Arrange your holiday marketing early
Just because it is Christmas, and the season of goodwill to all men and all that, there is no reason to take your finger off the pulse as far as marketing is concerned. Far from it in fact as this is an excellent opportunity to make yourself stand out from all the usual corporate guff flying around that is instantly forgotten. It may be only October but the holidays are fast approaching and if you want to stay ahead of the game then you really should be starting now to plan your Christmas marketing strategy. This is particularly important if your business is not seasonally driven and you do not want to be forgotten amongst those companies who will be enjoying booming business thanks to their Christmas links. Here are just a few tips on how to stay ahead of the field and get your Christmas holiday marketing strategy bang on in 2014.
Cards
If you have, in the past, headed online and ordered a pile of Christmas cards that all contain the same mundane message, then this is the year to get out of that habit and put a bit more effort into it. Few corporate Christmas cards are even opened, never mind put on display, so why taste time and money. You know who the head honcho’s are, so make a real impression this year with a top notch ecard. Sent electronically or ecards as they are known and delivered directly into their inbox, anyone will be thrilled to receive one of these. They can be musical, have moving animation and, most importantly, you can add your own message, company logo etc to make sure you will be remembered.
Gifts
Businesses waste more money on useless corporate gifts than the NHS do on ready meals. Seriously, the thought is all well and good but they are all very much of a muchness, and yes it is a word! In short, corporate gifts at Christmas shouldn’t buy into a hobby you know the director likes and ignore the rest of the staff who are playing a pivotal role in the company. Something along the lines of a luxury hamper clearly labelled “to the staff in the sales/marketing/IT department” etc will be a lot more memorable and they can all choose something from it. Make sure on that label it also has your name in there, for example “Merry Xmas from the sales/marketing/IT department at We Doo Business”. You get the idea….
Promotions
Christmas is a great time to get those promotions rolling, especially if you aren’t a company who deals in Yuletide paraphernalia. Businesses often make the mistake of not getting their usual supplies in over Christmas as they are tied up doing all sorts of other vitally important stuff, like planning the office party. Get those promotions out there, tie them in with the ecards if you want to or send out separate marketing emails. Just because you don’t specialise in Christmas items is no reason to sigh and sit twiddling your thumbs waiting for business to pick up in the New Year. Get in there and strike while the irons hot and give your clients some real Christmas cheer with some offers they cannot refuse you take you up on.
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