5 Hints To Help You Plan For The Holiday Season And New Year
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
4 min read
Nov. 29—(NAPSI)—If you own, work for or care about a small business, good news: The holiday season can be a great time to meet annual business goals. In fact, data from Constant Contact found that half of small and mid-size businesses say holiday sales account for at least 25% of their annual revenue.
Better news: AI such as Gemini for Google Workspace can help you reach holiday shoppers and ensure your brand stands out in the new year.
How To Boost Your Business
This Holiday Season
1.Create marketing campaign visuals for the holidays. In the sea of holiday promotions, eye-catching visuals can make all the difference in capturing customers' attention. While 68% of consumers say they pay more attention to marketing emails during this time, finding time to create them with great imagery can be tough, especially for small business owners who may not have a dedicated design team.
One thing that can help—by generating custom images, enabling small businesses to explore and build creative concepts—is Gemini in Slides.
For example, a bookstore looking to spread some holiday cheer and boost sales can create a cozy scene featuring a fireplace, a stack of books, and a steaming mug of hot cocoa. You could include the image in a slideshow displayed on in-store screens, creating a festive and inviting atmosphere that captures the essence of the holiday season. Or, this image can be used as a backdrop for your 2025 planning deck or as a header for upcoming holiday presentations.
2.Track your inventory and manage end-of-year expenses. The holiday season can bring a surge of customers—but also a mountain of expenses and invoices. Gemini in Sheets can help track inventory, manage expenses, and keep finances organized.
Consider a family-owned restaurant planning seasonal menu changes, managing extra staff for the holiday rush, and dealing with fluctuating ingredient costs. With Gemini, you can quickly create a tracker that organizes your final-quarter expenses by category—food costs, labor, and more—giving you a clear view of where your money's going.
You can also create a formula to calculate updated costs. Gemini can create a formula showing the updated spend if food costs or labor increase by a given amount.
3.Brainstorm creative sales campaign ideas for January. Many businesses experience a slowdown in January. Last year, retail sales declined by 0.8% during this time. Keeping customers engaged can be challenging, but Gemini in Docs can help brainstorm creative sales campaigns that keep small businesses top of mind as customers ease into the new year.
It can help a bakery generate creative sales campaign ideas to entice customers after a holiday season full of sweets and treats. You might get suggestions such as a "Healthy Bakes" promotion featuring lighter options after a month of indulgence or a "Winter Warmers" offering comforting treats and hot beverages.
The system can also help you create content based on existing files such as customer profiles or old marketing plans. With its ability to swiftly generate content and summarize documents, Gemini will help you brainstorm ideas that are even more targeted to your specific audiences.
These small, creative efforts can help you keep customers coming back even after the holiday season.
4.Craft New Year's Resolutions content. The start of the year is when many people reflect on their goals and resolutions—whether health, creativity, or personal growth. Businesses can tap into this mindset by leveraging Gemini to craft content that aligns with customers' aspirations, encouraging them to engage with your products or services as they start the year.
Imagine this: You run an art shop and want to capture the energy of the "New Year, New Hobby" trend. With the Gemini app, you can research what art trends are gaining popularity. Based on those trends, it can help you brainstorm engaging content for your blog, social media, or email campaigns. You'll be able to easily craft targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience, helping them achieve their creative resolutions while driving engagement with your business.
5.Personalize end-of-year notes to your employees and customers to show your appreciation. The end of the year is a good time to show appreciation for the people who make your business successful—your employees and customers. With Gemini integrated into the side panel of Gmail, you can easily craft thoughtful and personalized notes right alongside your inbox, with the added convenience of Gmail's smart reply feature for quicker, on-the-go responses.
For instance, if you own a coffee shop, you can generate a heartfelt thank-you note for your employees, and draft an email expressing gratitude to your loyal customers for their continued support, while smart reply offers thoughtful, ready-to-send suggestions. This will help you stay responsive and engaged, ensuring you navigate the holiday rush with ease.
