Winter is Coming: Getting Your Business Ready

We are only a few short months from the 2020 holiday season; and with all of the change and adversity our community has faced this year, it’s sneaking up on many of us. There’s always a lot to do to prepare a business for the holiday season and this year is no exception. To help lighten your load, here’s a quick checklist of some of the best practices to prepare your business for winter in 2020.

Google My Business

With all of the pivoting and adapting businesses have had to do during the COVID pandemic, the first thing you should make sure you have squared away before the holiday season is that your business is registered with Google. Being the #1 search engine (by far) – it’s critical that Google can suggest your business to both online and in person shoppers. This is the best way to improve your local search results and ensure that you’re not missing any foot traffic, because people can’t find you. Here is a link to Google My Business, to get you started.

Tell Your Story through Photography

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Another key component to getting ready for this holiday season is making sure the imagery you use on your website is high quality- well placed and also tells your story. Use those thousand words! Communicate who you are and what kind of service your customers can expect from you. There is so much you can communicate with the right photography. If you want to know more, or get started telling your story through photography, reach out to Mike Nordtvedt of LifeSlice Photography, who recently presented on this topic at our Fall Business Boot Camp.

Create an Online Customer Flow

Once you’ve registering your business with Google, you have fresh imagery to use– you have to decide what your online presence looks like. What tools will you use? Often that means having a website, or an e-commerce store. It always means having active social media accounts that can connect specific new audiences to your business. Sometimes a Facebook store is the right answer, sometimes building a store with Squarespace is the ticket- while for others, a custom mobile application is the right answer. It all depends on what you have time to manage, the resources you have, what audience you’re speaking to- and the specific needs of the business. Creating an online customer flow is just like laying out a store and figuring out how to advertise. It’s defining the process of how people will find your business, what steps they will need to take to browse your offerings and make a purchase. Creating this customer flow will also help you map out future ways to continue to serve your customers more effectively and efficiently. 

Update Your Google Analytics and Keywords

If your business model is depending on an eCommerce store, or driving traffic to your website, there is one bigger, final step recommended to get you set up for the holiday season. Make sure your Google Analytics and Keywords are properly set up. This process is fairly complicated and will require some self-learning- or the hiring of a partner. Erin Maloney of Ruby Porter, who recently presented at our Fall Business Boot Camp, comes with our highest recommendation. They can help you figure out your customer flow and ensure your SEO (use of keywords) is driving the right traffic to your site. They can also assist you in making sure Google Analytics is correctly set up: so you to know exactly who you’re reaching and how, so you can make the most informed adjustments in the future, and maximize the value of your investment.

Take Care of Yourself and Your Family

And one final tip for preparing for the holiday season: take care of yourself and your family. This year has been full of hardships and difficulties for everyone; especially business owners. If you’re feeling stretched too thin between all the holiday prep, it’s difficult to enjoy. Make sure among all the other preparation that you set aside time to celebrate and relax. It will serve you well.

With that, we wish you the best heading into the holiday season. To you and yours, we hope you stay happy, healthy and your business continues to thrive. Please reach out anytime if there is anything the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce can do for you.