HOLIDAY SURVIVAL TIPS
Greeting Cards
1. Prepare a mailing list for Holiday cards. Include addresses in
it.
2. Buy cards for Christmas. And remember to include 'Holiday
Greetings' or 'Season's Greetings' cards for your friends who do not
celebrate Christmas.
Kitchen
1. Check on your stock - Baking ingredients, sugar, nuts, oils,
spices, chocolate etc.
2. Check the condition and availability of your cooking and baking
pots and pans.
3. Get your appliances serviced and blades and knives sharpened.
4. If you have a loose electrical switch, get it repaired. You don't
want to be left stranded on the day of a party or dinner.
5. Check your burners and grates.
More tips in the next issue!
LET'S TALK BUSINESS
'Let's Talk Business' is sponsored by
Is Your Internet Business Ready for Holiday Shoppers?
Okay, I confess: I can be a terrible procrastinator when it comes to shopping for the holidays. I don't much like fighting my way through crowded shopping malls. So, instead, I'm ready - even willing - to surf the web looking for the perfect gift.
And I'm not the only one. According to one article from Internet.com, experienced web buyers found online shopping more satisfactory than traditional 'brick-and-mortar' stores or catalog shopping.**
It seems that Internet shopping is poised to become bigger each year. By preparing your online business for the throng of holiday shoppers, you too can pick up additional sales, both from new customers and from repeat business. Here are a few tips to help your business make the most of the holiday season ...
Offer discounts and specials - free shipping, bonus gifts, whatever's appropriate for your business. Display these offers prominently on your website and make sure the ordering process is simple and obvious.
Use your customer list! Email a special offer directly to previous customers and newsletter subscribers. They already know you and conversion rates are much higher than for first-time visitors.
Redo your pay-per-click campaigns. Provided that your bids will still give you a reasonable return, bid on select holiday or gift-related key phrases to boost your visibility to holiday shoppers.
Encourage referrals. Put up a 'Tell a friend' button or script on your site so that visitors can let their friends know about your great holiday offer. Or offer a coupon and invite the customer to 'share' it with a friend.
Send out a holiday-related press release. For instance, people love to hear heartwarming stories and acts of charity, particularly during the holiday season.
Write holiday articles or stories that relate to your product or service. Distribute the article and encourage others to pass it on. At the end of the article, leave a small link or blurb about your business and the current holiday specials.
Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes' work to grab the attention of eager holiday shoppers! Have a safe, happy, and prosperous holiday season.
REFERENCES:
**http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/retailing/article/0,1323,6061_278991,00.html
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical, down-to-earth guide to building an Internet business on a beginner's budget. If you enjoyed this article, you'll love the book! Visit
http://www.onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
or request a series of 10 free reports to get you started.
CHRISTMAS BUDGETING
Tips to Avoid Excessive Holiday Debt
The familiar swishing sound in malls when a credit card is swiped
doesn't sound pleasant in April when you are still paying off your
Christmas debts. The one and only key to reducing your holiday debts
is timely and effective planning.
Develop a holiday budget. Your holiday budget is the amount of money that you can devote to holiday expenses. It's a good idea to start the budgeting process by examining last year's holiday expenses. This will uncover hidden expenses like cards, postage, food, decorations, wrapping paper and parties. Be sure to add an extra $20 to $100 for unexpected expenses. Once you come up with a figure that you and your family can live with, stick with it.
Create a holiday gift list. Limit your gift buying to close friends and family; give everyone else a greeting card with a personal note. Once the list is completed, decide how much you want to spend on each person. Keep the list with you at all times along with clothing sizes and favorite colors so you can take advantage of bargains you may come across. Keep accurate records of what you spend on each person.
Begin a holiday savings plan. Holiday gifts are one of those annual expenses that consumers know about but don't budget for.
That amount of money could make a big dent in an already strained budget. If you could use some extra money for your holiday purchases, you could always pack lunches for a few weeks, rent videos instead of going to the movies and avoid Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) that charge for their services.
Consider no-fee layaways. This allows you to reserve a favorite holiday gift while you save up for the purchase. You also avoid the interest payments you would have incurred had you charged the item.
Use credit wisely. Pay with cash when you can. If you have to use credit, put your charges on the card with the lowest rate and pay it off within 90 days to hold interest payments down. If you are near your credit limit, put your credit cards on ice and consider low-priced or no holiday gifts this year.
Start early. People tend to spend more if they start later as they start to panic and do not comparison shop.
Never shop while in a rush and before you buy, take some time to
consider if the gift is really appropriate for the recipient and
within your spending limit.
Follow these tips and you will have little or no holiday debt to pay off in the coming year.
And one last and most valuable tip: The money value of the gift is
not related to the sentiments it expresses. You do not need to buy
and expensive gift to show you care.
Happy Holidays!
Lata Budhrani
Founder/Editor
Dot Com Women
HOME DECOR
Home Decor section is
sponsored by
10 Exotic Centerpieces for Holidays
1. Shoe Magic - Buy gleaming fuchsia
(stylish) or red (festive) colored high heeled glass bottom
stilettos and fill one of it with flowers of appropriate size for a
trendy table top which will set off a trendy, modern theme. You can get a pair at Bobbi's
Gift &
Leather website.
2. Quick Centerpiece - Fill a goblet with
cranberries and tie a bow at its stem for a quick, festive table
top.
3. Candle & Sand - Fill a clear glass bowl
with colored sand (available at Crafts stores) and stick red or
white or a combination of red-white or red-green candles in the
sand. Use about 10 candles and arrange them creatively. Light all of
the candles together for a lovely shining effect.
4. Tabletop Trees - Mini Christmas trees make
lovely tabletops. Artificial trees can be bought or crafted. We have
some Christmas Tree crafts at our
Crafts section. Alternatively,
you can also buy a baby christmas tree or use a branch of a tree and
decorate it in the same fashion as you would decorate your Christmas
tree.
5. Snow Globes - Snow Globes or Snow domes
lend a whimsical touch to your room. Use them on your table for a
touch of fantasy. You can make a snow dome yourself using easy to
follow instructions in our
Snow Domes project.
6. Ornament Glitter - Fill clear glass bowls
or baskets (tied with a red bow) with Christmas baubles in bright
red, green or blue and glittering silver and golden colors for a
sparkly tabletop.
7. Candle and Bloom - Place 4-5 pillar
candles of same color (preferably white) but different sizes in a
plate. Place a poinsettia or any red flower and a twig of holly in
the same plate. Light all the candles.
8. Snowy Village - Just like snow domes, a
Thomas Kinkade snow village scene will bring lots of holiday cheer
and fantasy to your table.
9. Hurricanes and Votives - Fill glass
hurricanes with scarlet cranberries and red roses and flank the
hurricanes with votives.
10. Tapers and Tulips - Creamy white tulips
in silver cups flanking a candelabra filled with white tapers make
simply sensational centerpieces. For more Christmas
Flower arrangements, see the beautiful dry and fresh
arrangements that Chrissie Harten has done for Dot Com Women
specially for the Winter Holidays.
For more Holiday Decor ideas, visit http://www.dotcomwomen.com/home
