Prepping for the holiday season
It’s the most wonderful time of the year 🎶🎅🏼
Okay it may only be June, but I’m already thinking about the holidays. Welcome to the world of business. Even when I was in corporate, we started designing our in-store visuals in May to send them to print in July. Well, that was the goal but it never happened. So much red tape 🫠 But the beauty of small business is that we can take steps to control our destiny a little more!
Without proper planning, the holiday season sneaks up on us every year. We get caught up in back to school and Fall fun, and before we know it we’re in the throes of October-December, scrambling to launch holiday products and marketing campaigns. And if you’re newer in your business, you may still be getting a handle on timelines.
So here are some tips on how to plan for the holiday season and minimize last-minute stress in your business. Plus an example timeline you can work from that’s based on an 11/1 launch date. These tips are more geared toward makers and smaller businesses that don’t have a huge wholesale presence yet, and of course you may need more or less time for certain steps depending on your business.
1. Identify your new offerings
when to work on this: spring
Are you launching a new collection? A special on your service offerings? Most product-based businesses start thinking about their holiday line in the Spring. It's Christmas 24/7/365 for many businesses. If you don’t already have this dialed in 100%, this is your sign to get to work asap ✍️
2. Choose your launch date and work backwards from it
when to work on this: spring/early summer
November 1st is pretty standard, but consider waiting a few more days into the month so people can get their Halloween decorations put away before they start hearing about Christmas 🎄🫠 Once you choose your launch date, build a work-back schedule by taking the following steps (and any others needed for your business) into account.
3. Create your new packaging
when to work on this: july-august
If you need new packaging for your products, create that as soon as possible so you can have it produced in time to be captured in marketing photos. For an 11/1 launch, I'd recommend ordering by early/mid August, depending on your lead times (and in case you have any hiccups!). This should give you plenty of time to get your packaging ready for new photography (see the next step).
4. Plan your holiday photoshoot
when to work on this: mid august-mid September
Whether you're shooting product photos yourself or outsourcing, figure out how much time you'll need to shoot them, edit them and work them into your website, email and social media. Consider being done with your photography 6 weeks prior to your launch date. For an 11/1 launch, that would be mid September. If you sell wholesale and need to update catalogs or 3rd party platforms, you may need to have your photos ready as early as July!
5. Update your website + prep for holiday visuals
when to work on this: september
Prep your website for your holiday collection. Does it need extra love? If you haven't touched it in a while, plan on some updated copy, SEO maintenance, new graphics and product photos to show off your holiday line, and make sure all of your links are working like a charm to create the best possible experience for your customers.
If you need help from a copywriter or designer, make sure to reach out with at least 2-3 month’s notice (I recommend more for this time of year since we get super busy!) to discuss your needs and find time in their schedules.
6. Work on your launch campaign
when to work on this: late september-early october
Work on your email campaign and social media plan + graphics. Give yourself another few weeks for this phase. If we're still working toward an 11/1 launch, this will put you into early October. So you'll have a few buffer weeks before your launch date for any hiccups… because they usually happen!
Did I miss anything? What timeline do you follow for your holiday launch, or do you have any tips for minimizing stress during this time of year? Seriously, send me an email! jennifer@solmadestudio.com