It may feel like shop shelves are stocked with Christmas decorations earlier and earlier every year, but retailers aren’t the only ones who need to be thinking about the jingling of Christmas bells whilst sipping on their Aperol Spritz during the summer months.
But, why do you really need to start thinking about Christmas in July?
Pulling on the Christmas jumpers and dusting off the decorations in July may seem extreme, but unfortunately, it’s essential if you want a successful festive period.
July – The menu
It all starts with the kitchen team as creating a unique, tasty, and profitable menu takes time.
Whether you stick with Turkey and all the trimmings or align the menu with your brand, a set menu, or selection of, is always a great way to cater for those larger Christmas parties.
August – The creatives
Crackers at the ready! It’s time for the photoshoot.
High-quality imagery is essential to showcase all you have to offer. From mouthwatering shots of the food, to wide-angled images of your venue looking festive, it’s time to immerse yourself in Christmas cheer for a day.
Then, the menu needs to be designed and a website landing page created, making the customer journey to booking their festive bash streamlined and stress-free.
September – The corporate bookings
By September, those corporate booking requests will be coming in, so it’s important you are armed with all of the info to convert these into sales. Alongside this, a strong marketing campaign is needed to ensure all of the businesses in the area know exactly what you have to offer over the festive period.
October – Promote, promote, promote
Social media, influencer marketing, email marketing, and PR all need to come together for a 360 marketing strategy to promote your Christmas offering.
For PR in particular, the earlier you can get these details to journalists, the more chance you have of being included in those festive round ups.
Opening on Christmas Day? Make sure you’re included in those ‘Where to eat on Christmas Day in London’ features.
November – The finishing touches
It’s time to deck the halls and apply the finishing touches!
By now, promotions should be well underway, but it’s never too late to pull in those last-minute bookings.
December – You’ve done all you can
By the time December comes around, all of the hard marketing work is done, and it’s over to the onsite team to work their magic.
Not started your Christmas planning yet? Posh Cockney can help, drop us an email to discuss how we can kick-start your festive marketing, taking the pressure off you to keep operations running smoothly.