Your holiday checklist

Depending on your type of business, the next few weeks are either a time of winding down, wrapping things up and planning your well-deserved holiday. Or it’s your crazy time, which means more stress, but also more customers and more sales. Maybe it’s a bit of both. Either way, there are things to be done before the year is over.

To make this last lap a little more manageable, here are some tips to get ready for the festive season.

• Plan ahead:
  

  Start preparing early for the holiday season. This could be done by advertising for extra help during the holiday time or even just thinking about a contingency plan.

  Schedule your blog and social media posts in advance and promote some of your most popular products and events.

• Organise your content:

  This is a good time to revise your website content and other online platforms, such as your Facebook, LinkedIn and Google My Business pages. Create a gifting guide and make sure your navigation is holiday-shopper friendly.

  Update your business info, holiday business hours or update your profile picture. 

  How about creating relevant content or updating your social media banners to feature a relevant item that will be popular over the festive season.

• Notify your clients:

  Not all your clients will regularly check your website or Facebook page, so make sure you get in touch directly. Let your customers know your holiday times, special promotions or events over the festive season. Utilising social media advertising or Google Ads is also a good way to promote your Christmas specials.

  Send a short e-mail newsletter to wish them a happy holiday and remind them when you will be closed. Also remember to set your e-mail autoresponder to deal with any enquiries while you’re away. 

• Stay safe:

  At this time of year, fraudsters try to exploit the fact we are all busier and less vigilant than usual.

  Check your PC and mobile device software for current updates to be protected against the latest technological threats. 

  Remember to use strong passwords with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Try not to use the same password across multiple accounts. 

  When shopping online only use personal, secure devices instead of using shared or public devices. Look out for the https:// and the green padlock icon in the address bar to tell you that the site you are using is secure.

  Be wary of emails, where fraudsters impersonate a legitimate company and attempt to steal your personal information, login credentials or advise you of new banking details.

Get into the holiday spirit:

Finally, enjoy the festive season! Organise a fun staff party, decorate your business with a bit of holiday cheer and have a good rest. Holiday time is also a good opportunity to give back to your community or even to host a holiday event. 

If you need help with any website updates, ad campaigns or holiday newsletters give us a call on 087 820 0780. We’re here to make your December a little easier.