It’s the beginning of November, which means in a few short weeks Christmas, Hanukah, and about a million other holidays will be here. The holiday season is hands down one the busiest times of the year, and if you are a small, one-person-operated creative business it’s even more stressful. To help you prepare for the upcoming battle, we’ve gathered four tips to help you prepare now so you can make it through another holiday season.
Photograph from KNSSRadio.com
1. Get Organized
When you have a ton of orders coming in, shipping to handle, and about 800 other things going on all at once, the last thing you’ll want to do is stop everything to search for something as silly as tape. Get organized now. Make sure you have your supplies and products in order, and have enough supplies to make it through the holiday rush. By having all your supplies and products taken care of, it will be one less thing you won’t have worry about. For more tips on organizing, check out these articles:
- Get a Handle on Craft Supply
- 5 Tips for Increasing Productivity
- Prepare Your Online Store for the Holiday Rush
2. Promote, Promote, Promote
It’s never too early to start marketing for those holiday sales. Start planning discounts and special sales, craft fairs to attend, and social media posts you’ll be using. Try using a site like HootSuite which allows you to schedule a bunch of posts ahead of time and will send them out for you. It does the work for you, allowing you to focus on other things.
Also, make sure to pick out your best-selling products and re-position them for the holiday market. It’s never to late to start promoting your products. The more people who see your store, the better chance you have at selling more of your products, so get put your business out there in whatever way you can! For more tips, check out these articles:
- Tis’ the Season: Holiday Marketing
- How to Run a Successful Online Promotion
- 5 Tips for Using Pinterest to Promote Your Craft Business
- A New Way to Connect with Customers and Fellow Crafters: A Virtual Craft Fair
3. Think of Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out
When a customer’s deciding between your product and another persons, and both look similar and are good quality, what is going to be the deciding factor that makes them choose yours? Perhaps you offer a discount on shipping, free gift wrapping, or the price in general is a bit lower.
A good idea before it becomes too busy would be to check out your inventory make sure that it’s priced competitively. You don’t want to miss out on a sale because it’s priced way to high. You could also think of offering a discount on shipping, too. There are ways to ship an item that wouldn’t be a huge cost to you. Remember, the customer’s always looking to get more bang for their buck.
Another great offer to make your business stand out is free gift wrapping. Yes, this may be time consuming, but if you plan it now you could wrap and organize your products before the rush. There are plenty of ways to wrap a gift that won’t cost you much, if anything at all. Figure out a way that your business can stand out from the pack and give the customer an experience that will make them come back time and time again. For more tips check out these articles:
4. Take Care of Yourself
With everything going on in your business, don’t forget to take time to take care of yourself. Getting sick on top of everything else won’t help your business. Plus, it’s really not worth throwing off your work-life balance. Take time for yourself, make sure to do things to for you as well.
The holiday season is the true test of a business owner. There’s no such thing as preparing too much for the rush. By taking these few steps now, you’ll end up saving yourself time and stress.
How do you prepare for the holiday season?
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