Christmas is upon us, and another year is coming to an end. Which means It’s that time of year again, the Melbourne Cup has come and gone, and traditionally things have now started to slow down. Businesses and people start to change focus. This also means, businesses are getting ready for the Christmas break, and looking to the new year, and although this planning creates a busy time for most, it is also a time where people want to be able to relax and unwind.

I often find that businesses struggle with their preparation for the seasonal break, therefore I find that they get their priorities wrong. Have you ever questioned how you can be better prepared for this time of year, in order for you to hit the ground running in the new year?

Firstly, let’s start with the basics. Are you service-based business or a product-based business, because they really need to be treated differently during this time of year.

Service-based businesses  

For service based businesses, this can be a really great time. People have started to wind down and are typically not making sales. This is not the time of year where businesses want to be making big decisions or commitments for the new year. Rather, their priorities have changed and it is time for a bit of in-house maintenance.

However, now’s the time to be creating really pointed, really valuable content that could entertain your audience or engage them over the holiday period. For example, a great place to focus would be if you’ve got an interesting service. You should consider sending a message out about the festive season, this could be about spending some time off, or how important downtime is for customers’ businesses.

With your customers winding down, now is the time to continue to provide valuable content.

As you come into the post-Christmas period, leading up to New Year’s, you may want to start talking about what’s coming for next year. Consider providing more eye catching, yet lighter, engaging content that people can easily digest, as they relax over the break.  The key here is to make it interesting, engaging and informative to tie them over during that time.

In summary, the point is, make your content production something that is fun, not sales focused, but keeps your message and your business alive. This will show that you care about your audience and that you continue to provide value to them.

If you’re not providing value, don’t provide content.  It’s that simple.

What if you’re a product-based business? 

Product-based businesses

If your product isn’t seasonally sensitive, it’s likely not a prime time for your business. If it were, your business you would be extremely busy.

In the lead up to Christmas, things can get a bit hectic, people are looking for last minute purchases and gift ideas. So what should you be doing?  Again, you should be making the exchange of information, but the principle doesn’t stay the same. It’s just the type of content that changes.

You should make the content interesting, engaging, and valuable around your products and around how they apply to your audience so they may interact with it and/or use it during the season.

Showing genuine interest in your audience and the people who are your potential customers is really important.  Give them something that’s going to be of value over this time. It doesn’t even have to be related to your product.  Maybe it’s about the process of making the purchase.  Maybe you could influence their decision of purchase in a way whereby you are indirectly selling to them, i.e showing them the benefits of buying your product. By doing so, you can facilitate their behaviour to purchase your product. 

Here’s an example.

If you make a particular handmade toy for toddlers, parents find it really hard to know what gifts to buy, and it’s very easy to go to Big W or one of the major retail chains, and spend a small fortune on a bunch of plastic. Here is your opportunity to inform them of the alternatives. Here is your chance to show them your product and how it is something that has been made in-country, and how it can be a legacy toy, something their children can pass on to their children. You need to tell a story behind your product.  Now’s the time to be sharing those stories and to be making the process to purchase easy by providing value, by engaging and by being informative.

 

I hope that helps.  Enjoy the festive Season.