Why End-of-Year Planning Starts Now

by | Business

Have you ever been scrolling social media and noticed that it suddenly feels like everyone is doing a holiday or special event campaign and you wished that you had thought to do a promotion too? Likewise, have you found yourself watching your emails and replying to questions during the times you intended to be offline from business and present with your family instead? These are both prime examples of why end-of-year planning should be done a long way ahead of mid-December. Let’s look at a few specifics to be aware of so you can prepare your business.

System Development

If you want streamlined systems and automations that work for your business they need to be built in advance. If you have a special offer you may need landing pages, email automations, notifications, booking unavailability, automated FAQ or purchase support, enquiry and onboarding processes in place to enable you to effectively log out. Give yourself and your team plenty of time to collect the strategy, workflow design, build, test and improve these processes so there are no “oops” issues over busy periods or when you are offline.

Project and Team Management

Delegation and team management are learnable skills. A big piece is to understand how to use the time and skills of your team effectively to manage both the day-to-day tasks as well as the bigger projects such as launches and development. By taking the time to map the end of year out ASAP you open up clear communication and allow the many moving parts to be built with ample space rather than cramming them into the last 4 days. This is far better for your budget, for team productivity and for smoother outcomes.

Marketing lead time

Here is a horrifying little thought. Data tells us that Christmas-related searches start trending upwards from October! But more striking than that is the lead time to effectively utilise Pinterest and paid advertising campaigns. You are looking at anywhere from 2 weeks to 10 weeks in advance to start gaining traction. It is the old “the best time to do something was yesterday but the second best time to do it is today”. The sooner you can get your holiday offers prepared the better prepared you will be for consumer searches!

Clear communication

Finally, one of the best reasons to start planning end of the year now is so you can maintain clear communication with your community, your team, and your family. Once you know what your plan is, then, you will know what to promote, how many openings you will have available, when to close your books, and when to plan holidays. Knowing this means you are able to show up in the best way possible for your clients with no overbookings, rushed offers or missed deadlines.

End-of-year planning is essential for any business owner looking to enjoy a stress-free holiday season or manage effective holiday promotions. By planning your systems, projects, marketing, and team management ahead of time, you not only save yourself the chaos but also ensure your customers and team are well-served even while you’re offline. The best time to start preparing for the end of the year is now! With proactive planning, you’ll be able to log off for Christmas with peace of mind.

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