Holiday, Vacation & Weekend

 

Entrepreneurial Holiday Guilt for Creative Professionals

Guilt, guilt, guilt. Guilt is a terrible feeling and is often self-inflicted by creative entrepreneurs, especially during the holidays. Find out how to overcome your holiday guilt and still have the business you want and the life you deserve.

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Guilt, guilt, guilt. Guilt is a terrible feeling and is often self-inflicted by creative entrepreneurs, especially during the holidays.

Most people who work for themselves say they chose to do so because they wanted to "control their time." People who value time over money, recognize that time is a precious commodity that cannot be created, bought, or borrowed. You have to use it wisely or else it is gone.

Having the luxury to control how, with whom, and where you spend your time is one of the bonuses of working for yourself. So, why is it that an overwhelming number of female entrepreneurs also say they feel guilty when they are not working on their businesses or with a client between the hours of 9 am to 5 pm?

To be truly happy and successful as an entrepreneur, you must break the corporate-created walls of time and learn how to set your day according to your needs and the needs of your clients. There is no law chaining you to your desk eight hours a day between 9 am and 5 pm.

Here's my advice: stop feeling guilty about when you are working and when you are not, and ditch the idea of playing by rules set up by other organizations. Make sure you benefit from the freedoms of entrepreneurship and maximize your time by performing regular activities such as food shopping at off times like 10 am on a Tuesday or having your teeth cleaned at 2pm on a Monday. You will spend less time waiting in line, you will be less stressed, and actually have more time to devote to your clients and other activities, then if you went on a weekend or during a busier time.

Of course, be sure to take a day or two off completely during the holidays to go gift shopping, ice-skating, or for decorating your home. Give yourself permission to enjoy your life and do something for yourself, even if it is on a week day between nine and five. You deserve it.

Happy holidays!

 

Kick Off Your Holiday Marketing Campaign With These 5 Strategic Internet Marketing Tips!

NOW is the time to launch your strategic Internet marketing plan for the upcoming holiday season.

If you think it's too early, consider this: A recent study by BizRate found that 34.9% of online holiday shoppers will start their shopping by Halloween this year!

In order to capture their attention, you want to make sure the first fold of your web site is full of the information holiday shoppers need to know before they'll decide to buy. (For those of you who aren't sure ...

Internet Marketing

NOW is the time to launch your strategic Internet marketing plan for the upcoming holiday season.

If you think it's too early, consider this: A recent study by BizRate found that 34.9% of online holiday shoppers will start their shopping by Halloween this year!

In order to capture their attention, you want to make sure the first fold of your web site is full of the information holiday shoppers need to know before they'll decide to buy. (For those of you who aren't sure what the "first fold" is, it's the portion of your web site people see before they scroll down or click on any links.)

If you want to maximize your holiday conversion rates, make sure your top fold includes...

- Holiday-ready headlines and sales copy: In order to make your headline really speak to your visitors, make sure it addresses the need they're trying to solve: choosing a gift for a friend or family member.

- Be sure to explain exactly what kind of benefit they'll get from your product or service -- and then also mention the benefit the giver will receive from offering it as a present!
An opt-in offer that speaks to the needs of holiday shoppers. For example, you could put together a "Holiday Buying Guide" that tells people more about your products and explains why they'd make great gifts.

- Holiday specials and discounts: Make sure you offer some special deals on your products to entice your visitors to buy! How about an early-bird deal if your customers make a purchase before a certain date? Or a special discount for those panicky last-minute shoppers?

- Your shipping information: If you're able to offer free or discounted shipping, be sure to include some mention of it in the top fold of your site.

- Provide an ironclad shipping guarantee and return policy so customers know their gifts will arrive in time. Put both at the top of your right- or left-hand sidebar so your customers won't miss them.

- Free gift-wrapping service: It's another great way to give your customers an extra perk without much additional cost to you. For the cost of some paper and ribbon, you can make any humble package look like a fabulous holiday gift!

- Urgency builders: Another thing you could include in your first fold is a little "countdown" box that tells your visitors exactly how many days are left to Christmas, or to the shipping deadline for gifts to arrive in time.

Or try installing a Hover Ad with an urgent holiday message that lets them know right away exactly how long they've got to make a gift purchase.

You could also use the Hover Ad to advertise your holiday specials and encourage your visitors to sign up for more info, or offer a special discount coupon to people who join your mailing list.

Now that you've got some quick and easy ideas to get your marketing plan underway, don't let your competitors beat you to the punch!

Remember, it's never too early to launch your strategic Internet marketing plan for the holidays. Give yourself the gift of a boost in profits this season!

 

Using Holidays To Put Some Extra Cheer In Your Cash Box

No matter your age or station in life, we all look forward to holidays. They give us a reason to decorate, celebrate, and most of all, spend.

Think back to any of last year's holidays. Did you buy some new decorations? Probably. Did you plan a party or host a dinner? Likely. Did you buy gifts or take advantage of special sales and promotions? Undoubtedly!

Well, instead of being on the spending end of this year's holidays, why not turn the tables and put on a promotion o...

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No matter your age or station in life, we all look forward to holidays. They give us a reason to decorate, celebrate, and most of all, spend.

Think back to any of last year's holidays. Did you buy some new decorations? Probably. Did you plan a party or host a dinner? Likely. Did you buy gifts or take advantage of special sales and promotions? Undoubtedly!

Well, instead of being on the spending end of this year's holidays, why not turn the tables and put on a promotion of your own? During the fall and winter holidays especially, people are jolly, joyous, and a little more willing to open their wallets.

Of course, no honest person wants to take blatant advantage of people and their money, but for those who are already ready to buy, why not take advantage of the season by giving them a special deal?

If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, why not have a holiday open house? These events are obviously more common from Halloween to New Year's, but have you ever though of holding this kind of party at your store for the 4th of July? Advertise free refreshments, music, and giveaways, and people will come in droves, no matter what holiday it happens to be. At the very least you'll have a good time showing others a good time, and you'll probably make a lot of extra sales. If holding such a bash requires you to stay open a little later, why not? After all, 'tis always the season to please.

If your business has its only home on the Internet, put some festive touches on your web site. Try decorating it with lights, fireworks, or other festive delights. Play some holiday music, or offer free holiday sounds or screen savers for those who stop by (if you do this, you might want to register your download site with search engines to make sure people can find it). People love to decorate their home or office computers with the free stuff they find online, so why not join the club?

Another fantastic way to use holidays for marketing is to send out festive cards to your current and past customers. Wish them a happy holiday and thank them for their business. If possible, have them hand-signed for a personal touch. Be sure your company logo appears somewhere on the card.

During the Christmas season, why not buy some attractive but inexpensive tree ornaments or other decorations, and stamp them with a small version of your company logo? Offer them free to those who make purchases, or sell them at your counter (or on your site) for a ridiculously low price. People tend to keep and collect decorations over the years, so your cheap little ornament is bound to make a lasting impression.

Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or Ant Farm Harvest, holidays offer a great chance for your business to show its stuff. Let people see your kindler, gentler, jollier side and have a little fun with your promotions. When January rolls around again, your bottom line will be glad you did.