Surviving Christmas means different things to different people and their respective businesses.
Christmas could be the most critical time of the year, and you only have a very narrow window of opportunity.
Or.
Christmas is your quietest time, and the sales from the summer carry you through the winter period.
Either way, Christmas this year will be different, albeit not as stark as last year; with the backdrop of Covid19, we have new challenges to consider.
Maximising the opportunity of Christmas means throwing the kitchen sink at it, using everything at your disposal to get customers in.
But here’s the thing lots of businesses overlook the simple things, the free things.
Website
Your website is the online face of your business. Is it ready for Christmas?
Have you removed the remnants of old offers and refreshed them?
Have you made customers aware of your upcoming events for the holiday season and reminded them to buy from you?
Do the links on the site still work and go to the right place?
Here is a Website checklist to make it easier.
Here is a Website checklist to make it easier.
Google my business
Your business page on Google has a whole host of information and features that many business owners are unaware of. Some minor tweaks and updates will raise your business profile on Google, the results of which you will see in the search results and activity.
Google My Business is completely free, but millions of businesses have not yet claimed their list despite this. Many, many more who, although they have claimed Google My Business listing, have done little or nothing to optimise it. Big mistake.
Here is a Google My Business checklist to save you some time
Reviews
Consumer opinion travels faster and further than ever before.
.88% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.90% of people read business reviews online before they visit a business. Customers are more likely to spend 31% more with a business.
Reviews don’t just happen, and businesses can do more to get more of the correct feedback.
Reviews don’t just happen, and businesses can do more to get more of the correct feedback.
What other people say about you is many times more potent than what you say about yourself!
A well-managed strategy that builds you a steady flow of positive reviews online, on the websites that matter most to your potential customers, is one of, if not the, most helpful thing you can do.
Facebook ads
As a local business, you can reach more people than ever before at a fraction of the cost of TV, newspapers or other traditional media. However, over 95% of businesses don’t use Facebook ads, which is daft when you see what you can do.
Using Facebook to tell more people what you do is a brilliant thing to do, and you probably only need one campaign to work!
We don’t know how Christmas will turn out with the supply challenges, rising infection rates, rising prices and the apparent shortage of labour. But, if we control what we can, we make the best of the opportunities that pop up in front of us.
The Business Inspector list will highlight some quick wins for you, but if you want to know more and thrive in 2023, click the link for a discovery call.