6 TIPS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS THIS CHRISTMAS

The holiday season is upon us, the festive mood is already in and what a way to cross over to a new year. This year with its many surprises is finally over, and we all want to finish it strong. For many businesses the holiday season is the busiest and the most profitable time of the year. For some it’s exciting, and for others, it’s a little nerve-wracking therefore increasing demands from the owners’ family and friends. We can’t help it. We love Christmas. As such, knowing how to prepare for Christmas early is practically in our blood.

Here are 6 ideas for you to prepare and grow your small business during the Holiday Season:

1. Set your Sales Goals – you can never go wrong with a little preparation on your side. Set simple manageable goals that you want to achieve and get the joy of seeing the outcome. Set your sales goals in the rank of minimum must have goals, your desired mid term goals and your stretch goals. These goals will give you the energy to push your business even on the days when the numbers aren’t making much sense. Having a variety of goals in your business line will help you stay focused hitting different targets along the way from now until the end of the year.
2. Create a Holiday focused marketing campaign – Start with video. A good Christmas video- online video is the fastest growing advertising format. Video content can do everything from boosting your rank in search engines, to significantly increase social media following. Get a professional touch to your videos. Creating your own is now easy and video experts will work with you on a clip that is engaging, one that is shareable on digital platform and a friendly budget.
3. Spread Christmas cheer via media and email – Your digital followers want to engage with your brand in a personal approach more than ever before. Incorporate the use of Social media and email should be a key component of any Christmas marketing campaign. An email gives you a more intimate line of contact with your customer base, helping you get the word out about new offers, while softly reminding previous customers that you exist. Be careful to not spam your potential clients with your emails.

4. Advertise and take part in social activities – It is during this season that many people come out to share and get to know each other. Participate in your local activities to show support while at the same time let your potential clients get to know you. Don’t take your sales for granted though just because you’re present in the area, doesn’t mean that the local people will necessarily know who you are. Volunteering your time to support a cause is something you will never regret. It will enrich your life, familiarise you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life. You can also get to advertise on the local channels online affordably and effectively. You can build name recognition with a piece of sponsored content or use Google Ads campaign to drive motivated customers to your door. Whichever option you go for, it is always advisable to maintain an active presence on social media so as to allow you to speak directly to your customers.
5. Get to stock up on the festive inventory – You want your clients to come and find you ready with the right products ready for their purchases. There are a number of important dates that lead up to Christmas. Get ready for the activities from parties, to events, family gatherings and anything else that might slip your mind.
6. Train you seasonal employees – you have worked out the numbers and have hired a few more extra employees to help you with the Christmas traffic, invest your time and train them properly. Your customers will enjoy a second visit when the persons they are interacting with are well trained and supportive. This in turn will be less stressful for you.