Sweet not stressful
A little forward planning can help you prepare your business for Christmas and taking a holiday break
It may seem a while until Christmas but we all know how quickly those days will fly by. The good news is that with a bit of forward planning you can avoid a lot of the pre-Christmas stress and get your business ready to take a break during the holidays ahead.
Let’s take a look at some of the items that you should add to your pre-Christmas to-do list so you can enjoy a relaxed start to 2023.
Decide when your business will be open at Christmas, and closed
If your business is going to close or alter its opening hours over Christmas or the holidays, now’s the time to plan and communicate your dates. Start by notifying your employees then work with them to make sure your customers, suppliers and any interested parties are kept informed.
Notifying people in advance can help everyone plan for the time when your business is not open. Update your website and social media with your Christmas opening and closing dates to make sure all your information is correct and aligned.
Chase up any overdue invoicing
Many businesses experience a drop in earnings during the holiday season when customers are taking a break from work. If you’re one of those businesses then now’s a good time to get your finances in order to protect your cash flow.
That means checking invoices coming in as well as those that are due to be paid. Planning ahead with your finances now can protect you from unwanted surprises when you get back in the New Year.
Plan your Christmas greetings and promotions
Depending on your business, you may want to contact customers or suppliers prior to Christmas to pass on festive greetings, give gifts, share promotions, communicate opening or closing dates, and wish them the best for the year ahead.
Whether you choose a Christmas card, email or social media posts, planning your communications now gives you plenty of time to send the right message to deliver the best impact for your business.
Are you planning a special offer before Christmas or to start 2023? Now’s the right time to work out your numbers and get all of your marketing material in order. Once you’ve done the hard work of creating your promotion you can rest easy and get ready to share it when you’re ready.
Schedule your blog posts and social media
Social posting and adding content to your website doesn’t need to stop just because your business is taking a break. Regular content updates on your website can positively impact your search performance.
With a vast range of scheduling tools available to support your digital communications, the focus should be on creating your content in advance and setting it up to run while you’re enjoying your holiday break.
Now’s a great time to consider what messages you should include in your content during the holiday season to keep it relevant to customers. Plan and write your content now and you can truly relax during your break knowing you’ve got all your communications covered.
Review your to-do list for the New Year
Your business is not the only one that’s planning to close for Christmas so now’s an important time to look ahead to January and February and plan what comes next. If you have important changes or new initiatives that you would like to launch in 2023; book time with your partners and suppliers to share your plans.
January and February can be a quiet time. Planning your initiatives now could give you a great opportunity to have a big impact and get the New Year off to a great start.
We’re here to help you plan for 2023
Planning ahead for Christmas is a great way to take the stress out of the festive season. It also gives you more chance of really switching off and getting to enjoy your Summer holidays with friends and family.
If you would like help creating email communications, online content, or updating your website to stay connected with customers over the holidays: call caddie We’re here to support you and make sure your business gets the most out of being online.
