‘Tis the season for gift-giving, holiday parties, and overeating food.
The holidays are also a special time for us to stop and reflect. Review the year that is ending. And look forward to the one that is about to begin.
In the business world, this means it’s a great time to stay top of mind for your current and prospective customers.
Here are 7 tips to consider when planning your holiday campaigns:
1. Business Hours and Availability
Let’s start with the basic logistics of the holiday season… availability. Are you closed on Christmas Eve? What about Black Friday? Maybe you have reduced hours some of these days.
You’ll want to make sure to keep your customers aware of your holiday hours and when you’ll be out of the office. You don’t need to overcommunicate this, but just make sure that you have your holiday hours listed in pertinent spots:
- Google My Business – If you have a physical office or retail location, you’ll want to set your holiday hours in Google My Business. This will ensure accurate availability is listed in map applications and Google search results for your business.
- Email Signature – Adding a quick note about your holiday availability in your email signature is great for information workers to remind clients.
- Website – Your website is another spot where a quick note can be added. List your holiday hours on your contact page, footer, or in a banner you can easily hide/show.
- Holiday Email Campaign – If you send a holiday email campaign (see below), it’s simple to add a call out in the design to mention your business’s holiday availability briefly.
2. Holiday Email Campaign
Sending out a holiday-themed email is an easy way to spread some quick holiday cheer to your email list.
A “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” themed message is an excellent touch point in December. If you want to make it non-religious, you can also send a “Happy New Year” themed email.
I’d recommend NOT using a holiday email campaign to push your products or services. The best emails are simply wishing your customers well, and acknowledging your business’s celebration of the holiday season.
Above is an example of a simple animated design I had our team make for the holiday season in 2021.
3. Holiday Card
You can also send a physical holiday card… You know, those things that get delivered in mailboxes!
Similar to the email campaign, you’ll want to keep the message on your physical holiday card light and cheerful. The act of sending the card and thinking of the recipient is what truly matters most.
I’ve also used the opportunity of a physical holiday card to write a brief message and have employees who work with that customer sign it as well. It’s just a simple personal touch.
4. Gifts to Clients
You may purchase gifts for clients if you are in a B2B environment with higher revenue accounts.
Consider your client base and company culture as you determine what gift options make the most sense. Sometimes small items like chocolates, cookies, or branded apparel make sense. In other higher-end relationships, you may decide that a nice bottle of wine or gift card to restaurants is appropriate.
If your entire sales team is going to be giving gifts, you can often bulk-purchase items for gifting. Adding a custom note and card for each client.
5. Social Media Posts
Creating fun holiday-themed social media posts is a great way to make your newsfeed cheery!
There are a lot of different holiday-themed posts you can make. You can take culturally related pictures, like holiday party pics, events around the office, or end-of-year fundraisers. Even a simple picture of your office after the first snowfall can be great.
To acknowledge the holidays directly, you can create custom-designed graphics for each holiday. Scheduling them to post the day of is a nice touch to celebrate (and to reiterate if your business is closed that day).
6. Video Message
If you are comfortable with video editing (or have access to a videographer), creating a quick holiday video is an option.
Recording your key account contacts, technical resources, and executives wishing a happy holiday season on video effectively highlights your business’s team. Even a short, 30-90 second video can be impactful here.
Once a video is created, it can be used across your sales and marketing locations. I’d recommend uploading it to YouTube, then sharing/embedding the link on other social media platforms, email campaigns, and your website.
7. Office Decorations
And finally, holiday decorations. Set the mood with holiday decorations relevant to your culture and business environment.
It can be a nice touch in your office to add lights, trees, and other holiday-related decorations. This is an excellent option for businesses that bring their customers into their office (or just want to provide a change of scenery for staff). Professionally installed outdoor lights can make your building “light up” in the neighborhood.
For those who work from home, decorating your “home” office can spruce things up. Adding some holiday decorations like a mini tree behind you for video calls is a fun way to remotely bring the holidays into your meetings.
Selling The Holiday Spirit
Hopefully, the above ideas helped give you some inspiration on how to bring the holiday spirit into your business in the coming weeks. Everyone, besides the Grinch, loves to celebrate this time of year.
But as a reminder… Unless you are in retail, the goal of holiday campaigns is NOT to sell directly. Utilize the holidays to show appreciation, give thanks, and reflect on those important relationships in your (work) life.
