Believe it or not, the 2016 holiday season is right around the corner. Is your small business ready?
Although it may seem crazy to start prepping for Christmas before most kids have even decided on a Halloween costume, mapping out your game plan now — while you have the time — will put you ahead of the curve! We’re not suggesting you deck your social media halls quite yet, but there are plenty of things you can do to get ready for the busiest shopping days of the 2016!
Map Out Your Small Business Sales Plan
Once the Thanksgiving turkey has been picked clean, shoppers are going to expect and hunt down good deals within hours. Don’t disappoint them! Now is the time to decide on the promotions you want to run. Are you having a Black Friday blowout? A Deal of the Day throughout the holiday season? A last-minute Christmas Eve sale to entice procrastinating patrons?
Whatever you decide to do, get it on paper now! Once the stress of the season hits, it’s all too easy to forget what you had planned.
Give Your Website a Tune-Up
During the holiday season, your website traffic can increase by 30% or more, and American e-commerce as a whole is expected to be up 16.6% over last year’s sales.
Is your website ready for that influx?
Whether your servers are shoddy or your website just isn’t as user-friendly as it could be, now is the time for any upgrades you plan to make! Even a day of downtime during the holiday season could be disastrous for your bottom line!
Get a Head Start on Content Marketing
It’s a bit strange to start writing holiday-themed posts when the leaves haven’t even fallen yet, but you’re not going to have time to blog once the Christmas business starts rolling in. Creating content now for late November and December will be a huge weight off of your mind.
If you plan on using a small business marketing firm to help, give them a heads up on what you’ll need! We’re just as busy as you are during the holiday season, and starting early will ensure that your marketer will be able to give you the highest-quality content possible!
Start Signing Your Cards
It’s difficult enough to find time to send your personal holiday cards. Signing and addressing hundreds (if not thousands) of cards for your customers can be nearly impossible in all the hustle and bustle.
Get it out of the way now! It’s never too early to sign and seal — even if it isn’t quite time to “deliver” yet!
Decide on Charitable Donations or Volunteer Opportunities
The holidays are a time for giving. Who will you help this year? Whether it’s donating a certain amount of your proceeds to a local or national charity or volunteering at a soup kitchen, giving back feels great! Make sure to get your employees and customers in on the act, too!
Once the holidays hit, it’s often hard to come up for a breath until the New Year’s bells ring out. Acting now, while you have the time, will ensure a smoother, more productive and happier holiday season for everyone!
Need some help getting it all done? Give Mischa Communications a jingle. We’ll help put the “merry” in your marketing!