We all have things we avoid around the holidays: annoying family members and acquaintances that reappear every time you go home, seasonal house cleaning, Auntie Emma’s fruitcake… Leading up to the holidays, however, it is even more important to avoid mistakes at work. Because the holidays are such a busy time, marketing and sales processes often get hectic and overwhelming for small businesses. It’s essential to keep everything organized and efficient, and there are lots of potential mistakes that you need to watch out for.
1. Missing the Boat
If you don’t start planning early enough, your holiday marketing campaigns won’t go out on time. When customers receive holiday marketing messages too late, they have usually already made their purchases elsewhere. You lose revenue and your business looks like it’s not on the ball. You should begin planning for the winter holiday season in September. When you actually start sending depends on your business and your customers. Review how your holiday campaigns performed in previous years and research what other similar businesses are doing, then decide when to send out each campaign.
Follow a strict time schedule. If you start holiday marketing too early, it won’t be successful either. Customers generally aren’t in the mood to think about the holiday season in September. Also, if you continue sending holiday marketing messages after the season is over, people will be sick of this type of message and get annoyed. So make sure your campaigns end when they’re supposed to. New Year’s is generally the last date at which holiday-related marketing messages go out. One exception would be a message advertising a huge after-holidays sale.
