Pumpkin spice lattes, seasonal items on retail shelves, and fall related emails from businesses and competitors in your inbox. If you haven’t noticed, fall is here, and the holiday train is on the tracks and roaring in your direction.
While most of the world has been out celebrating and enjoying wrapping up summer, believe it or not, those of us who dwell in the inner sanctum of the marketing and promotional spaces have been busy with holiday brainstorming and planning on behalf of our clients. What does that look like? Well, we’ll tell you…
When looking at the list of holidays we mention (see below), we look to see which of those impact our clients and their businesses. For some, it’s strategically planning out holiday blogs and eblasts. For others it will be a holiday email message, a type of custom-designed eCard send, or perhaps crafted messages for their social media postings. Most, however, will need holiday imagery properly placed on their websites. And, too, some are even returning to designing and sending real holiday cards! There will even be the request for a cleverly messaged out-of-office or quick holiday greeting that can be sent via a client’s personal email account. Whatever the case, they’re owning the holidays now, so they can enjoy them later.
It’s not too late! When you think about it, what are some of the ways you can still get a good jump on the holidays? Here are our top 6 suggestions to own the holidays!
1. Highlight your philanthropic/give back moments or company culture.
Do you, your team, or your business give back at the end of the year? Do you and your company have a culture of giving back during the year? By highlighting these types of efforts around the busy holiday season, your brand has a chance to stand out in the cluttered competition. Add the gives to your monthly eblast and post on your social media. Show your community how you gave back this year. Promote good deeds by modeling yours rather than just focusing on the goods of the season.
For organizations who survive on donations or giving, now is the time to begin preparing your metrics and planning your end-of-year “ask.”
2. Look for ways to drive sales.
The most effective way to generate sales or business—especially during the holidays—is to be sure that you reach out to people who’ve already expressed interest in your products or services.
- Know which products sell best during each season.
- Do you have them ready to go?
- When you will promote them and how?
- Be sure you begin planning now!
3. Find a way to say “Thank You.”
Expressing gratitude is never seasonal, but it is very noticed during this hectic time of year.
- Do you have a holiday gathering for your clients or customers or some type of celebration?
- Will you send greeting cards?
- Do you prefer to send an eCard?
- Will some require a gift card or more?
Be sure you let those who have done business with you over the year hear from you.
4. Decide to Be Top of Mind now and stick with your plan!
Be aware: Unless you have a product or service heightened by the holiday season, remember that people check out of their normal train of thought and wind up in holiday mode around November 15th.
- Will you send holiday cards? Will you prepare an end of year video to share?
- If your promotional and holiday plan isn’t up and running by that point, you will surely find yourself wishing you had done a bit more work in that area. By that point, it’s usually a bit too late to recover or build momentum.
5. Create an organized presence.
Be sure you’re preparing your customers and clients for the holidays in regards to what you offer them or what they will be needing from you. Communicate, communicate, communicate:
- How will you communicate office hours, holiday closures, celebrations, and more?
- Do you have your internal plan in place?
- What about your customers and clients?
- How will your holiday schedule and deadlines impact them, if at all?
- How do you plan to get the word out to them?
6. Finally: Have your seasonal content plan ready!
Don’t be one of those businesses that ignores this simple but very important tip:
- Update your content. Change out your imagery across your social media, website, blogs, and your emails in order to reflect the holidays and the season.
- Be sure they are timely. You don’t want to have Halloween elements still showing when it’s Thanksgiving week.
- People notice when you tend to details such as these and they appreciate it.
One of the mantras we like to say at Epiphany is: If you don’t own the holidays, they will most surely own you. Whip them into shape now!
If we can help you get organized now and assist you in enjoying your upcoming holidays, give us a call. We are ready to help you ring in the season with a plan to keep that lovely smile on your face.
Cheers!
Stephanie
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