As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time for entrepreneurs and small business owners to do a bit of Fall Cleaning—not just in the physical sense but in your business operations and marketing. We’ve all heard of Spring Cleaning, but in truth, we find that once a year just isn’t enough to keep yourself organized and reduce the overwhelm.
Much like spring cleaning, this seasonal refresh can help streamline your workflows, enhance your marketing strategies, and ensure you’re set up for success in the coming months. Here are some quick tasks you can tackle in 10-30 minutes to clean up your business systems and marketing efforts.
1. Purge Your Email List
Spend a quick session cleaning up your email list. Remove unengaged subscribers who haven't opened your emails in the past six months. This not only boosts your engagement rates but also helps reduce costs if your email service provider charges based on subscriber count. Most email marketing tools can often automate this task, making it a 10-minute job.
2. Organize Your Camera Roll
If you’re anything like me, your camera roll is likely cluttered with photos from various projects, events, and random inspirations, making it sometimes difficult to find exactly what you need and having a constant battle with needing to buy more storage.
Dedicate some time to organizing and deleting unnecessary images (ie. duplicates, blurry images, images you don’t need anymore). Create albums for different categories like 'Product/Service Photos', 'X Event, and 'Marketing Materials'. This makes it easier to find what you need when you need it, saving time in the long run. Truthfully this is one of the longer clean-up tasks but setting time aside for this task will save you money in the long run since you won’t have to update your storage once again.
3. Audit Your Invoices
Take a quick scan of your invoicing. I get it! Sometimes reviewing financials isn’t a sexy task but it is extremely necessary! Remember, you’re growing a business not a hobby!
Ensure all invoices have been sent for completed projects and follow up on any outstanding payments. This can help improve your cash flow and make sure you're not leaving money on the table. Setting up reminders for overdue invoices during this cleanup can also automate part of the process for the future.
Bonus task: Review your financial forecast. Check-in to see if you’re on track for meeting your revenue goals. This is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge your successes or brainstorm ideas on how to boost sales within the last quarter to help you meet your goals!
4. Review Expired Contracts
After your financials, stay in the backend and check on your contracts! Check for any contracts or agreements that are no longer valid or are about to expire. Decide whether these need to be renewed, updated, or closed. Cleaning up expired contracts ensures you’re not unnecessarily bound legally or financially.
Bonus task: This can also include reviewing services/subscriptions you might subscribe to that aren’t providing a good ROI.
5. Update Your Social Media Profiles
Cleaning up and updating your website is definitely a task that will take longer than 30 minutes, so instead look at the other platforms where you have an online presence.
Take a few minutes to refresh your social media profiles. Update your Instagram bio, profile pictures, and highlight bubbles to reflect any new offerings, achievements, or changes in your business focus. This helps keep your brand image fresh and relevant to your audience.
Don’t forget to check on your Linktree or any links in your bio to ensure they are all active and up to date. This is crucial as it ensures users can easily navigate your offerings or contact information without any hassle.
6. Clear Digital Clutter
This involves decluttering your digital workspace. Organize your desktop, sort out your digital files, and clear your download folder. Archive old files that are no longer needed for immediate access but might be useful later. A clean digital workspace can significantly boost your productivity, and make your digital workspace more pleasant to work in.
7. Refine Your Google My Business Listing
If you have a physical location, take a moment to ensure your Google My Business listing is up to date. Verify that your hours, description, and services are current, and add any new photos of your location or products. This is crucial as it affects how you appear in local searches and impacts customer interactions.
Fall cleaning for your business doesn’t have to be a daunting task!
By setting aside small chunks of time to focus on these specific areas, you can ensure your business operations are streamlined and your marketing efforts are up-to-date. If you prioritize doing this quarterly or even twice a year, it’ll prevent these messy (often annoying) little things from piling up! This proactive approach not only prepares you for the end of the year but also sets a solid foundation for the next.
Happy Fall Cleaning! & See You Next Month.
Xo,
Alessya,
@Alessyabaggettadesigns
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