Holidays Ahead of Time

Get ahead of the rush by planning your end-of-year communication now

by Amy Olivieri,  Constant Contact Regional Development Director, Houston

It's still warm and sunny in much of the country right now, but an unfortunate truth is that the end of the year will be here before we know it. That means the next four months will likely be a bit busy (and I know I don't have to tell you that). These still-slow days of summer are the perfect time to start ramping up and planning for the holiday rush.

One benefit of being a small business or a nonprofit is that you can more easily differentiate yourself from the big-box retailers and businesses that will all be offering exclusive coupons and their lowest prices ever. For one thing, you can offer more than a discount. After all, if everyone else will be offering 20% off coupons, why would you want to do the same? The more unique, helpful, and inspiring your emails are, the more they'll stand out -- and the more likely it will be that they'll be passed along to others.

That's exactly the kind of content you should be creating now. You may not know exactly what you're going to be offering or promoting in every communication you send, or some of the other details, but no matter whether you're a B2B, B2C, or nonprofit organization you can get ahead of the game with some smart planning.

Here are 10 ideas for holiday communications you can start working on now, so you have less to do later.

Gift ideas for specific people: Don't just suggest gift ideas. Give those ideas some context and purpose. One week you could feature gifts for teachers, another week could be gifts for moms or dads, then gifts for coworkers, and so on. These messages may not spark an immediate sale, but recipients might hold onto them until they're ready to buy.

Wrap it up: If you sell products that are an awkward size or are difficult to wrap, gift wrapping advice will be much appreciated. For those who are not good at wrapping, this information or offer can be a godsend. And the novelty value will give it mileage on social media.

Make a charitable donation: Making a donation to a charity in the name of a customer or client is a great way to share the holiday spirit. You can tell them about it in a holiday-themed email. Prepare the email now and send it later, after the donation has been made.

Send a holiday message: A great way to connect with your customers, clients, and members is to send a fun holiday message that shows a lighter and more personable side of your business or organization. You can include a photo of your staff along with their signatures. You can include a video with greetings from others. You can include a success story, and thank your subscribers for their help in making it happen. Get started on this now while you have the time, or else you may not make the time later.

Event promotion: People's schedules get busy at year end, so if you're hosting a holiday shopping or fundraising event on your own or in conjunction with other area businesses or organizations, you'll want to get a save-the-date communication to your target audience as early as possible. Send an invitation a month or two before the event, and be sure to include the benefits the recipient will receive if she attends your event, along with the logistical information.

Tell a story: Send a short story about how your donors' funding makes a difference. Or, share a customer's story about what happened when he/she gave your product as a gift. Include a photo of the person whose story you're featuring.

Share your goals: Thank donors, volunteers, members, and constituents for their support during the past year and share with them your goals for the new year.

Holiday hours: If it's appropriate, prepare an email announcing that you will have special holiday hours for your customers' and clients' convenience.

Remind people that they can give a donation as a gift: Remind your volunteers and donors that they can make a donation on behalf of friends and family members as a holiday gift. Let them know that you will send an email acknowledgement in addition to a physical receipt to the person with news of the gift.

Send a newsletter with the year's accomplishments: There is something very powerful about seeing a list of successes that have come about after a year of hard work. Send a newsletter that highlights the year's brightest moments, and include plenty of pictures.

Yes, the holiday season will be here before we know it. Plan your email marketing campaigns now for the next four months and you'll be able to spend more time focusing on customer service and less time on your email communications.

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