It’s no great secret that Winter is NOT my favourite time of the year. The cold, grey dreariness of it can get me down after a while.

While I’d love to escape to warmer climes for the Winter months, that’s not really an option. Which means I need to bring some Winter warmth into my life in other ways.

• Curling up in front of the fire with a good book.
• Making (and eating) delicious, hearty food.
• Sipping on a mug of something warm and yummy.

These will certainly brighten my days, but they aren’t really going to help me achieve my business goals!

Winter is traditionally a time for rest and renewal. So it’s worth taking some time out from your biz to re-evaluate your business strategy and do some planning for the months ahead. I highly recommend a Mid-Year Planning Retreat!

However, it’s also a great time for building CONNECTION and putting some positive vibes out into the world – to help take your focus off the dreariness of Winter and brighten up someone else’s day.

Here are 3 ideas to bring some Winter warmth into your biz.

Take a Testimonial Time Out

As you probably know, testimonials are gold! You have also most likely realised how hard it can be to ask for them. So it makes sense that the small business owners you support find it hard to ask for them too.

Why not take a little time out from your business each week and write testimonials or reviews for the small businesses YOU love?

Look at any existing testimonials they already have on their website, or reviews on their website or Google listing, and see if you can add a different perspective or highlight another product or service they offer. You could even contact them to find out what kind of feedback they are really after. If they use images with their testimonials, make sure you also supply a headshot.

Not only are doing something wonderful for the businesses you love to support, but testimonials also help to raise your profile and may even provide precious backlinks to your website, which can improve your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). So it’s a win all round!

Thank your Customers

The end of Financial Year gives us a great excuse to do something a little special for our customers mid-year to let them know we appreciate them – away from the stress and rush of the Christmas silly season.

Here are a few ideas, just to get you going. I’m sure you could think of many more!

• Send out thank you cards or small gifts.
• Run a customer-exclusive giveaway.
• Hold a free workshop to help them prepare for the second half of the year.

In the privacy of your own office, you can also perform a private Gratitude ceremony. Focus on each of your customers one by one if you know them personally, or your ideal customer avatar if you have too many to think of individually, and thank them silently (or out loud if you’re feeling brave) for choosing to invest in your products or services.

Share some BizBuddy Love

Even if they are not customers or suppliers, your BizBuddies are an important part of your community. They are a vital referral network for your business – and you are equally important to them.

So help them along with their businesses.

• Share their blog posts, articles and special offers to YOUR network.
  Remember to keep your ideal customers and other community members in mind though. It maybe more appropriate to target specific people or to share on a personal platform rather than your business profile.
• Like, Comment and Share their social media posts to help them get greater reach.
• Endorse their skills in LinkedIn.
• Refer them on – but only if you honestly believe they are the right fit. Please don’t feel that you are obliged to refer someone just because they are part of your business group. Your reputation is at stake, so you need to super-sure they will be the right person for the job.

By doing a little bit each day or week, and putting a little more “heart” into your business, hopefully Winter will fly by! Certainly, you will feel a lot better for it, and quite possibly, you will receive some extra biz love in return.

This article was originally published on Flying Solo – Australia’s Micro Business Community.