Don’t “fa la la” Your Brand Away at the Holidays
by Nettie Nitzberg, WOW! Creator
Use the season of caring and sharing to make a statement, reinforce your brand, get your company noticed and tell your clients and key prospects how much they mean to you!
Instead of giving a “piece of coal,” get creative!…have fun!…be cheerful! …think outside the gift box!
Consider last year. How many holiday cards or gifts did you receive or give that looked the same, sounded the same and let’s admit it – did not stand out in the crowd or on the mantle? Maybe the company name was put on the card and a nice inscription was included, but everyone does that. You might have even taken that extra step and sent a nice gift basket, cookies or a bottle of wine, but did your cards or gifts reinforce your brand, message or who your company is? Did you consider that the holiday season is the perfect time to 1) strengthen your image, 2) get noticed in the sea of gift-giving or 3) tell your clients/prospects how much they mean to you? Maybe a few did, but most probably didn’t.
So, how can you stand out in the crowd and be a shining light?
Use the holiday season as your opportunity to ring in the cheer and tell your clients and prospects what makes your company different, unique and great to work with. It is also the perfect time to tell people how much they mean to you, how much you appreciate their business and that you would be honored to work with them in years to come. You can do this with a sprinkle of creativity and some holiday imagination.
To help you get started this year or next, consider these ideas to transform your holiday message and giving from “ho hum” into “WOW”!
Use your company colors as inspiration
Play off your logo and incorporate it into a card or gift (create your own wine label or candy wrapper)
Surf promotional item websites for ideas that make you say WOW! (check out
www.tsjinc.com)
Give something that is unusual but useful (like a silver fortune cookie paperweight – with a customized message)
Design your own holiday card and customize the message
Package your gifts uniquely or hand-deliver them
Customize gifts to key clients based on how well you know them
Make a donation to a favorite charity in honor of your clients and tell them
Use a picture you have taken on a vacation, business trip or sightseeing venture for your holiday card image
Create a theme for the year and use your gift/card as a way to introduce it (“We are growing” - send a plant, seeds, etc.)
Send your card or gift at Thanksgiving or New Years so it gets noticed
Use another holiday as your time of year to thank your clients (maybe Valentine’s Day or your company anniversary) instead of the traditional holiday season
You already have a budget for holiday cards and gifts – use it reinforce your brand and make sure that your clients and prospects keep you at the top of their list.