By Janette Speyer and Alison Brown, Web Success Team – 

Christmas is known as the time of giving, and it’s the time of year when we get together with our families. The history of Christmas is quite complex, as its roots go back thousands of years. The celebration of Christmas primarily signifies the birth of Jesus and is celebrated annually by billions of people around the world. Modern day Christmas is celebrated by putting up a tree with lights and ornaments, playing Christmas music, eating a special meal, and exchanging gifts with friends and loved ones. Because Christmas has become more focused on gift giving over the years, it’s become a key sales period for many retailers and businesses.

Take Advantage of the Holiday Spirit

While some aspects of Christmas are about fun and family, there is also the other side of Christmas, which is the business side. It’s what businesses do to prepare for the influx of shoppers and how they prepare to market their products to consumers. Since more people are shopping online more than ever, it’s important to take a look at some creative techniques that can help you get your business ready for the holidays.

1. Use the phrase “12 days of…” to market your company – It sounds basic but it’s catchy. Get in the holiday spirit by giving out 12 tips about SEO strategy. Using the phrase the “12 days of…anything” can get a lot of interest this time of year.
2. Be Generous! – This season is about giving, so be generous with the amount of information you are willing to give out for free. Don’t give it all away, but maybe a few more tips here and there will really make a difference when it comes to engaging your audience
3. Get Creative – Update your logo, update your website, and get festive. People want to see that you’re in the holiday spirit and it makes your brand appear a lot more personable if you do. If they’re in the holiday spirit, shouldn’t you be too
4. Take Advantage of Social Media – People are going to be checking out your Facebook and Twitter pages to see if there are any promotions going on. It’s a great time to engage your audience by doing a few promotions through Facebook. They don’t have to be huge marketing campaigns, but sending out some promotions to your loyal fans is a surefire way to get extra exposure.
5. Schedule Tweets before You Leave – If you have a blog or rely on Twitter to build your brand, it’s important that you get your Tweets and blog articles scheduled for posting before you leave for the holidays. Just because you won’t be working doesn’t mean people won’t be Tweeting or wanting to read your blog.

Fun Facts about Christmas

And on a lighter note, here are some fun facts about Christmas!

1. Gift giving was an aspect of the Roman celebration called Saturnalia, which usually took place in late December. Some believe this event may have influenced Christmas customs and the emphasis on gift giving today.
2. The world’s largest Christmas present is the Statue of Liberty, which was given to the United States by France in 1886.
3. It takes about 7 years to grow a Christmas tree that is 6-7 feet tall. But it can take up to 15 years!
4. 1843 was the year that the first Christmas card was sent. An Englishman named Henry Cole decided to hire an artist to draw a picture of a family eating dinner around a table with the words, “A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You.” This card is known as the first commercially distributed Christmas card.
5. Candy canes used to be white sticks that were used to decorate Christmas trees. It wasn’t until the 20^th century that red stripes were added.
6. The busiest time for holiday shopping is on December 24^th between 3 and 4 in the afternoon.
7. A U.S. advertising firm invented Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer for a Christmas promotion in 1938.
8. Scientists calculated that Santa would need to travel to 822 homes per second, traveling at 650 miles a second, if he were to deliver all the world’s Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.

The Web Success Team wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season!
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