November is here, and before you know it, you’ll be saying, “Happy Holidays!” So, now is a great time to plan ahead for your business’ holiday success. Here are four key steps you should take as a business owner to prepare for the upcoming holiday season!
1. Establish Your Marketing Strategy for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here are a few tips for launching your marketing campaign for Black Friday and Cyber Monday —
- Promote the products and services that sets your company apart. — Now is a time to show off your company’s competitive advantage.
- If your Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions are going to be on-line, consider creating a landing page with a sign-up function to promote your products or services. And, make the landing page evergreen so that you can continue to receive new customers throughout the next 12 months.
- Leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your customers are going to hear a lot of noise. So, consider teaming up with another company or brand that complements your products or services. It will allow you to extend your promotional reach.
______________________________
And, while we are at it, remember to include Small Business Saturday in your holiday marketing. It falls on the Saturday after Black Friday, so it is the perfect way to extend your Black Friday promotions. Head to the American Express web site to take advantage the customizable promotional materials that you can take advantage of for free.
2. Confirm That Your Daily Operations Are Set for the Holidays.
- Will your business be closed or have extended hours during the holiday season? If so, give everyone the heads up by creating your holiday schedule and communicating it to your customers and potential customers.
- The busy holiday season can cause your office happenings to be quite hectic, so do a quick inventory of your supplies. You don’t want to run out of anything at the worse possible moment. And, make sure that your business systems are up to date and in order.
- Make sure that your bookkeeping processes include a way to instantly keep up with your receipts amid the “hustle and bustle” of the holiday season.
3. Make Sure Your Electronic Presence is Ready. When is the last time you checked the content and photos on your web site? Now is a great time to do a quick refresh of your site to ensure that your photos and copy are relevant — And make sure that your hyperlinks still work.
How is your social media? In today’s marketing landscape, good social media engagement is a must. But it takes time — So, consider using a social media scheduling platform like Planoly or Tailwind to help you share your content throughout the holiday season. And, mix it up — Share great content, fun contests, and enticing incentives to keep your followers and customers engaged.
4. Give Your Staff a Customer Care Refresher and Remind Them About Your Company’s Mission. Like I said before, the holidays can be hectic. So, this is the time when emotions can run high and your team can lose a little focus of their customer care habits. Take some time at the start of each business day to remind them of your mission (and why you do what you do so well). Then, remind them why they are so awesome and you want to see them shine while taking care of your long-time clients and new customers during this busy holiday season!
Happy Holidays!
Love and Soul Always, Kawania
Photography: Shutterstock
