Enterprise Nation

Christmas time is, of course, the time for giving and a great opportunity to thank your customers and clients for their business this year.  So what will you give during the festive season to make a lasting impression? Geoff Ramm, expert marketer, offers some surprising ideas.

Christmas Cards

For many years they were the most popular way to say Merry Christmas, but having observed the increase in email cards and postage costs they seemed to have declined in the past few years.  I don't know about you but I keep a Christmas card for the full month of December whereas I open and delete e-cards within seconds. 

So how can you increase your marketing potential with a traditional card?

First of all ensure your brand is on the front and not inside, so your logo is displayed for a full month in the office, fireplace or reception area and secondly make sure your card arrives within the first week of December to ensure it has a month’s worth of promotion!

Christmas Presents

For that extra special customer or associate you may want to splash out and buy them a gift, but I’m sure you can think about buying them something different.  Bottles of spirit or wine, diaries and wall planners are all good standard gifts, but here are a few ideas I’ll share with you which I have bought over the years.

• Potted Plant (with the gift tag that read ‘Wishing you continued growth for the coming year).
• Lottery Ticket inside a card (The message read ‘Thanks a million for your business this year’)
• Giant Cookie (Wishing you sweet success for next year)
• Books (Business books I have read and enjoyed over the year make a great present for clients)

What will you be buying for your top clients this year? Share your ideas here in the comments or in the forum.

Geoff Ramm  is a Marketing Speaker, Marketer and Author - www.geofframm.com