Gas up those grills, marinate some steaks, and fill up your coolers. The Fourth of July is almost here and we know you can’t wait to bust out of the office and put on your swimsuit. But what happens to the Internet while we’re all munching on watermelon and chugging down another beer? Does it hang up its hat and hit the pool, too?
Sadly, the Internet doesn’t sleep. Consider this. Just like your business takes a few days off during this great American holiday, so do many others. All those employees now have a lot of downtime. And whether they’re on their way to a campground, chilling poolside, or preparing for a “staycation”, chances are they have their laptop or mobile device at their side and they’re finally getting around to do some long awaited online shopping. Or Facebooking. Or catching up with their favorite blogs.
The holidays, like the one quickly approaching, are a fantastic time to engage your audience. People are in a good mood, they finally have some “me” time, and they’re just about ready to make a purchase they’ve been mulling for a while. And with all the holiday sales, why not make the move now? Well, I’ll tell you why not. Because your company let its website/blog/social media fall off the radar. We can’t blame you for going to a BBQ or two, but as Internet marketers, we can blame you for not writing a blog post ahead of time or forgetting to schedule a tweet or two. Your customers are out there, with a two- or three-day weekend ahead of them, and you’re nowhere to be found.
So how do you stay ahead of the curb, continue to manage your online presence, and still sneak out for a fireworks show?
Plan a Promotion
Get started early and you won’t break a sweat during any holiday weekend or season. Plan a promotion, sale, or some sort of offering to whet your customers’ appetites ahead of time and they’ll be ready to purchase as soon as the holiday hits. From email newsletters to social media posts, blast your followers and let them know to save the date for big savings, or what have you. You might not be able to have such a big weekend getaway with all the extra business coming in, but at least you won’t miss a huge opportunity!
Write Early, Stay Out Late
When the “barbies” are calling and you’re just itching to get out there, the last thing you want to worry about is a blog post for your website. Sitting inside and staring at a computer while your friends and family await is hardly conducive to quality writing. Rushing your blog will only make your website and online presence suffer, and trust me, your customers will know the difference.
Writing blog posts ahead of time is good practice to begin with, but it’s especially important when a holiday is on the horizon. Create a content plan well in advance and make sure to leave room for blog posts that focus on a particular holiday so you can be relevant when the time comes. A little hard work in the beginning will pay off when there’s an ice-cold beverage calling your name later.
Schedule Social Media
Of course, you can update your social media accounts as you go along. Mobile devices make it easy for us to update anytime, anywhere. However, holidays are hardly the best time to post from a business-appropriate mind set.
During the recent presidential elections, the KitchenAid twitter account posted: “@KitchenAidUSA: Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! ‘She died 3 days b4 he became president’. #nbcpolitics.” The tweet was in poor taste and had KitchenAid executives scrambling to correct their image for days.
Keep in mind this tweet was posted during elections. Can you imagine what misguided posts can occur during a holiday where hot sunny days and alcoholic beverages are the norm? It’s best to enjoy your time off and schedule your social media posts ahead of time.
From HootSuite to social media apps themselves, there are plenty of options for advance scheduling. Think up some relevant posts, hashtags, and links, and queue them up. You’ll be able to reach your customers when they have some free time and money to spend. And if you planned ahead for that sale, they might be even more inclined to buy in.
As business owners, we know that our lives can feel like all work and no play. And when a fun, outdoorsy holiday is just around the corner, it can be pretty upsetting when there are Facebooks to update, Twitters to tweet, and pins to, well, pin. Luckily, we can get a little creative ahead of time to allow us to do business even when we’re at the grill and spending time with our loved ones.
It might be too late to plan a few of the actions discussed here before Independence Day is here, but start planning now and you just might be able to soak up the last few days of summer over Labor Day weekend. And don’t forget, RumbleLink is always here to help you plan out your Internet Marketing needs!
How do you keep your business afloat during the holidays? Tell us via Facebook or Twitter! #RLholidaybiz
The post Holiday Business Is The Best Business appeared first on .