When it is still 80-plus degrees in southern Arizona, it’s hard to start thinking about the holidays. But they creep up fast, as we are reminded when retail giants like Walmart and Target sneak their holiday deals and merchandise into stores soon after the autumnal equinox.
Should your small business be doing the same?
You should consider it, and here’s why, according to Caron Beesley, a small-business owner, marketing communications consultant and writer for the SBA.gov team:
- As reported by Accenture in a 2013 study, 23 percent of shoppers start shopping in the early fall, and nearly three quarters will be finished by the end of November! Start late and you’ll miss the boat.
- According to a 2013 survey by Constant Contact, 52 percent of respondents report that new customers attained during the holidays become repeat, loyal customers.
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The firm also reports that only 31 percent of small businesses surveyed start planning for the holidays between only two and three months in advance. A bit late to make much of a splash.
- If you start planning your holiday marketing earlier, you can spread the costs over several months so that cash flow isn’t impeded and you are ready to roll come the holiday season.
Starting early also pays off when securing better deals on design and printing costs as well as other vendor incentives to help keep your costs lower. Coming off the long slow summer, these companies will be eager to entice you to start spending sooner rather than later.
Planning now can make an already stressful time easier to manage knowing that your campaign is up, running and delivering you a healthy return on investment.
Diane Diamond is the vice president of media relations for SCORE Southern Arizona, a nonprofit group that offers free small-business counseling and mentoring by appointment at several locations. For more information, go to southernarizona.score.org, call 505-3636, or send an email to mentoring@scoresouthernaz.org