Your business doesn’t go on holidays

The other day I was in the supermarket, and I saw the first batch of Christmas decorations on the shelves. I’m pretty sure we only just had the June long weekend and suddenly it’s coming up on the end of the year – how did that happen?!

For a lot of businesses the status quo seems to be that the holiday period is a time to wind down operations as a kind of hiatus, and then start up again in the new year.

However did you know that this could actually be hurting your business – just because you’re taking a break, doesn’t mean your online marketing should!

The truth is that the market for goods and services doesn’t slow down just because it’s the holiday period, and it is just as important (if not more so) to keep up the momentum of your online presence leading up to and throughout Christmas and New Year.

Think of it this way – keeping your digital marketing active and growing during this time can actually help you get an edge for the new year ahead. While all your competitors are accepting the conventional myth that businesses should close up shop for the holidays, you can use this time to take advantage of a less flooded market, and formulate a solid digital marketing plan to help your business start the new year with a bang.

Because a lot of companies go on hiatus during this period, when it comes to search engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising on Google, the cost per conversion is cheaper and impression shares are higher, meaning your are getting more exposure for less outlay.

And then, come January, when everyone is returning to work, you want to be the company that is raring to go with a refreshed marketing strategy, business plan or even a brand new website, ready to convert those new leads into customers – meanwhile your competitors are just starting to come up with strategies for the year ahead.

If you run a micro or small business, it can feel like that because you are going on holidays so should your business. However, this can negatively impact any SEO and marketing efforts you have put in the months prior, meaning that those months of work are effectively wasted and you will have to start again from scratch – search engine optimisation requires ongoing maintenance to be successful so neglecting this can cause your business to slip backwards.

Keeping your momentum going with your digital marketing and online presence in terms of maximising Google rankings, making sure your branding is on point and your website accessible to all potential customers over the Christmas period means you are ready to start the new year with a bang and take advantage of the full calendar year to grow your business, instead of just getting going in February or even March like some of your competitors.

Don’t look at Christmas and New Year as a time to close down operations. See it as an opportunity to keep your momentum going and get ahead of your competitors, by not only maintaining your current marketing plan but supercharging your online marketing ready to start the new year ahead of the pack!