As the 2012 holiday season approaches, your customers may be looking for deals and your employees may be hoping for a few days off from work. BBB reminds business owners to prepare themselves to spread the holiday cheer to their customers and employees in order to encourage morale and spur on the shopping season. BBB has the following advice to help you prepare as the holidays draw near: 

1. Celebrate with your customers by offering special discounts or sales tied to holiday themes. With the increased popularity in social media outlets, this could also be an opportunity to potentially gather “followers” on Twitter and “likes” on Facebook by promoting the holiday themed deals online.

2. Spread the holiday spirit among your employees by throwing a holiday party or giving a special gift. Rewarding the hard work your staff puts in throughout the year is a great way to boost morale and promote closer working relationships in your organization.

3. Put a security plan in place if you plan to shut down your business location longer than usual. Be sure all computers are turned off to reduce the risk of a data breach and instruct employees to have “out of office” messages on their emails and phones. Tell customers ahead of time about any changes to your holiday hours and make sure those are reflected on your website and social media outlets as well. 

4. Encourage cheerful giving by offering to match a portion of your customers' and/or employees' local charity donations. Invite your employees to select a charity as a group and promote their cause throughout the holiday season. Not only will this help the charity of your choosing, but your business may benefit from the brand awareness created by aligning yourself with a worthy organization. Be sure to check out BBB’s review of local charities in advance by visiting www.give.org.

5. Send holiday cards or gifts to specific customers, partners and/or employees that you want to thank for a great year. Simple, friendly gestures can go a long way toward strengthening business relationships your company has with others. Consumers are often more likely to spend money with a company that they know values their business.

For more business advice or to let us know about questions you have, visit us at www.bbb.org.