A change is as good as a rest they say, and if the websites you visit are regularly refreshed and updated, the chances are you’ll visit them on a daily basis (those Facebook status updates and newspaper sites are pretty popular for a reason).

So it follows that if the text and image content of your website remains stale and static, and latest news becomes old news, people won’t visit your site more than once. And that means lost customers and a pretty lean Christmas (those sprouts will have to stretch a long-g-g way).

So if you have a website, it’s key to update its content and let people know what you’re up to, whether it’s special offers, conferences and events or even a poll to ask people if beanies really are acceptable headwear (if it’s good enough for Agyness Deyn …). Updated sites fare better with search engines and ‘move you on’ in the eyes of your visitor. And a whole ‘refresh’ of your home page text makes you rethink your company’s message, which isn’t a bad idea because we all know businesses change and priorities vary, depending on the time of year, what’s in the bank and what’s happening with your competitors.

The best bit? These updates cost very little, and if you have a content management system, are achievable in very little time – just update your pages and voila, you have the power to attract new business. And if you’re not too keen to get involved in that ‘webby’ area, get your provider to update the site for you, as again this is a low-cost, low-effort way to boost business. Result!

Then check your stats and we guarantee (*disclaimer alert - ok so we can’t promise you this, but trust us, it will) that changing text and images here and there, and updating your news, will make a surprising difference to your site stats. 

Everyone needs a bit of cheering up at this time of the year. It’s drizzly, toe-curlingly cold and pitch black before you even leave the office; nobody feels like going out after 6pm; there’s nothing on the telly (as usual); and every night you have to fight through rush hour traffic before getting home too zonked to bother cooking, despite craving comforting stews and lovingly-homemade fare (yes, it’s pasta - again).

So ignoring the cynical ‘they’re selling Christmas trees already’ comments, we think we should look anew on the run-up to Christmas. Glitter (oo!) and carols (ah!) warm even the chilliest of cockles, and sending out Christmas promotions might just do the same, while earning you some (much needed) money for the pot.

Christmas-themed enewsletters, posters and greetings cards are a good way to promote your business and products now, while spreading some cheer at the same time. People are thinking about presents already (oh to be so organised), so it’s a key time to bring people out of their ‘it’s not summer anymore’ blues and show them what you offer.  It really isn’t too late as print turnarounds can be surprisingly fast.

So before Father Christmas wakes from his slumber and the Christmas Fairy gets her tutu dry-cleaned, think about spreading some pre-Christmas cheer, and in the process, getting more business from your customers. We’ll project manage the lot so you’ve no need to worry, though we draw the line at fetching your Christmas shopping for you (have you seen Oxford Street in December? Call me a bumpkin, but online shopping is the way to go).