That time of year has finally rolled around where we wind down, and enjoy our much needed break for the holidays. However, when it comes to running your own business, going on leave isn’t always an option.
Though going on vacation may not be in the cards, we have a variety of ideas for the next two weeks to keep your business chugging along into the new year.
1. Schedule your content calendar
Did you know you can schedule posts from your content calendar ahead of time? With tools such as Hootsuite, you can create your content, choose a date and time for your content to be posted and let your social media management system do your dirty work. Scheduling your content ahead of time allows you to lessen your workload over the holidays, while keeping your social media outlets up-to-date.
2. Send out holiday emails
Spread the cheerful spirit by creating an email campaign to send to customers before the holidays. Consider including a note of appreciation as well as a holiday promo, thanking users for their support while enticing them to take advantage of your offering before the end of the year. Remember, this is prime opportunity to reach those last-minute Christmas shoppers.
3. Network!
Be sure to attend those year-end functions with business cards in hand – you never know who you’ll run into. After you’ve worked the room at each party, send your new contacts a personal email follow up, touching on things you discussed at the events. Be sure to connect with them on LinkedIn expressing your excitement to work with them in the future. Your booming business in the new year will thank you.
4. Set up automated responses
If you are able to squeeze out of the office for the holidays, make sure your voicemail and out of office email responses are set up to reflect your plans for the shutdown. This way if clients make contact with you, messages will not fall through the cracks, and your customers aren’t waiting too long for a response from you.
5. Spring clean in advance for a fresh start into the new year
Use the time to clear out your inbox and tend to less pressing matters you may have been neglecting. Clear out and organize your computer for the next year, and maybe even create a proper filing system to save time in the long-run.
In addition, clean up your physical environment as well. File away items that are not pertinent or require immediate access. Having a clean work environment will do wonders for getting your business off to a good start in the new year.
We hope these tips help in your business maintenance over the holiday season. Let us know your secrets to year-end success in the comments below!