Do you suffer from stopping and starting your business during the holidays?

During the holiday season so many people stop doing business the last week of November following Thanksgiving and the last two weeks of December prior to Christmas. Thus you are stopping your busines What happens is that you are now spending the first half of January re-starting and wondering why you haven’t actually done any business in January.

Of course if you are a retailer what I’ve said above obviously does not apply to you.

But it does apply to non-retailers. Marketing is a consistent activity. It requires consistent thought and action. 

Here are a few tips to keep you marketing your business during the holidays.

1.)  Find out what your clients are marketing in January and February and show them why being proactive now will benefit them later. An example would be if your clients do tradeshows and workshops and you supply them with a product or service – wouldn’t you want  them to purchase that product or service now? Show them that by doing so now will free up their time later.

2.)  Create a rewards program now, so you are prepared to launch and market it the first week of Janauary.

3.)  Create your 2012 marketing calendar now. Get all your ducks in a row now so that starting in January you are ready to roll.

4.)  Get your social media strategy together now for the new year. Don’t wait to start until January! While it’s true many social media tools offer the opportunity to connect with global audiences, they’re also great for driving local business when used in a targeted fashion. By creating your posts now and driving people to your offers in January will keep the pipeline filled with prospects and customers.

5.) Get referrals from you customers, people that you can schedule appointments with the end of December or early January

Wishing you continued success in prosperity.

JoAnne Funch is owner of GIR-Graphics & Innovative Resources, providing creative marketing solutions to small business owners and non-profits who want to gain visibility off-line or on-line through strategic marketing ideas and consistent branding messages  For free marketing tips visit her website www.girpromotions.com. Or, connect with JoAnne on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn