How to Embrace More Than Just Christmas in Your Business

November 27, 2023

The holiday season is a time of joy, celebration, and increased consumer spending.  For small businesses, this time offers a tremendous opportunity to maximize sales and connect with customers on a deeper level. But if you think of the holiday season as just Thanksgiving and Christmas, you could be missing out.

 

Experts estimate that most small retail businesses earn about 20% of their annual sales in December and even more if you factor in November as well. While Christmas has been the front runner in most people’s minds for decades, there’s now a lot more mainstream celebrating occurring in the last quarter of the year, and your business should be a part of it.

 

Whether your customer celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, or other religious or cultural holidays, tailoring your approach can make a significant impact on your bottom line. Below are some proven tactics that will ensure you leverage the holidays to increase sales for small businesses while in parallel, having a positive impact on the local community.

 

Embrace Inclusivity and Diversity

Recognizing and celebrating the diversity is crucial. Acknowledge various holidays through inclusive messaging in your marketing materials, social media posts, and storefront decorations. Consider featuring a diverse range of holiday greetings and symbols to resonate with customers from different cultural backgrounds. Inclusivity not only broadens your customer reach but also fosters a sense of belonging among diverse communities.

 

Some business owners may feel inauthentic if they embrace something they don’t celebrate. However, this is about providing a fulfilling customer experience. And if your customers are celebrating other holidays, you should be too.

 

Curate Special Holiday Offers and Promotions

Entice shoppers with exclusive holiday deals, discounts, and bundled offers. Create promotions specific to each holiday, offering value-driven packages or themed products that align with the spirit of the occasion. Consider limited-time offers or holiday-themed gift sets to attract customers seeking unique gifts for their loved ones.

 

Personalize Customer Experiences

Go the extra mile to personalize interactions with your customers. Use their purchase history or preferences to recommend suitable holiday gifts or products. Consider sending personalized holiday greetings or thank-you notes, adding a touch of warmth and appreciation that resonates with the festive season. If your community celebrates a custom that nearby towns don’t, embrace it and teach others about it.

 

Host Festive Events and Workshops

Organize holiday-themed events or workshops that align with the spirit of the season. These can include DIY gift-wrapping sessions, cooking classes featuring traditional holiday recipes, or storytelling sessions highlighting diverse cultural celebrations. Such events not only attract customers but also foster community engagement and goodwill.

 

Optimize Online Presence and E-commerce

With the rise in online shopping, ensure your website is optimized for the holiday rush. Create a seamless and secure online shopping experience, highlighting holiday-specific products or gift guides. Leverage social media platforms to showcase your holiday offerings and engage with customers through interactive content like polls, quizzes, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your holiday preparations.

 

Encourage Gift Cards and Gift Certificates

Gift cards and certificates are popular choices during the holidays. Promote them as ideal presents for friends and family, allowing recipients to choose their preferred products or services. Ensure these options are prominently displayed and easily accessible both online and in-store.

 

Partner with Local Charities or Causes

Spread the holiday cheer by partnering with local charities or initiatives. Consider donating a portion of your sales to a charitable cause or organizing a fundraising event. Engaging in philanthropic endeavors not only reflects positively on your business but also resonates with customers seeking socially responsible brands. Plus, volunteering and charitable giving works in every season.

 

Extend Gratitude and Appreciation

Show appreciation to your loyal customers by offering loyalty rewards or exclusive perks during the holiday season. A simple thank-you note or token of appreciation can strengthen customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.

 

Additional Holiday Diversity Tips

If you want to ensure your business appeals to more than just Christmas shoppers, consider the following ideas:

  • Research the different types of holidays that fall during the end of the year and showcase other’s customs.
  • Infuse your business space with decorations that represent a variety of cultural celebrations, ensuring that your customers feel a sense of inclusivity.
  • Be mindful to include elements from various cultural festivities, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for everyone.
  • Introduce products or services that cater to different cultural celebrations. For instance, offer special promotions or themed items during Diwali, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year, and other significant occasions.
  • Craft marketing messages that embrace diversity and use inclusive language, acknowledging various cultural and religious celebrations.
  • Extend personalized holiday greetings to your customers, recognizing and respecting the diversity of celebrations during the season.
  • Consider offering special discounts or promotions tied to specific cultural or religious holidays to show your appreciation for the varied traditions your customers may observe.
  • Host or participate in cultural events within your community to demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity.
  • Engage with local cultural organizations and collaborate on initiatives that celebrate diversity, creating a positive and inclusive image for your business.

 

Small Business Season presents an amazing opportunity for small businesses to connect with customers, boost sales, and foster a sense of community. By reaching out and celebrating additional holiday beliefs and celebrations, offering tailored promotions, and personalizing customer experiences, you can make the most of this festive period, while respecting the diverse holiday traditions of your customers. Remember, the holidays are about spreading joy, goodwill, and building lasting connections with your customers and the local community. Realizing that your customers are celebrating more than just Christmas is a good start.

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This article published by the Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce with permission from Frank Kenney Chamber Pros Community.

Mid-Year Reset: 5 Smart Moves to Strengthen Your Small Business

June 9, 2025
The year's midpoint is your wake-up call—refocus now to finish strong. Scrutinize your numbers to find what’s working (and what’s not). Reboot your marketing before seasonal shifts hit. Remove workflow roadblocks to boost team output. Reconnect with your business’s core purpose. 597 Words ~ 3 minute read The midpoint of the year often hits like a reality check: goals half-met, momentum lagging, and a to-do list that keeps growing. But this moment is also a strategic gift: a reset button that can set you up for a stronger, smarter second half. Here are five high-impact moves to help you reset with intention and finish the year with confidence: 1. Run the Numbers, Then Rewrite the Playbook Take a hard look at your financials. Are you ahead, behind, or coasting? Scrutinize revenue trends, margins, and expenses. Identify what’s draining resources and double down on what’s driving growth. Use the insights to reshape your financial strategy for the next six months, because winging it isn’t a plan. 2. Reboot Your Marketing Before the Fall Rush If your marketing has lost steam, this is your window to revive it. Launch a seasonal promotion, refine your messaging, or test new channels to re-engage your audience. And don’t wait to prep for fall. Holiday planning starts now. Review your content calendar, track past performance, and align campaigns with your business goals. 3. Clear the Roadblocks Slowing Your Team Small inefficiencies become big headaches by year’s end. What processes are wasting time? Where’s the communication breaking down? Invite your team to flag friction points and co-create solutions. Even modest upgrades, such as automating reports, streamlining meetings and clarifying roles, can drive major gains. Harvard Business Review explores how better collaboration fuels better outcomes. 4. Recalibrate Your Goals and Reset Priorities It’s okay if the goals you set in January don’t fit anymore. Priorities evolve. What matters is focus. Reassess your KPIs and trim anything that’s distracting from your top objectives. Reset your team’s focus around fewer, clearer targets so execution becomes simpler and more powerful. 5. Reconnect with Your Why Amid the grind, your original mission can get blurry. Take a step back to reflect: Why did you start this business? Who do you serve, and how do you want to show up for them? Realigning with your purpose energizes your leadership and clarifies your brand. Fast Company outlines how reconnecting to your “why” boosts both engagement and performance. Bottom Line: A mid-year reset isn’t just a productivity hack, it’s a strategic imperative. It gives you space to pause, zoom out, and ask the critical questions that get lost in day-to-day urgency. By evaluating your numbers, refreshing your marketing, streamlining operations, focusing your goals, and reigniting your purpose, you give your business the fuel it needs to finish the year not just intact, but thriving. This isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most with greater clarity, consistency, and conviction. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.

5 Genius Ways AI Can Stretch Your Existing Content

June 9, 2025
Who isn’t feeling the pain of being stretched too thin these days? If you’ve dabbled with AI, you may have cut the time it takes you to do administrative tasks by as much as 26 minutes a day (at least according to a recent survey in the UK). However, it’s possible to do a lot more than that when you move past administrative tasks and see where else you can do more with less. One of these areas is content. Most businesses are sitting on goldmines of content and don’t even know it. This article will show you five genius ways to get more out of what you already have by repurposing and restructuring the media. 1. Turn Longform Content into Shortform Gold Feed your existing blog posts, eBooks, or newsletters into an AI tool to extract highlights, tips, or quotes for social media posts. Creative twist: Use AI to rewrite the same message in multiple tones—professional, humorous, casual—or tailor it for different platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. 2. Transform Video or Podcast Transcripts into Written Content AI transcription tools can convert spoken content into text. Use a language model to turn that transcript into blog posts, newsletters, or Q&A articles. Creative twist: Convert a video transcript into a “Top 5 Takeaways” post, a tutorial, or a visually rich infographic with AI-generated headlines. 3. Create Content for Different Audiences from One Source Take a general piece of content (like a blog post) and ask AI to adapt it for different member personas such as new members, loyal/engaged members, or industry partners. Creative twist: Turn one blog post into: · A beginner’s guide on the topic · A technical breakdown · A “pitch” version for partners or press releases 4. Build an Email Series from a Single Piece Take a detailed guide or blog post and ask AI to break it into a 3–5-part email series, complete with subject lines, CTAs, and value-focused messaging. Email series can be very effective in helping your content get noticed. People may not take the time to read a 700-word blog post, but if you email the summary points across several days, they’ll get the gist of the message and will most likely remember it better than reading it all at once. Creative twist: Include AI-generated teaser lines or questions at the end of each email to boost open and click rates. 5. Reimagine Content as Interactive Tools or Experiences Use AI to turn tips, FAQs, or how-to guides into interactive quizzes, calculators, or chatbot scripts that educate and engage users. Example: Turn a skincare routine blog into a “What’s Your Skin Type?” quiz, or a business checklist into a “Startup Readiness Scorecard.” The titles you choose for the materials can make the content a lot more appealing. You can even use reimagined, designed pieces as lead magnets. People often won’t recognize it in another format. Speaking of, upload any written content onto NotebookLM and create a podcast on the topic. You can even tell it which parts of the text you want it to pay attention to or avoid. There are so many things you can do with existing content and marketing collateral you already have. If you can’t think of any creative ideas on how to repurpose those critical pieces, ask AI. Tell it your audience and your goal behind repurposing the content. Then ask it to suggest some ideas to you. You’ll be surprised what it comes up with. ------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

When Strategy Stalls: 4 Moves to Regain Momentum

June 2, 2025
Pause to Stabilize: Cut costs and renegotiate to create breathing room. Pivot, Don’t Panic: Explore new markets or customer segments while staying agile. Learn Fast or Fall Behind: Turn setbacks into insights through rapid experimentation. Guard the Downside: Hedge risks and protect what matters most. 600 words ~ 3 min. read Even seasoned leaders know the sting of a strategy that’s no longer working. But the real measure of leadership isn’t avoiding failure—it’s how decisively and creatively you pivot when the path ahead shifts. When strategic plans falter—whether due to market turbulence, internal missteps, or external shocks—leaders must act not with panic, but with precision. Drawing from Harvard Business Review’s “How to Rescue a Failing Strategy,” here are four pivotal moves to help regain strategic traction. 1. Pause to Stabilize If your strategy is wobbling, the first priority is to buy time without triggering chaos. Consider: Reducing burn rate by cutting non-essential expenses Freezing expansion plans that strain resources Renegotiating contracts or vendor terms to ease cash flow Retailers, for instance, might pause new store openings to refocus on e-commerce logistics. Nonprofits may temporarily halt new program rollouts to concentrate on core impact areas. This strategic pause buys clarity—and the space to think critically. 2. Pivot, Don’t Panic Locking into one approach can be dangerous when conditions change. Instead, design options: Enter adjacent customer segments Test low-risk partnerships or distribution channels Pilot tweaks to product offerings or delivery models For manufacturers, this might mean adapting existing equipment to serve a neighboring industry. Professional services firms could pivot to virtual delivery or a subscription-based model. Related reading: McKinsey on adaptive strategies 3. Learn Fast or Fall Behind Use turbulence as a catalyst to turn your organization into a fast learner. That means: Running controlled experiments on pricing, offers, or ops Creating real-time feedback loops from customers and staff Making strategic reviews more iterative, less static Construction firms might beta-test prefab components for speed and cost. Tech startups could A/B test UX changes weekly. Also worth reading: Bain on learning organizations 4. Guard the Downside Pivots come with risk. Your job? Minimize exposure while staying bold. Cap investments in unproven ideas Increase controls around key financial or operational processes Develop contingency plans for likely risk scenarios Think of this as smart aggression—pushing forward without leaving your core vulnerable. Bottom Line Every organization will face moments when strategy falters. The difference lies in the response. Leaders who act with focus—stabilizing, experimenting, and protecting—don’t just recover; they reposition for smarter, stronger growth. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.