7 Ways to Prepare Your Website for Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving Holiday is right around the corner.

People love to connect, gather, help others and buy gifts during Thanksgiving.  But to make the most of the holiday, you’ve got to communicate those opportunities!

That starts with your website.  Here are…

7 Ways to Prepare Your Website for Thanksgiving

1) Decorate – Add some Thanksgiving color or graphics to your website. Use a Thanksgiving-inspired logo during the season. Or add a Thanksgiving image or quote to the body of your homepage.

2) Update – Update your calendar with Thanksgiving-related events.

3) Post office hours – Most Businesses, churches, schools and non-profits adjust their office hours for the Thanksgiving holiday. Make sure yours are posted on your website the week before Thanksgiving. Also make sure you update your hours in your Google Business Profile.

4) Prepare for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and/or Giving Tuesday – The Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. A lot of people, though, would rather shop from the convenience of their computer. If you lead a business, you definitely want to enable people to buy online during the holidays.

If you lead a church, school or non-profit, this is a great opportunity for your organization as well. A lot of people are tired of consumerism. Non-profits have the opportunity to provide alternative gifts, such as…

• A CD, DVD, or download of your music or teaching
• A calendar for next year customized for your organization
• Merch – shirts, hats, or other gear with your organization’s logo on it
• Sponsorships – the opportunity to sponsor a child or a project instead of buying more stuff

Whatever you do, prepare early so you can start communicating your Black Friday options a week or two before Thanksgiving.

Over the last decade, various groups have expanded on the Black Friday concept to create other shopping/giving days that follow Black Friday.  These days include

• Small Business Saturday (11/27) on which people are encourage to support local small businesses
• Cyber Monday (11/29) on which people are encouraged to shop online
• Giving Tuesday (11/30) on which people are encouraged to donate to charities.

Depending on what type of organization you’re a part of, you may want to promote one or more of these days and encourage people to shop or give on your website on those days.

5) Promote a giving campaign – When we’re grateful for our blessings, we can’t help but be generous. This makes Thanksgiving the perfect time to do a food or clothing drive, support a charity that is helping those in need during the holidays, or rally volunteers to help others. Whatever you do, you’ll want to make sure details are available on your website. If you’re asking for financial gifts, make it possible for people to give online.

6) Blog About Thanksgiving – This is a great time to blog about what your organization is thankful for. And you can lighten things up by having people within your organization guest blog about their favorite Thanksgiving recipes or memories.

7) Integrate with Social Media – Of course, if you’re going to do any of the items above, you’re going to want to share them, talk about them, and enable the people connected with your organization do the same. Make sure you have share buttons on your website to make that easy to do. And make sure you have a social media plan – not just a plan to promote your own agenda, but to listen, engage and help others.

Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live. – Jacqueline Winspear

And if your church, ministry or business is in need of a new website, click to learn more about our web design services or complete the form below to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation.

Comment and discuss…

• How are you preparing your website for Thanksgiving?

Check out more Thanksgiving Month ideas, resources and strategies here.