6 Reasons Your Business Needs to Prep for the Holidays Now

Desk

Every designer and maker know that the holiday season is the time to make bank when it comes to your business. 

However, a little spoken about secret in the craft business is that the most successful business owners during the holiday season, are the ones who start preparing well in advance of the holidays. As in four, five, six, or more months ahead of time!

I know it can feel a little crazy to start working towards the holidays so far in advance, but here are six reasons why NOW is the time to start planning for holidays sales.

1. Magazine editors start seeking products for gift guides in July and August.  

If you’re hoping to get featured, you’ll need press ready images and a strong sales pitch well before the holidays even start. You’ll need to start making those pitches now if you hope to have products featured in time for holiday buzz. While some bloggers may wait slightly longer to finalize their holiday gift guides, many of them are already on the lookout for great products now!

2. Stores are also looking for products now.  

Even if you don’t exhibit in the major trade shows during July and August, you’ll still want to reach out to stores before they’ve spent their fall and holiday budgets. Most stores will still place orders in November or even early December, but they’re most likely to buy from their existing designers whose products have been selling well throughout the fall. Getting your foot in the door now is key.

3. You need time to strengthen your products and presence online.

Despite what it may seem, social media is not the biggest referrer of holiday shopping traffic. Email is actually number one, with search coming in at a close second. It can take months to improve your SEO, so if you’re trying to make it easier for your products to get found on Google, you’ll need to start optimizing for those keywords now, not in November.


‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts


6 Reasons Your Business Needs to Prep for the Holidays Now CreativeLive

4. It can take months for your content to gain traction on Pinterest.

Focusing on getting great gift ideas and holiday content out onto Pinterest now may seem counterintuitive, but since 50% of site traffic from Pinterest occurs 3.5 months after the initial pin and 50% of orders occur 2.5 months after the initial pin, you’ll have a better chance of success with content that’s pinned now, when the holidays are still months away.

5. Your customers are already thinking about gift ideas.  

Whether it’s items they’re hoping to get for themselves or they’re looking for the perfect gift for that family member who has everything, customers are already searching for gift ideas. The sooner you can get your products in front of them (and the more you can stay top of mind through email marketing and social media), the more likely they’ll be to turn to your products when it’s time to finally buy.

6. If you start now, the holiday season could make this your best year yet!

Even if you haven’t been happy with your sales so far this year, there’s so much retail activity that happens in the last quarter that you can still turn it around! By focusing on your holiday planning and marketing now, you can set the stage for your best holiday season (and your best year) yet!

Check out Improve Your Holiday Sales here on CreativeLive for more great, tactical advice on growing your handmade business.


‘Tis the season. Gift the creative in your life something special – check out our curated holiday gifts


Megan Auman FOLLOW >

Megan Auman designs for women who want to be effortlessly bold. Trained as a metalsmith, but constantly inspired by textiles and fashion, Megan believes that the right accessories can change not only our look, but our mood and attitude.