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5 things to think about in the run-up to Christmas…

‘The early bird catches the worm’

So the Summer holidays aren’t even over and people have started complaining about ‘Christmas party advertising’ and festive wrapping paper. Bah humbug.

Whatever your thoughts or beliefs on the holiday season, I wanted to be among the first to bring it up (from a small business marketing point-of-view, that is) and have a bit of fun in advance of the barrage. As I say above – the early bird catches the worm. And, if you’ve not yet thought about Christmas as a marketing opportunity, now is the time to do so.

If you are in the leisure or retail industry, you’ve probably been thinking about it for ages – planning, costing, pre-ordering… But, if you are a small business whose product or service isn’t necessarily seasonal, what does this time of year mean for you, and how can it support your sales and marketing effort?

Considering that there will most certainly be a portion of your customer-base who will embrace the festivities, so maybe you should too.

1. Check your seasonal sales and marketing strategy

• What can you say in the run-up to the 25^th, and how can it support your marketing activity? Even if it’s just communicating your opening/trading times to your customers.
• Check your website hosting capacity, if you are planning some seasonal communications, hits on your website might go up. Can your hosting package accommodate that increased traffic? Could you potentially be charged extra?
• Think about what’s happening in Q1 of 2011 and plan newsletter articles, blogs and communications around that too. Would it be appropriate to send your clients a branded calendar?

2. Create your countdown to Christmas calendar

• While you may not be ready now, put some reminders in your calendar to start thinking about any printed material you might need around the festivities. Don’t leave it till the 20^th (Christmas Eve is on a Friday this year by the way).
• If you rely on the post – check out Royal Mail’s Christmas post dates. This year it’s Friday 18th for 2^nd Class, Monday 21st for 1^st Class and Wednesday 23^rd for Special Delivery.
• Remind your staff about taking annual leave – you don’t want them all off at the same time because they haven’t had any holiday this year.
• And don’t forget… A lot of people take time off around Christmas, and suppliers shut down, so avoid sending any critical communications the last 10 working days before Christmas for and the first two weeks of the New Year.

3. Spread the cost and avoid the rush

• Leaving things to the last minute, like printing, could cause problems with rush charges and delays. Especially if everyone else has left it to the last minute too.
• Have a think if there is anything you can produce now to avoid lots of bills coming in at the same time during December and January.

4. Let your hair down – have a bit of fun

• Have you thought about a Greetings card for customers, suppliers and staff? Why not go humorous this year? Or, digital and build it in with an email campaign/E-Newsletter.
• Is your contact database up to date? If you’re sending the simplest of cards, updating the database can been a real headache. Pass it around your team now and get it cleaned up in plenty of time.
• Have you thought about seasonal/promotional items that could be sent out at this time of year – calendars, mugs, other types of gifts?
• Have you thought about making your offices welcoming and festive to create a bit of cheer in the cold winter months?

5. Donate

And finally, instead of a Christmas card this year, how about a charity donation? As well as saving trees, postage and doing some good, it could double as a news item in your next newsletter. Even better – could you create a digital game, where the engagement of your clients and prospects decides the amount that goes to charity? That could get them involved in some fun, get your name out and raise money for a good cause all in one go.

So bah humbug or not, make sure you’ve planned around the festivities, even if it’s just considering ‘down time’ when reviewing your sales and marketing plans.

By Cheryl Crichton | Associate Clear Thinker | Clear Thought Consulting Ltd | @cherylcrichton | www.clear-thought.co.uk

If you enjoyed this, you might also be interested in these pieces from Clear Thought:

• Blog: 10 ways to weave a little marketing magic
• Blog: How to write a brief for marketing that sells
• Blog: Why marketing is like DIY – 5 tips to avoid costly mistakes
• Blog: Your marketing questions answered

Clear Thought Consulting works with small businesses, equipping them with the marketing strategies, suppliers, skills and set-up that they need to become bigger businesses. We do this by planning and delivering 12-month marketing transformation programmes – supporting a small business through a step-by-step process to making marketing pay. We firmly believe that when you can’t out-spend your competition, you have to out-think them.

Published on 17 August 2010