I am a huge autumn fan, but even I’m starting to feel like skipping past Halloween and going straight to Christmas this year.
Never has the phrase ’Shop Small, Start Early’ been so important.
It's already a stressful time for plenty of businesses without the delays and panic buying. (Imagine if we ran to our local high street like we did the petrol stations!)
I know that my mum has hidden an emergency pack of pigs in blankets in the freezer should the worst case happen.
While the message is ‘start early’ for shoppers, it means starting earlier for businesses too, if you haven’t already.
Here are a few things you can do to make it easier in the lead-up!
Plan ahead
It's hard to plan when you sit in front of an empty page. Before you begin, write key dates, words, themes, and things to remember.
For businesses - Note any important dates coming up such as product launches, Black Friday, Bonfire Night, paydays, and shopping events.
For shoppers - List everyone you need to buy for and any ideas you have. Can it be bought at a small business?
Use what you already have
You don't have to create brand new marketing ideas every Christmas. Look at what’s worked well over the last few years and reuse it.
For businesses - Look at your content from last year. Can it be reused with new pictures? Can you copy and paste parts of newsletters or social media posts to save time?
For shoppers - If someone loved a present last year, can you get it again? Cocoa Therapy chocolates and gift vouchers for dinner always go down well for us!
Ask for what you want
Our British politeness means we often feel awkward asking for what we want. Being honest is usually a relief for everyone, especially at Christmas.
For businesses - If you want to sell all of your advent calendars before mid-November, tell us. If you want us to leave a review, tag a friend, buy gifts early, treat each other to gift vouchers, tell us! Let us know what would be the most helpful for your business and why.
For shoppers - Imagine a Christmas list that is full of small local businesses. Help everyone out by suggesting gifts from your favourites. And yes, I feel awkward writing this too but I know that when I already have a list of things I need or want, it’s so much easier for everyone!
Let’s make Christmas easier for our local businesses by spreading it out across October and November too. More Christmas fun? Who would say no to that!
I'm going to follow my own advice and let you know that I'd love for us to work together before Christmas!
The best ways for us to work together at the moment are....
- A 90 minute one-to-one session where we can cover marketing strategy, social media, newsletters, Instagram, reels, launching... anything you need help with!
- The Six Week Marketing Fix - 6 weeks of ongoing marketing support with guidance and help on every weekly topic. This is for you if you need longer and more intense help with your marketing.
- Copywriting - If you need an extra pair of hands to write emails or social media content that converts to sales this winter, get in touch.
Send me an email on hannah@hicommunications.co.uk to find out more.