December is here and our thoughts turn to surviving the glorious madness of the holidays. How are you planning on celebrating this year? Are you giving away a corporate gift or sending a holiday card? Hopefully you had your holiday projects nailed back in July, but just in case, here’s a few fun holiday-themed marketing ideas to spread good cheer all month long:
1. Don’t do anything! It doesn’t get any easier. Generic Christmas cards, cheap plastic ornaments with your company logo stamped on them – do you think your customers really want another tin of Moose Munch from Harry & David (well, I do, but for the sake of this post, pretend I don’t)?
2. Instead, do something meaningful. There are plenty of charitable organizations out there that would love to use the money you would have spent on 40 tons of Moose Munch to help with any number of projects. Make a donation in your customer’s names, and then use those social media networks to tell your customers and fans what you did in their honor.
3. If you are giving out a corporate gift, put some effort into adding some extra meaning by delivering it yourself if possible, or at least jotting something personal onto a card or note. Your customers want your attention, not just a bulk mailed package. I come from the school of “if you’re not going to give something nice, don’t give anything at all”, but nice doesn’t have to mean expensive – it just has to show you actually thought about the individual on the receiving end.
4. Leave the logo off. If it’s a “gift” maybe it doesn’t need to be a promotional opportunity. You have plenty of time all year to hand out pens and post-its with your company name on them.
5. What about picking up passes to a business related event in 2010? The gift that keeps on giving well into the New Year! Think about registering customers for The International Boston Seafood Show, The National Restaurant Association Show, or other industry events they might enjoy (especially if you’re exhibiting).
6. Here’s one for all you procrastinators - how about a post-holiday or pre-holiday gift or card? Instead of getting lost in the shuffle holiday mail, send a card in January celebrating something wacky – the wackier the better if you want to stay on the front burner all year long. January 20th is Penguin Awareness Day for instance…
It goes without saying that corporate gift giving can have legal ramifications – check your ideas out with someone if you have any reservations about what you’re doing. I assure you however, that Moose Munch is perfectly within the bounds of the law…
Got any great ideas on holiday gift giving – things that worked really well or something hilarious that you’ve received over the years? Let us know!
December 1, 2009
