Picture this: You’re curled up on the couch, sipping hot chocolate, Christmas tree lights twinkling, while your kids are engrossed in their favourite Christmas movie. Your phone buzzes—another sale just came in. No frantic last-minute promotions, no stressed-out work sessions—just steady sales coming in while you enjoy your well-deserved break.
That’s the magic of being prepared for the holiday season, especially when you’ve set up your business to run smoothly on autopilot. Whether you’re a course creator, coach, or digital product creator, the holidays don’t have to be a stressful time. With the right systems in place, you can keep the sales rolling in while you actually take time off to enjoy the season.
In this blog post, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to prepare your business for the holiday season so you can relax knowing your business is taken care of.
1. Start with Your Sales Goals and Define Your Offers
First things first, you need to get clear on what you want to achieve this holiday season. Are you looking for a big revenue boost or aiming to keep things steady while you take a break? Set specific sales goals that align with your overall business objectives.
Next, decide on the offers you’ll be promoting.
- Is it your signature course?
- A coaching package?
- Or maybe a holiday bundle of your digital products?
- Make sure these offers are not only enticing but also aligned with your audience’s needs during the holiday season.
Example: I always kick off my holiday prep by setting a clear revenue target. For instance, last year I aimed to bring in an additional $5,000 at the end of November for Black Friday by focusing on a special Black Friday email marketing bundle that included a launch calendar and done-for-you sales emails.
2. Build or Refine Your Sales Funnel
Now that you’ve got your goals and offers in place, it’s time to ensure your sales funnel is ready to do the heavy lifting. Your funnel should be set up to guide potential customers from the moment they discover your offer to the point they make a purchase.
A lead magnet that leads to an automated email sequences are your best friends here. These emails should nurture your leads, build trust, and eventually, make the pitch—without you having to lift a finger once they’re set up. If you already have a funnel in place, now’s the time to review and optimise it.
Example: I can’t stress enough the importance of testing. Earlier this year, I noticed a drop in conversions in one of my sales sequences, so I tweaked the pitch in my emails and saw a 5% increase in sales almost immediately.
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3. Create a Holiday Content Calendar
Consistency is key during the holidays, but it can be challenging when you’re trying to take some time off. That’s where your content calendar comes in. Plan out your emails, blog posts, social media updates, and any other content you want to push out during the holiday season. But don’t just plan and create your content, schedule it out too. That way, you can relax knowing your marketing is 100% taken care of.
Make sure your content is aligned with your sales goals and promotions. Whether you’re sending out festive email newsletters or sharing holiday tips on Instagram, your content should keep your audience engaged and lead them naturally toward your offers.
4. Develop a Paid Ads Strategy
If you’re using paid ads, the holiday season is the perfect time to ramp up your efforts. Create a holiday-specific ad strategy that aligns with your sales goals. Switch up your usual copy for seasonal messaging that makes your ads stand out from the sea of other content out there.
But remember—ads need monitoring. You don’t want to set them up and forget them, especially during a high-traffic period like the holidays. Keep an eye on your ad performance and be ready to make adjustments as needed.
5. Leverage Social Proof to Boost Conversions
Social proof is incredibly powerful, especially during the holiday season when people are bombarded with offers. Make sure your testimonials and case studies are front and centre on your sales pages and in your email campaigns.
Seeing how others have benefited from your course, coaching, or digital products can tip the scales in your favour, especially for those last-minute shoppers.
Example: I always add fresh testimonials to my sales pages, email campaigns, and social content around the holidays. Last year, I featured a case study from a customer who 5xd her annual Black Friday sales using my Black Friday email template. This simple addition led to a noticeable increase in conversions.
6. Optimise Your Sales Page and Checkout Process
Your sales page is where the magic happens, but it needs to be optimised to convert. Make sure it’s clear, compelling, and speaks directly to your audience’s needs. And don’t forget the checkout process—any friction here can lead to lost sales.
Test your sales page to ensure it’s easy to navigate, loads quickly, and looks great on mobile. The holidays are busy, and a seamless experience can make all the difference.
Example: Last year, I simplified my checkout process by removing unnecessary fields (I removed full address details and just stuck to first name and email address) and offering multiple payment options (super helpful at a time of year when people are typically spending more than they usually would).
7. Prepare Your Support System
Even though you’ll be taking time off, your customers might still need help. Make sure you have automated support in place, like an email autoresponder, chatbots or detailed FAQs, to handle common queries. If you have a VA, make sure they have all the information they need to handle any queries. And if your VA or team will also be away from the holidays, make sure you state this in your email autoresponder with clear details on when your team will be back in the inbox.
A smooth support experience during the holidays can make a big difference in customer satisfaction and retention.
Example: I set up an automated email that goes out if someone replies with a common question during the holidays. It includes answers to some FAQs and lets them know when my team and I will be back in the office. This has saved me countless hours of customer support and keeps customers feeling happy because, they get it—everyone needs a break from work!
8. Customer Engagement and Retention Strategies
The holiday season is also a great time to think about how you can keep those new customers coming back. Set up post-purchase sequences that thank them for their purchase, offer additional resources, and encourage repeat business.
Consider offering loyalty bonuses or early access to future products as a way to reward your existing customers and keep them engaged into the New Year.
9. Plan Your New Year Promotion
It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday rush and forget about your launch strategy for January. But trust me, planning your New Year promotion now will save you a ton of stress later. This way, you can truly relax over the holidays, knowing your January sales are taken care of.
Think about what kind of New Year offer will resonate with your audience—whether it’s a launch of an existing program, a special coaching package, or a New Year-themed digital product bundle. Plan out your launch in advance, so you don’t have to rush when you get back to the office in January. If you’re short on time, you might like to freshen up an old launch campaign. Lightly edit the launch content for relevancy and schedule everything out (yes, it can be that simple!).
You’ve got this 😉
Preparing your business for the holiday season takes some work upfront, but it’s worth it when you can sit back and watch the sales roll in while you enjoy your time off.
Start preparing now, and you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays knowing your business is running smoothly in the background.
Have questions? Drop them in the comments, and let’s make this holiday season your most profitable one yet!
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