Small businesses often get lost in the shuffle during the holiday season. With all the holiday promotions and marketing campaigns from big box stores and online retailers, it can be difficult for small businesses to get noticed. However, as Bankrate notes, the holiday season is a crucial time for small businesses to generate sales and build customer loyalty. By developing a holiday strategy, small businesses can take advantage of the increased spending and foot traffic during this busy time of year. Here are a few ideas from the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to keep in mind when creating an effective holiday strategy.

There's No Better Time to Give Back

One of the best ways to prepare your small business for the holiday season is by giving back to the local community. SCORE points out that you can do this in any number of creative ways, such as offering your own products or services to a local charity or donating meals to a homeless shelter. Not only will this make your business feel good during the holiday season, but it will also help you attract customers who are looking to support businesses that give back.

Decorative Storefronts Naturally Catch the Eye

Another great way to prepare your small business for the holidays is by accessorizing your storefront with a holiday theme, such as a unique window display. This is a great way to attract attention from passersby and let them know that you're open for business. When decorating your storefront, be sure to use festive colors and themes that reflect the holiday spirit. You should also make sure your decorations are well-lit so they can be seen at night.

Holiday Gift Guides are Essential (And Low Cost!)

If you want your small business to thrive during the holidays, you need to start thinking about gift-giving early. One way to do this is by creating an affordable gift guide using PDFs. PDFs are versatile regarding how they can be created and edited. For example, using this PDF page extract tool allows you to pull only certain pages to reduce the file size for emailing or posting on social media. You can also organize the original PDF file by moving, rotating, deleting and adding pages as needed.

This gift guide can be emailed or posted on your website and social media channels so potential customers know what products you have to offer. Be sure not only to include items that are available for purchase, but also items that may be out of stock or only available for special order.

Holiday Marketing is Key

The holidays are also a great time to adjust your marketing strategy. This may include creating new marketing materials such as flyers and postcards or running holiday-themed promotions and contests. You should also make sure your website and social media channels are updated with any changes in hours or special offers. By updating your marketing approach, you'll be able attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back for more.

Catching Last-Minute Shoppers is Essential

During the holidays, there will always be some people who wait until the last minute to do their shopping. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to attract these last-minute shoppers. One way is by offering gift wrapping services. This will save shoppers time and hassle, which is always appreciated during the busy holiday season. You can also offer discounts and promotions specifically for last-minute shoppers. For example, you could offer 10% off all purchases made within 48 hours of notable holidays. By offering these types of incentives, you'll be able to attract last-minute shoppers and boost sales during what is typically a slow period.

Hiring the Right Seasonal Staff is Important

If you want your small business to survive the holiday rush, you may need to hire some seasonal staff members temporarily during peak times. Seasonal staff can help with tasks such as stocking shelves, ringing up customers, and gift wrapping purchases. By hiring seasonal staff members, you'll be able to free up your regular employees so they can focus on other tasks such as handling customer inquiries or managing inventory levels.

The holidays are a vital time for small businesses because they represent a major opportunity to increase sales and profits. There are a number of things small businesses can do to prepare for the holiday season, such as giving back to the local community or updating their marketing approach. By taking advantage of these tips, you'll be able to ensure that your small business is ready for anything the holiday season throws its way.

If you’re ready to grow your business with the help of great local resources and partnerships, join the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.