Running a business is a lot of work in general and that work can fluctuate throughout the seasons. So, this winter I have prepared a few tips to help us all keep our businesses growing throughout this time of year.
My first piece of advice would be to embrace new technology and upgrades. Since we were all forced to adapt during covid you may find a lot of your customers are wanting to have access to your services and products from the comfort of their own home. This is a fast-paced environment and people want the newest and most convenient ways to shop, whether that be for products of services.
Now this piece of advice is crucial at all times of year, but winter is a great time to continue to build your brand. Keep in communication with your customers as much as you can. Let them know what’s new, give them rewards etc. This is what keeps a customer coming back. Times are hard now so why not reach out with some offers to bring both old and new customers in. It’s important we build a relationship, so we are the first thought when buying or using a service.
Be prepared for the unpredictable weather. We can wake up in a rainstorm and end the day not even needing a coat from the heat. This means that physically our sales may be affected as people are not wanting to venture out in such weather. This also means sales can increase online so make sure your website is built to handle larger sales as you don’t want it crashing and sending your customers elsewhere. Communicate any delays in deliveries that may be affected by the weather changes as well, its important that we are always transparent to help keep that communication open. This also applies to companies who are providing a service as your travel times may differ this time of the year.
Have a look at what your company has to offer from all perspectives. Can you adapt any products to the festivities or needs of the winter? Can you make yourself in higher demand? Look at your current advertising and marketing tactics, can they use improvements this time of year? Are you relevant? Its important to adapt to the changing seasons with marketing and techniques. This could be as simple as updating a website design, changing background themes in images etc.
The last and most important tip I’m going to leave you with is to take care of yourself and your wellbeing this winter. Running a business is a lot of work and if you burn yourself out then both you and your company will no doubt suffer. Take time for yourself as well, be realistic about what you can accomplish, you don’t want to be drowning in too much work. If you want a healthy business, you and your employees need to be healthy mentally, and physically as much as you can, within the depths of your control inside the workplace.