How to get your small business organised for the silly season
Don’t shoot the messenger, but in small business world, it’s almost Christmas…😱
Everything gets a little messy from here on in - and nothing more so than social media. Ads ramp up, there are sales aplenty, people are busy with functions, everyone is hitting the shops (online too) and there is a lot of thinking and planning and researching being done.
So how are you going to:
Stand out
Keep up
Be where you need to be
Then, how are you going to take a break when everything calms down?
The answer to both is to get organised. Here are some of my thoughts on this!
Be helpful
Anticipate your customers’ needs and help them get organised.
Promote your offerings with plenty of time. If you don’t have the stock yet, tell them what’s coming in and encourage ordering, lay-by, pre-purchase and similar.
Gently remind them that getting the shopping done early means they can focus on the fun parts of Christmas without the last-minute crazy.
Timing is everything
AusPost has long lead times for overseas posting so it’s a good idea to remind your customers to get their gifts bought, wrapped and sent asap - is that a service you can offer?
Are you a food business? Can you help with menu planning, recipes, ordering, hampers etc?
The earlybird catches the worm…
Wrap it up
I’m terrible at gift wrapping so I love it when it’s offered to me! If you offer gift wrapping from your online or bricks and mortar store you should tell people! I think gift wrapping would make a lovely Reel or two, to showcase your skills.
You can also start referring to it in your posts “don’t forget we offer gift wrapping”. Perhaps you could collect donations for a local charity by asking for a gold coin for gift wrapping (or similar).
Honestly I could think of dozen great post ideas on this topic.
Collaborate and support
Start talking to your biz neighbours now about how you can work together, especially if you’re in a small town or local shopping strip. Work together to draw your customers in. Group sales, competition entries for purchasing in local stores, street party…be creative! If you’re online and service-based you could even create packages together.
Planning on taking a holiday?
If you’re service-based it’s a good idea to pop a reminder on your email at least 4 weeks out. Other things you can do to get organised:
Schedule auto-reply on your email
Update your Google and Facebook hours
Schedule your holiday hours posts
Draft or schedule some content for when you’re away
You could even give your clients/customers an incentive to book before the end of the year OR for when you get back. It’s nice to come back from leave with a full calendar!
Be prepared
Start thinking and planning now so you are ready! As November approaches you’ll be able to focus on all the other things happening, knowing your promotions are sorted and your social media and marketing campaigns are scheduled and ready to go.
❤️
Hi I’m Erika ✌️ I’m a marketing specialist with a BA in Media and Comms, Masters of Marketing, Certificate in CX (Customer Experience) and over 25 years experience. I’m well placed to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of marketing and social media. I work with you one on one or create fun and action-oriented workshops and webinars for groups, organisations and businesses. Book a free discovery call with me or simply email me to get the conversation started.
For more tips, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or just get in touch, I'm always happy to help.
