You have a vacation coming up and as expected, you’re a little tedious about leaving your business behind. Not to worry– we’re sharing five steps to do to guarantee a care-free trip.

Step 1: Plan Your Social Posts Ahead Of Time In Buffer 

Before you head out for summer vacation, it’s important to continue staying consistent on your social platforms. No, this doesn’t mean you have to post while you’re supposed to be enjoying your time off, but it does mean that you should plan a few social posts ahead of time to schedule out while you’ll be away. 

We like to use Buffer for ourselves and our clients to schedule a date and time for our content to post. This way, you’re going to continue giving your audience what they like to see while you’re having fun and not thinking about work. 

Step 2: Schedule Your Blogs To Post On-Time 

This may or may not be applicable for your business, but in terms of our strategy, we post blogs every Tuesday and Thursday. This is the schedule we’ve always followed and it’s the schedule our consumers have learned to expect. So, it’s no exception that when we’re away for a long week, we’ll still post our blogs on the appropriate days. This option is available on WordPress, Wix, Square Space and most likely other website platforms, as well. 

Step 3: Set An Automatic Response Email For The Days You’ll Be Away 

Every employee in our office is required to do this to ensure we’re still communicating with whoever is trying to get in contact with us. As a creative agency, we often have fun with our responses and set something like, “Thank you for your email. I am most likely enjoying a margarita on the beach at this time and won’t be back in the office until July 22. Please email _____ for immediate help.” It’s always important to give another point of contact in case of a marketing, or business, emergency. 

Step 4: Give Your Employees An Idea Of How You’d Like To Be Notified 

As a business owner, it’s essential that you communicate your basic itinerary with your employees so that they’re aware of the days you’ll be unavailable. While you’d like to think they won’t ever need you for anything, it always seems like the most complicated requests happen while you’re away, doesn’t it? Be sure to let them know how you’d like to be notified, whether it’s via text, Slack or voicemail. 

Step 5: Have Fun & Take Authentic Pictures To Utilize For Content Later

The most important step is to have fun. You’re a business owner who DESERVES a vacation and the more you can unplug and enjoy yourself, the happier you’ll be when you return. You may not think that your personal pictures aren’t applicable to your business, but in reality, your consumers like to see that you still play an active role in your brand. Plus, we’ve found that authentic pictures are much more relatable than stock photos– go figure! 

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