7 Ways To Prepare Your Business For The New Year
It is officially the festive season and a time when most of us start to slow down and take some time for ourselves. Now is also the perfect time to start preparing our businesses for the new year. I don’t mean that you have to work every minute of Christmas (we all deserve a break and a few days to put our feet up), but getting some of these smaller jobs out the way now will be worth it later on in the year.
REVISIT YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
Over the course of the year, we are all guilty of falling off the wagon a bit (or completely) when it comes to business plans. We all start out with the best intentions, but sometimes life just gets in the way. So now is the perfect time to revisit your business plan from this year and see what you managed to achieve and what just got abandoned by the wayside. Once you know what did and didn’t work so well you are in a great position to start planning next years business plan.
Now, remember, one top tip when writing a business plan is to be realistic and not set yourself up for failure, so don’t over plan or try to fit too much in. Maybe just choose three or four big things you’d like to achieve next year.
SET YOURSELF SOME BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS
We all have business goals that we hope to achieve over the coming year but they often get forgotten by March. So, to make them more of a permanent fixture make sure to actually note them down somewhere. Display them somewhere where you will see them often. This could be somewhere prominent in your studio, pinned above your desk or on your phone or tablet.
CREATE A PROMOTIONS CALENDAR
While this year is still fresh in your mind, now is the perfect time to start planning a promotions calendar for the coming year. Make a note of all the major retail holidays that you could market yourself for e.g. if you are a family portrait photographer then Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas are your major selling times, alternatively if you are a boudoir photographer then Christmas and Valentine’s Day are more appropriate for you to market for and if you are a wedding or event photographer then wedding season, Christmas and new year might be the time to get your name out there.
INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY
With Christmas gift ideas being requested and the January sales heading our way now is a great time to invest in any new technology.
REASSESS YOUR WEBSITE
As this is a time when most of us have a bit of time off, it is also the perfect opportunity to reassess your website and it’s content. Do you like the look of your site? Is it easy to navigate? Do you still like the content? Is the content still relevant (this is particularly important when looking at contact pages and website footers)? If you think your site could do with a bit of a freshen up then here are some blog posts to take a look at that might give you a bit of inspiration:
- Should You DIY Your Website Or Hire A Designer?
- How To Create A Consistent Style For Your Website
- 6 Weekend Activities To Help Improve Your Website Or Blog
On the other hand, if you think your website needs a complete overhaul then take a look at our Web Build Service.
REFRESH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
Much like with your website, now is the time to take a good look at your social media and see if anything needs a refresh. Do you still like your profile picture and cover image? Is the bio information correct and are you happy with it? Has anything happened over the past year that you should add to it e,g, awards, commendations etc? Do you have links to all your social media accounts on your website?
If you are yet to join the social media world then take a look at our Social Media Service.
GET ORGANISED
Don’t put it off until January – take some time to get organised now so that you can start afresh in the new year. Give your workspace a tidy up, throw away any paperwork you no longer need and file the rest, finish up any jobs that are still hanging over you and give your desktop a clear up. Getting these little jobs out the way now will make the new year a much nicer experience.