It seems that each year, the biggest selling season of the year starts earlier and earlier. Instead of after Thanksgiving, the trees, the menorahs, the decorations start appearing right after Halloween.

Not only are the holiday decorations appearing earlier, but savvy marketers are capitalizing on this new trend by promoting their products earlier. So how do you cut through the clutter and reach your public?

Five Things to Do:

1. BE RELEVANT: make sure your holiday communications match the occasion and fit your public’s understanding. Holidays offer an excellent opportunity for selling your product or service. Your public already has their attention on the event so align with it. It is far easier and often more compelling to align with what your customers are thinking than to invent something new.

2. REMEMBER YOUR BASICS: mail repetitively, not just once. There is a lot of holiday mail so keep your name in front of them, it will be worth it. You might even want to mail even more often to maximize your holiday advantage.

3. START EARLY: make your holiday promotional plans early. Your suppliers are busy, the post office is busy, it takes time to create your campaign. If you wait till the last minute, you might miss your window.

4. CREATE URGENCY: the holidays often provide opportunities which have a deadline. Tax savings, holiday buying, family events—use these to your advantage and create reasons for your customers to response and purchase now.

5. GEAR UP: your sales team is an important part of your success. Make sure they are on track with you. Explain your promotions to them and make sure they are prepared to forward your marketing messages and do their job effectively. Reviewing how to keep track of the reaches, the details of any specials and other important points can really pay off.

Five Things to Avoid:

1. DON’T BE TOO SPECIFIC: people have differing beliefs so while holiday themed, your winter holiday greetings should not mention a specific holiday but encompass the beliefs of all your customers.

2. DON’T WAIT TOO LONG: your holiday planning should start in the summer. Don’t procrastinate or you may find yourself suffering from “too little, too late”.

3. DON’T OVERDO IT: Tie into the holiday, but don’t forget that what you are promoting. Your goal is to sell your product and build relationships with your customers and prospects The holiday message must help accomplish that goal, not overpower it.

4. DON’T GIVE UP: some industries tend to slow down a little over the holidays. Those that stop promoting during this time and try “ride it out” are guaranteed to have a bad holiday. A good holiday marketing plan can do a lot to keep the numbers up.

5. DON’T NEGLECT CURRENT CUSTOMERS: sometimes we forget our loyal customers and focus all our attention on new customers. The holidays are a perfect time to reward current or past customers with a special “gift” promotion just for them. Such promotions often get an outstanding return on investment.

Summary

The end of the year provides many great opportunities to build relationships with your customers and drive sales. This is particularly true with business-to-business services or and consumer/retail products, but all industries have plenty of chances to turn the holidays to their advantage. Make sure you do so with yours!

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