Easter has an impact on many businesses. For some, Easter is a slow period, but for others it is one of the busiest times of the year.
Easter-themed marketing
Easter, unlike Christmas, is not a time of year when people purchase a lot of gifts. However, a business could promote the idea of giving chocolates and other small gifts to loved ones.
If you manufacture Easter eggs, then obviously Easter is a busy period. Seaside based businesses also experience an increase in visitors as people head to the ocean. For other businesses, Easter themed marketing can be used to promote sales. There are several ways to do this. For example, use Easter themed marketing materials with images of decorated eggs and bunnies. You may decide to send customers Easter cards or organise an Easter egg treasure hunt.
Businesses in the health and fitness sector can promote healthy chocolate recipes for lovers of the sweet treat. New You Boot Camps, which runs fitness and health camps, included healthy Easter recipes in their newsletter. People that made the recipes were asked by their friends where they got them. This resulted in more booking enquires for the business.
Easter is a busy holiday period when many people have a few days off which means they have more time to access social media. This makes Easter an ideal time to focus on social media marketing. Update your company’s Facebook page with Easter content.
Adverse effects
Businesses that mainly trade with other businesses could be adversely affected by Easter as they are closed during the Easter bank holiday weekend. This can result in a low cash flow for Easter. Fortunately this can be predicted and firms can make sure that they have enough funds in the bank to pay the bills.
Many businesses calculate employee’s holiday entitlement according to the tax year. They may also have a holiday contract with their employees that says that they get twenty days annual leave plus eight bank holidays. In the tax year 2016/2017 there was no Easter holiday so in theory employers needed to add two extra holidays to the normal holiday entitlement, or face being in breach of contract.
The importance of financial planning
Whether Easter is busy or quiet, a business needs careful financial planning for the period. To make planning easier, use a financial outsourcing service whose expertise can take the stress out of dealing with the Easter holidays.