The Christmas Business Strategy (Starting in September!)
Usually, the mention of Christmas during September will get a few eyebrow raises. But for businesses it’s time to get festive plans underway, especially as far as marketing is concerned.
Is your business ready for Christmas? Your preparations will be dictated by the sort of work that you do, and who your customers are. Even if the goods and services you provide are unlikely to become Christmas presents, don’t miss a valuable opportunity to stay visible!
Where does Christmas fall in your business cycle?
For some businesses, like retailers, it’s Christmas which drives the increase in orders. For an accountant, the Christmas period coincides with a sharp uptake in services, thanks to January’s tax deadline. A landscape gardener might find things a bit quieter.
Consider your Christmas resource requirements
If Christmas means a consumer frenzy for your business, then you’re going to need extra staff and resources to cope with it all. Now is the time to put your recruitment and training plan into place!
To help things go as smoothly as possible during peak periods, get as much as possible lined up in advance. Any equipment your extra staff will need to do their jobs, any extra packaging materials to meet the extra demand for orders, and so on.
Staffing considerations work the other way, too. If Christmas is your quietest time of year, it might be the perfect opportunity to line up some staff development, or to mop up the jobs that have had to wait.
Christmas themed marketing for business
Promotional media and literature
The run up to Christmas can get pretty busy for a lot of design and marketing agencies. So, if part of your Christmas strategy means adding a little Christmas flair to your branding, it’s best to get that booked in early!
It’s not just about attracting instant sales. Christmas gives businesses a reason to reach out to their existing and potential clients. Stay on their radar, and reinforce your brand’s approachability, from e-cards, to physical branded merchandise. There’s an astonishing array of Christmas based promotional items available, to which you can apply your company logo.
It’s still not too late to find potential PR opportunities through online and print media channels. Journalists tend to plan out their features pretty well in advance, but it can’t hurt to make some enquiries. Those gift-buying guides might channel some decent traffic your way, for the cost of a free sample!