Well, Christmas and New Year’s Day have come and gone – and Old Taskmaster is outraged!
No, it’s not all the Christmas joy or all the New Year’s Eve festivities and people generally enjoying themselves that’s the problem. Nor is it the ridiculous modern renditions of Christmas carols on Carols By Candlelight. Instead, it’s how some businesses used – or, more the point, failed to use – social media over the break.
Take a look at your home page – it probably looks much the same as it did on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Now take a look at your Facebook page, your Twitter feed and any other social media accounts you operate.
Did you let your customers know whether you were open or closed on those public holidays?
Social media is not just a marketing tool. It’s also an essential channel for communicating with your customers. That means, over a holiday break, keeping your customers informed about whether or not you are open. It seems like a simple thing, but it’s something many small businesses didn’t do over the Christmas break – to the detriment of their customer relationships.
For example, imagine a pet store. Little Sally drags along mum and dad to claim the cute little bunny rabbit she was promised for Christmas. They get to the store only to find the pet shop closed. Just imagine the bitter disappointment Little Sally would feel not getting that bunny rabbit. Yet, unless their homepage and social media accounts show it, how are her parents to know if they’re open or not?
Meanwhile, a few shops down, a local café owner complains that no one is coming in over the summer break. Of course, without any online indication that the store is open, why would they? Especially if they noticed the pet store down the road is closed until mid-January?
With Australia Day fast approaching, it’s essential that you tell the world through social media whether or not your business plans on trading – or for that matter, if there are any other disruptions to your regular trade.
Get it done – every public holiday!
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
