Featured image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
The holidays are just around the corner. While everyone is preparing to buy gifts for their loved ones, savvy small business owners have been preparing well in advance for the season.
If you haven’t started prepping yet, this is a good time to get started. We’ve put together some tips to get your small business ready for a successful holiday season. Let’s dive in!
Set Sales Goals
You’re unlikely to drive up sales during the holidays if you have no goals in place to give you something to reach for. Set up a meeting with members of your team to brainstorm. With them, define what the goals should be by the end of the year. Figure out what you want to achieve, including targets for financial, customer relations, and social media.
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Create a Marketing Strategy
In order to achieve your sales goals, you will want to make sure your marketing team is well in the loop about what those goals are. These are the people who will help to craft effective messaging, holiday-themed promotions, and know how to implement multiple strategies through your various channels.
Don’t be afraid to publicize the fact that you are a small operation in your marketing strategy. People love to support small businesses, especially during the holiday season, so go ahead and capitalize on that.
Prep Your Holiday Season Logistics
Think carefully about the logistics for every department and what they might need in order to be successful in getting the firm toward your goals. This includes prepping your website, stocking up on extra inventory, and investing in additional software. You want your team to be prepared for success, and that will only be possible if they have the necessary tools and resources to do so.
Image by Anton Belitskiy from Pexels
Show Appreciation for Your Employees at the Holidays
It’s more important now than any other time of year to acknowledge and appreciate your workers. They might have to labor longer hours or expend additional mental stamina in order to achieve your sales goals during the next few hectic months. Make sure you show your appreciation for their hard work by throwing a holiday party.
This will be a great opportunity for the members of your team to re-connect while they celebrate all the hard work they have been putting in. The party doesn’t have to be something elaborate that strains your finances. You might consider a potluck where you encourage each employee to contribute one of his or her own treasured cultural traditions.
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Acknowledge Your Network This Holiday Season
When you’re a small business owner, you understand the importance of networking. But it isn’t all just about starting new relationships. There’s also the importance of maintaining them.
Especially at the holidays, how your appreciation for the business relationships you have worked so hard to build. Think about gifts for new business owners. Or consider what the eager and busy entrepreneur might need.
What would make your partners’ lives and jobs easier? Perhaps they mentioned something in one of your previous conversations that you could use to add a personalized touch to your gift. Make them feel heard and valued, rather than mailing a generic holiday card.
Hire Seasonal Employees
Depending on what type of business you run and what your sales goals are, you may want to consider hiring a team of seasonal employees. Give yourself enough time to onboard and train them, of course.
Even though you know these individuals will not be permanent staff members, you won’t want to slack on the training. The better you train them, the higher the quality of customer service your customers will receive during the holidays.
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Start Prepping Now for a Less Stressful Holiday Season
The holidays can be stressful, but if you start preparing now, you will be well equipped to handle whatever might come your way. Let the season be a time for appreciation and creativity in your communications.
Allow sufficient time to learn more about your audience and customers’ needs by listening to them. Remember, the holidays are less about you and more about how you can serve others.
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