The Christmas period is a busy season, especially for business owners. Online platforms like Google my Business, social media, Bing and your website are an important means of communicating to your customers.
Update Google my Business Hours.
Ensure your hours are up to date on Google my business. Keeping the hours up to date keeps you relevant and helps your SEO strategy. You may also want to post any updates or changes/promotions that you have planned for the Christmas period. If you use the messaging system through Google my Business and plan to go away on holiday, it may be best to turn off this messaging system until you are open again.
Social Media Profiles.
Unlike Google, Facebook does not allow you to set holiday hours. You can still edit your hours by clicking the edit in the about tab. We recommend that you let your customers know your holiday hours with a post and pin this to the top of your page. Lastly don’t forget to check other Social Media platforms that you have, for example LinkedIn, Instagram.
Bing Places Listing.
Many users use Microsoft’s default search engine Bing. Ensure your details are up to date by going to bingplaces.com. Click edit next to your business name, then click next until you see the section which displays your hours. Mark the checkbox that says “Yes, I want to provide working hours for special days”.
Website Updates.
Don’t forget that your website should be the most reliable and current information for your clients. This would be a good time to set your holiday hours and how customers can contact you or when they should expect a response. If you have a news or blog section, we also recommend a quick post. Lastly, you can also change the banner to the home page or add an announcement bar in the header.
