Get ready for the small business holidays with digital ready

With the holidays just around the corner, the time for small businesses to start preparing is now, whether that's ordering extra stock, hiring temporary staff or finalizing online marketing campaigns. For a small business holidays can be a make-or-break time. With the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready platform, you can learn a few new skills that may help you make the most out of events like Small Business Saturday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the entire holiday season to help your business thrive.
 

Why it's time to get digital ready

For a small business holidays can, however, be particularly challenging to the bottom line. This year is no exception. According to the most recent Verizon State of Small Business Survey, 84% of small to midsize business owners are concerned about the U.S. economy, 62% are worried about their business' financial security and 83% worry about the effects of rising inflation on their business.

As a result of these economic conditions, small businesses need to adapt, especially as more and more of your customers shift their shopping to online channels like your website, social media and mobile app. The more effectively you can find, reach and sell to customers online, the more you will thrive in today's digital-first marketplace.

That's where Digital Ready comes in—a free online education platform designed to meet the unique challenges of small businesses:

• Free courses and live webinars from small business experts give short, information-packed lessons you can start using right away.
• Follow your own learning path at your own pace—from managing money to online marketing. Watch short videos for quick tips, or longer videos for more in-depth knowledge.
• Until December 13th 2024, you can even apply for a $10,000 grant to help boost your small business ambitions; to do so, you'll need to register on the Digital Ready portal and complete at least two courses, coaching or community events, in any combination between July 1, 2024 and December 13, 2024.
• Our redesigned dashboard makes it easy to track your progress, get recommendations and be alerted to upcoming events and grant opportunities.

Whether you're looking to enhance your digital marketing skills, get your website ready for the rush of the holidays or need tips on how to improve your operations, Digital Ready has you covered. By tailoring your learning experience to your specific needs and schedule, you can quickly gain the knowledge and skills that can help you make an immediate impact this holiday season.
 

Where should you start?

Digital Ready offers courses and events across every area of digital marketing, business skills and operations. To make the most out of Digital Ready in time for Small Business Saturday and the other small business holidays, here are a few courses you can put to work immediately:

• Define your brand: In this course, you'll learn how to build a brand that differentiates your products and services from your competitors, so you can more easily connect customers to your business. The course covers the basics of brand strategy, shows you how to build an effective brand identity and provides advice on how to bring your brand to life.
• Get discovered with the basics of search engine optimization: SEO plays a critical role in helping new customers find your business. In this course, you'll learn how to unravel the mystery of SEO and learn more about how it can help your small business during the holidays and beyond.
• How to spread the digital word: Your communication strategy guides how you'll engage with customers during the holidays. This beginners course will guide you through marketing basics, identifying your customers and the importance of building a marketing plan.

In addition to online learning, Digital Ready also regularly hosts virtual networking sessions, in-person events and a thriving Slack channel where you can connect with other small business owners, learn from our experts and share your own experience.

For a small business, holidays are always a busy time. Consider registering for the opportunity to apply for a $10,000 grant to give your business the boost it may need. Register now and start learning how to elevate your business with Verizon Small Business Digital Ready.

The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.