving Day parade?
- Homemade sides or store-bought?
- Hosting Thanksgiving or traveling to see family?
You can also create polls that tie directly to your community.
Ask followers which local restaurant they’re ordering from, which holiday event they’re attending, or which downtown business they plan to visit.
For Chambers of Commerce, these questions can help keep your members and community engaged. Tourism destination marketing organizations can use them to highlight local experiences and encourage people to share their favorite activities.
Pro tip: Share the poll results in a follow-up Story. You can also use the responses to inspire future content or identify businesses and attractions your audience is interested in.
Thanksgiving Poll Examples
Try out some of these fun polls to increase interaction on your social media accounts.
- See this simple poll idea from Downtown Starkville
- See The Great Debate post by Stroll Riverview
- View the Which Side are You On post by Blessed With Many
- One poll tied in Christmas – When do you decorate? by Very Social NYC
IDEA #8
Highlight Local Businesses That Make Holiday Cleanup Easier
All the guests are gone, and the Thanksgiving meal is over. Now it’s time to clean up. After all of the work involved in making the meal, the last thing some people want to think about is cleaning up after it all.
Help your audience find local businesses that can make the post-holiday workload a little easier.
What to Include
This is a great opportunity for Chambers of Commerce to feature members that offer services people may need after hosting family and friends:
- Residential cleaning services
- Laundry services
- Home organization businesses
- Waste removal services
- Local grocery and meal delivery services
You could create a carousel featuring several businesses or dedicate individual posts to members offering these services.
Tourism destination marketing organizations can take a slightly different approach: Highlight local wellness businesses and experiences that help visitors relax after a busy holiday.
Why This Works
This type of post strengthens member relationships and provides real value to your audience.
The goal is to connect your audience with businesses that can make their lives easier while giving your members additional exposure.
Pro tip: Ask businesses to share a special holiday offer or service package. Make sure any promotions are clearly explained and include instructions for booking.
IDEA #9
Promote Local Black Friday Shopping and Small Business Saturday
Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the biggest local shopping opportunities of the year.
It’s also an excellent opportunity for Chambers of Commerce to encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses.
Start by asking your members to share their Black Friday deals, Small Business Saturday promotions, and holiday shopping events. Gather the information into a series of social media posts or a community shopping guide.
What to Include
Your local shopping guide could feature:
- Black Friday sales at local shops
- Small Business Saturday promotions
- Holiday markets and pop-up shops
- Gift card specials
- Local products and handmade gifts
- Special events and shopping experiences
Create a dedicated post for each day.
- On Black Friday, highlight participating businesses and their promotions.
- On Small Business Saturday, focus on the importance of supporting local shops and the people behind them.
Why This Works
Tourism organizations can also promote shopping districts, holiday markets, and local products that make great gifts. If there are travel-related Black Friday deals – get these out on your tourism social media accounts.
Encourage participating businesses to share your posts and tag your organization in their own holiday content.
This helps create a sense of community around the shopping weekend.
Pro tip: Ask businesses to submit their promotions in advance so you have time to create graphics and schedule your posts. You can also create a dedicated holiday shopping page on your website to organize all the deals in one place.
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday Post Examples
We’ve rounded up some great examples of social media content that promotes Black Friday deals and Small Business Saturday for small communities.
- See this Black Friday roundup post by the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber
- Look at how the Greater Starkville Development Partnership promoted local Black Friday shopping
- This reel shows how Kamala Harris promoted local businesses for Small Business Saturday
- This post by Somerville City asked a question and promoted Small Business Saturday through its interactions
IDEA #10
Share Local Ideas for Relaxing After Thanksgiving
After all the work of putting together a big Thanksgiving meal, people might need a little ‘me’ time.
Help your audience find ways to relax while continuing to support local businesses.
What to Include
Create a social media post featuring places where people can unwind after the holiday.
Promote businesses offering:
- spa services
- nail and hair appointments
- massages
- golf outings
- walking trails
- yoga classes
- coffee shops for quiet downtime
Consider creating a carousel with a few local recommendations or a short video showcasing peaceful places around your community.
You could also ask your audience how they like to spend the day after Thanksgiving. Their answers may give you ideas for future posts and help you learn more about the experiences they enjoy.
Why This Works
This type of content supports your wellness and hospitality members.
- Chambers of Commerce, this is a chance to feature members that may not receive as much attention during the holiday shopping season.
- CVBs and Tourism organizations use the idea to promote relaxing experiences that encourage visitors to extend their stay. Think of spa days or a nature getaway. Focus on what your community does best.
Pro tip: Use this content on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It’s a natural time to encourage people to slow down, recharge, and explore something new in their community.
Conclusion: Thanksgiving Social Media Ideas for Your Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Organization.
Use these Thanksgiving social media ideas to highlight the people, businesses, traditions, and experiences that make your community unique.
With thoughtful, consistent holiday content, you’ll encourage local support, strengthen your business relationships, and inspire visitors to explore your town. By creating engaging, thoughtfully planned social media content, you can encourage people to support local businesses or visit your town.
You don’t have to use all 10 ideas to create a successful Thanksgiving campaign. Choose the ones that best fit your audience, your members, and your community.
Collect Information Early
Start gathering information from local businesses and tourism partners early. Ask for photos, holiday hours, event details, and special offers. Then organize your content into a calendar so you know what to share and when.
Make Your Content Go Further – Repurpose It
Turn a list of local restaurants into a carousel, feature attractions in a Reel, or include your most popular posts in an email newsletter.
If you’d like help creating a full Thanksgiving or holiday social media campaign, we’d love to partner with you to make your community shine.
Grab Our Free Plan
If you’d like help putting everything together, our free Thanksgiving Social Media Blitz Plan provides a simple, 7-day approach to holiday content planning.
It’s designed specifically for Chambers of Commerce and tourism organizations and includes:
- A complete 7-day Thanksgiving social media plan
- Daily post, Story, and Reel ideas
- Prewritten captions to save time
- Bonus engagement ideas to connect with your community
Use the plan to promote local businesses, highlight attractions, encourage community involvement, and make your Chamber of Commerce or tourism organization a go-to resource during the holiday week.
More Holiday Themed Content Ideas
Need help?
If you would like help with social media marketing, content creation, content marketing, email marketing, or web development for your Business, Chamber of Commerce, or Tourism Organization, get in touch with us today!
