Survive the holidays as a small business owner
The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! As November comes to close small businesses everywhere prepare for the busy season of the holidays. When your personal life (wait, what’s that?) also starts to ramp up during the holidays it can lead to a lot of overwhelm and not enough enjoyment of the festive season.
Before things get out of hand this year, take some time to prepare for the upcoming storm and make the best of the 2019 holiday season for you and your business.
Plan ahead and stay social without the stress
I know I sound like a broken record, but batch creating content ahead of an anticipated busy time can make or break your online social presence. And during the holidays, you do not want to break your social presence, it is a very warm and feel-good time of the year for many people, and you want your business and brand to be a part of it.
The holiday season has many easy content ideas that will keep you engaged and in front of your audience online. Create gift guides for your products or make a year-in-review out of content that already exists. BE authentic and share the behind the scenes to really create a connection with your followers.
Automation of social posts will save you
Once you create all that content, you still have to post it! What sounds better, sitting down once a day for twenty minutes, or sitting down once a month for 3 hours?
During the holiday season, the answer is obvious. Nobody has time for daily posting, so batch creates and then automate your content and free up your time and your sanity for other things.
Embrace the festivities to avoid burnout
It’s all about finding a balance in the stress and the celebration. Have fun with a ‘12 days of giveaway’ campaign or share a little bit more behind the scenes of your family business or the festivities within your business or home.
Focusing on giving back to those that gave to you
Don’t let the business side of things distract you from the real spirit of the season. Give back to your staff by hosting a staff party or giving a small token of appreciation.
Share the love with your customers and followers too! Create a discount or free shipping code and share it with your previous customers or social media followers. This is a great way to thank everyone for being a part of your online growth, while also maybe bringing them back for a sale in the future.
Offer flexibility in gifting with a gift certificate
Not everyone is a genius at buying gifts, and offering a gift certificate is a great way for people to give to those they love without the pressure of having to select a gift.
Take the time to remind your followers that you have a gift certificate, and be creative in the way that you spin at as a gift. Don’t just sell the product or service, sell the benefit that that person will be gifting to their friend.
Don't forget to take care of yourself too
Make a list of the things that relax or destress you before the holidays start, and take time for those things. Read or exercise or knit or whatever you like to do, do it - and often.
Another thing that can vastly improve your mental health over the holidays is to have blackout periods for social media or technology. Take entire days off or clock out at a certain time in the evening and then stick to that time.
