The holiday season is an important time for small businesses as many owners depend on holiday revenue to turn an annual profit.  Preparation is key for this busy time of year and starting early is the best way to ensure profitability. 

Holiday Themed Emails

"Follow CAN-SPAM rules for commercial email messaging and send holiday-themed emails that invite customers and prospects to take advantage of special holiday sales and offers," said Freberg. "SMBs that use email marketing must give recipients the option to stop receiving emails, so they should consult with an email marketing company or small advertising agency to ensure that best practices are used." – PC Mag

Website Optimization

“Give your business website a once-over to make sure it’s ready for a busy holiday season. Is the design tidy and easy to use? Can customers easily find your most popular products or services? Does your eCommerce checkout work smoothly? If you’re the person who works on your website most often, hand this task to a staffer or a trusted friend. They’ll be able to spot the issues you might miss.” - Score

• Use a promo or hello bar across the top and change the messages regularly.
• Create gift idea collections under a certain dollar amount—your e-commerce platform may have a smart collection option to automate sorting by price range, items in stock, and best sellers.
• Source or create gift guide banners to link to your gift idea collections.
• Add more methods to pay, especially mobile-friendly methods: ApplePay, PayPal, Amazon.
• Optimize for speed including uninstalling services which may not handle increased traffic and image compression. - Forbes

Customer Rewards

“To really celebrate your customers and make them feel extra special during the holidays, you can offer them exclusive deals.  One easy way to do this is to offer rewards or discounts for signing up for your company’s newsletter, email chain, or following your company’s social media accounts. Everyone loves to feel special, and everyone definitely loves a good promo code.” – Huffington Post

Gift Suggestions

“Start offering up gift ideas and suggestions early in December. Buying gifts for family, friends and business acquaintances is hard work – make it easy for your customers this year! If you want to introduce a special offer early in the month, make sure it is bound by a time limit.” – U.S. Small Business Administration

Plan For The Future

“If Fall isn’t your busiest season, it’s a great time to plan for 20(19). Get your staff (if you have one) out of the office or warehouse and think strategically about ways to grow your business and the steps you need to take. Even if you work alone, create a simple plan for 20(19).  Remind yourself of your long-term goals. Why do you want to own your own business? Financial security? Time flexibility? Ability to use your skills? Remember and recommit to those goals.” – USA Today  

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