Ohhh, surprised by Christmas again?
Yes, I too am sometimes distraught as I walk through the supermarkets in early fall and have no desire to buy chocolate lice or Christmas decorations. But here I would like to plead for early planning of Christmas campaigns such as customer gifts, Christmas cards or Christmas dinners. When you come back from your summer vacation, it’s a good time to think about what you want to offer your customers for Christmas.
Who do you want to give a present to?
Before you ask yourself what you want to do for Christmas this year, think about who you want to give presents to. How can you proceed?
Everyone who received something last year will also receive something this year
The easiest way to avoid work! Simply take last year’s distribution list, order Christmas cards, print out address labels, stamp them – done. You hardly need to worry before November December.
Observe the Pareto rule
Do 20% of your customers also account for 80% of your added value? And of these 20% of customers, 20% are your company’s top customers (4% of all customers). Reason enough to think about how to treat these customers.
Keeping an eye on potential customers and leads
Think about which customer segmentation you would like to make in order to give them special gifts at the end of the year. What about the top potentials of your customers and leads? Find out which of your customers could belong to next year’s top category. I know it’s a lot of work, but isn’t there something in your mission statement about customer focus, customer orientation, our customer is at the center of everything we do? So get to work on segmentation – it not only helps with Christmas presents, but you will also know which customers you will be paying particular attention to next year.
A donation to a charitable organization instead of customer gifts
This can be a monetary donation or an employee commitment to a charitable cause. Here you have to decide whether this should be made public or whether you should do it “quietly”. Employee involvement for a good cause can also be integrated into a team-building measure. You can do something good for your company, your employees and others at the same time.
Employees
There is someone else who is receptive to recognition, attention and sympathy at the end of the year – your employees. If you do not belong to the type of ascetic mentioned below, your colleagues in the company will appreciate confirmation and respect for their efforts throughout the year.
The good old acquaintances
Even if business is business, there are still the good old acquaintances. People who are just so close to your heart. The kind that once helped you out of a difficult situation. Someone who has selflessly given you a good tip. Now is the time to show your gratitude.
Influencers, opinion leaders, industry leaders
You have never thought about including these contacts in your CRM? Then now is the time, because these people are not only excellent providers of information, they can also become multipliers for your marketing messages.
Nobody, nothing, nada, simply nobody
Are you fed up with the whole Christmas season? To the Zimmetstern and the Mailänderli? Wonderful, practiced asceticism deserves our respect!
In general
Better to please a few than to bore many and force them to dispose of a useless and loveless gift.
What do you give?
A beautiful and at the same time difficult task, because you can choose from a wide range of options. Here is an excerpt with a few marginal notes:
A standard Christmas card with a saying
Always popular and yet so loveless. Plus the same standard slogan every year. Why don't you write about what has been particularly on your mind this year, something personal or something that has struck you as particularly positive.
Traditional as always
I personally think it's good: branding. If this is well received by your customers, it has a positive memory value and Christmas is also a traditional festival. If your customers look forward to the salami with a bottle of wine every year, there's little reason to change that. But maybe this year you can add something special to your traditional Christmas present.
Donation in the name of the customers
More and more in vogue. But not the quick alibi donation because you don't have time at the end of the year. Think about which topics also make sense in the context of your company's activities. Or simply your heart's desire - gut decisions without ulterior motives are always good.
New Year's card or New Year's gift at the beginning of the year instead of a Christmas card
Don't want your wishes to get lost in the Christmas card overload at the end of the year? Then make a New Year's gift or a New Year's card at the beginning of the year. Remember that in January, tummies and cupboards are still full of chocolate and something chocolatey might push your customers' appetites to the limit.
Something bigger for another occasion
Are you only doing something for Christmas? What about Easter? The summer vacation? Does your business have mainly local customers and is there a special, traditional regional festival?
Exclusive, personalized Christmas card designed by an artist or agency
You can tell that you are making an effort. You plan carefully, think about the message of your Christmas card and the text is also unique. Beautiful!
Edible delicacies: Chocolate, wine and other calories - possibly personalized
Chocolate sets the endorphin production machine in the brain in motion. A feeling of satisfaction sets in. You can hardly influence a customer more directly than with chocolate.
Franked Christmas cards for customers so that they in turn can write to your customers
You give good wishes to your customers' customers.
Christmas Card from Hell
Christmas letter with standard Word Christmas templates: Not possible! Leave it at that or use the standard business letter or send the winter postcard from your local tourist office.
September
It’s still warm and cozy and you’re already thinking about snow, candlelight and Santa Claus or the Christ Child?
Yay!
Now is exactly the time to appoint the people who will take care of the new, innovative Christmas idea. Now these people have time to think about who should receive which gift from your company without the pressure of producing or creating the new Christmas idea.
After all, you have saved the best ideas you collected in December for this very moment. You did, didn’t you?
Now is the time to evaluate and further develop the ideas collected. Take another look back at the last few years: what worked particularly well, and what didn’t go down well with customers? Which of the gifts and cards you received did you like best, which was particularly striking or original?
Group of people: Management, sales, marketing, possibly already external creative agencies, promotional product sales
- Carry out customer segmentation, define parameters
- Brief agencies
- Involve creative people
- Promotional product sellers, Christmas gift specialists
- Employee ideas
- When should the gift arrive? Deliver personally, send?
october
- Decide what you want to do for Christmas
- Purchase or start of production of the articles
- Perhaps order a little more if you land a new best customer in December or if you want to give a spontaneous gift to an important intermediary
november
- Check customer segmentation again, generate addresses
- Would you like to hand over the Christmas presents personally? Make appointments for December now
- Prepare the shipment
To ensure that everything is better next year, the sending of Christmas presents is included directly in the marketing communication plan for next year.
December
- Shipping
- Visit customers
January
Oh God, Christmas is over! But now is the time when customers’ reactions are coming or are still fresh in their minds. Time for a debriefing: what was good, how was our gift/card received by customers, what can we do better next year? And if it hasn’t already been done, the Christmas card mailing is now part of the communication plan.
Your topics for next year's Christmas planning:
- Christmas cards
- Christmas presents
- Christmas event for customers
- Christmas dinner for employees
- Year-end interviews / qualification interviews
- Don't miss: Santa Claus
- Internal advent calendar for employees
- Donations
The stumbling block of bribery:
Yes, most of us live in affluence and are used to giving expensive gifts privately. Even if I don’t always agree with the fact that one’s own profiling neurosis is lived out on others with ever more expensive gifts.
How expensive can a Christmas present be?
If the price of Christmas presents makes even a spoiled dictator blush, you’re probably too high. Many companies regulate the extent to which gifts may be accepted. An unusual Christmas present doesn’t always have to be just short of corrupt. Tailoring to the recipient’s taste often scores more points than the price.
In the business sector, criminal law regulating bribery applies, particularly in Switzerland. So if your company gives away cars to its best customers, some people might think that the orders placed are not all kosher.
There are also more and more companies that have rules on whether and which gifts are “socially appropriate” and minor. Other companies, on the other hand, do not allow the acceptance of any favors. In addition, depending on the industry, there is a custom as to what is given away and what is considered acceptable.
Think carefully about what you give your customer. A gift that is too expensive can make him uncomfortable and even put him in the awkward position of having to return the gift to you. Not a good feeling for Christmas and future collaboration.
You don’t have to do everything yourself for maximum effect!
We are strong in the areas of printing and media and offer you professional support for a successful Christmas card mailing.
Staffel Medien AG delivers your Christmas wishes with a high degree of accuracy, sophisticated design, top quality and maximum attention-grabbing effect for your customers.
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Frank Huber
044 289 89 12