Catching Up

You have heard the saying before. If you are not the leader of the pack, the view never changes. Those words are never more true than when you are promoting your company on social media. I am constantly stressing the need to plan ahead. Liken it to grocery stores that have Halloween candy out on Labor Day. The reasoning is, if they waited until the week before Halloween, they would sell less candy. Plus, they would have to worry about shipping delays and possible loss of their products. I know some people get aggravated when they see those pumpkins roll out, but admit it, you have picked up a bag of Snickers because you couldn't just pass up the display. And that's what suppliers are counting on.

Plan It

If this is the first week of September, your plans for the holidays should already be formed and ready for execution. If not, you are way behind the eight ball. Just like that Halloween candy, you probably have seen some Christmas lights out, (which I have), and probably have noticed companies like caterers and restaurants telling you to book your holiday parties now. The same goes for you. Unless your business just doesn't see an impact from holiday shoppers, then planning your sales and promotions is dire right now. Get with your social media marketer and get going.

Look Around

It's very easy to get busy with your own advertising plans and make the mistake of not checking out your competition. In a perfect world you would not even have to think of who your customer may be looking at buying from besides you. In today's world though, that's a fool's paradise. You have to see what Joe Schmo down the block is marketing. And you need to pay close attention. If you are new, I would even record what my competitor is showcasing, plus how busy I was, and look at this information next year. It will help you form an idea of how to target your advertising pitch when this season comes back around. In this case, all knowledge is power.

Research Is Power Too!

Just like I said before, doing some research on your other competitors is key, but also seeing how your neighboring businesses promote helps also. If the companies on either side of you go all out for every holiday, this means you will already have traffic flow and you can take that opportunity to gain new customers. If not, this is a great opportunity to speak to those owners and maybe collaborate on joint advertising projects. You may even be able to split the cost, and get your name out there among two or more already established businesses in the community. This will drive even more clients to your little corner of the world. That's a good thing!

All in all, you never want to be the business who has to be catching up. So be the leader, and lead on! As always, Social Media Solutions is here to help you. .www.joshuarobin1992.wixsite.com/socialmediasolutions