Somehow it’s already time to prepare for the holiday season. I’m really not sure where 2016 went, but before we know it it’ll be 2017 and the fun starts all over again. It goes without saying that the holiday season is the busiest time of year! Before your store gets so busy and things begin to just be a blur, take some time to plan ahead. It’ll help you to be more focused and efficient during the holiday season – and help to drive sales because everyone will be on the same page.
One of the easiest ways to stay on track during the busy season is to use a tried and true method – the calendar! A calendar is certainly not a new invention, but when used correctly it can be a huge time saver. A calendar can help you map out and plan for a lot of different areas of your business including when you want to hire for additional help, plan specific promotions, introduce new inventory, etc. Taking time to sit down to plan all of this out can help to keep your holiday season on track both in the store and online. Sending your holiday calendar to your Marketing Specialist gives them the opportunity to plan store specific posts for hiring, promotions, etc. and to coordinate email marketing dates effectively.
Working on a calendar in advance to send to your Marketing Specialist creates an opportunity to effectively plan your holiday marketing schedule in advance. For example, your Marketing Specialist will know about your Black Friday deals and can coordinate Facebook posts and email marketing campaigns to support the same messaging in advance. But it won’t just help your Marketing Specialist, sharing your calendar in advance with your employees will help them gear up for pushing promotions in the store. This will help to save everyone time (and sanity) as the busy season begins.
There are a lot of options available to you for calendar resources. You can give the old pen and paper a shot first, but this may not be as easy to share as doing something on your computer. Our favorite option is to create a google calendar. This keeps your calendar online which is accessible at any time from anywhere, but it’s also easy to share with as many people as you’d like. You can also use a calendar template on excel, if you’re comfortable with excel this a good choice as well!
Planning out a calendar will help to make your life as a business owner a little easier during the busy season. So before Halloween passes, give this a try and give everyone the opportunity to make this your best holiday season yet!