The holiday season is almost here, and local businesses are getting ready for everything that comes with it: seasonal products, special events, holiday orders, and hopefully plenty of customers.

But while you’re planning what to sell and how to promote it, don’t overlook something much simpler.

Are you making it easy for customers to know when they can shop with you?

Your holiday hours, ordering deadlines, and pickup instructions might seem like basic business information. But they’re also part of your marketing.

And when that information is missing or outdated, you could be losing customers who were already planning to buy.

A Great Promotion Doesn’t Help If Customers Miss You

Picture someone seeing your holiday special on Facebook. They’re interested, they make plans to stop by, and they arrive to find you’ve closed early.

Or someone wants to order a Thanksgiving dessert, but they can’t find the preorder deadline. By the time they ask, you’ve stopped accepting orders.

Neither customer needed another advertisement. They needed better information.

It’s especially relevant here in Summerville, where so many small businesses participate in farmers markets, pop-up events, and seasonal celebrations alongside their regular operations.

A vendor taking preorders for Saturday’s Summerville Farmers Market might have a completely different ordering deadline and pickup process than a traditional storefront. Customers need to know those details before they can make a purchase.

That’s why communicating your holiday schedule deserves just as much attention as promoting your holiday products.

Make the Important Details Easy to Find

Before the holiday rush begins, take a look at the information your customers are most likely to need.

• Holiday hours and closures: Are you opening earlier, staying later, or closing on certain days? Don’t assume customers know your schedule has changed.
• Ordering deadlines: If you sell custom gifts, baked goods, catering, or other made-to-order products, clearly communicate the last day to place an order.
• Pickup and delivery information: Tell customers when orders will be ready, where to pick them up, and whether holiday arrangements differ from your normal process.
• Temporary schedule changes: Participating in a market? Closing for a private event? Taking a few days off? Share those changes before customers show up.

These details don’t need elaborate graphics or complicated campaigns. They just need to be clear, accurate, and easy to find.

Don’t Update Facebook and Forget Everywhere Else

Here’s an easy mistake to make.

You announce your holiday hours on Facebook, but your Google Business Profile still shows your regular schedule. Your website says something different, and Instagram has no update at all.

Now customers have three different answers to one simple question: Are you open?

Take a few minutes to check the places people use to find your business.

Your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook page, Instagram profile, and What’s Up Summerville business directory listing should all reflect the same information wherever those details are displayed.

And if something changes, update those places again.

Consistency matters. Customers shouldn’t have to guess which version of your schedule is correct.

Reminders Aren’t Repetitive. They’re Helpful.

Posting your Thanksgiving preorder deadline once at the beginning of November doesn’t guarantee everyone will see it—or remember it.

Share a reminder as the deadline approaches. Let customers know when only a few ordering days remain. Post your pickup instructions again when orders are ready.

You’re not bothering people by sharing useful information.

You’re helping customers plan ahead, and you’re giving interested shoppers another opportunity to follow through.

For businesses participating in local holiday markets, those reminders can be especially valuable. Customers may have seen your products at a previous event but need a little nudge to place an order for the next one.

This Week’s Marketing Minute

Good marketing isn’t always about attracting someone new.

Sometimes it’s about helping someone who’s already interested take the next step.

Before the holiday rush begins, make sure customers know when you’re open, when they need to order, and how to get what they’re buying.

Because sometimes the difference between a missed sale and a happy customer is simply making sure they have the right information.

That’s marketing, too.

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Weekly Marketing Minute is a What’s Up Summerville series sharing practical marketing ideas for local businesses.

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