Gifts are nice, but quality time can be even more meaningful and memorable.
The holidays are a busy time a year. That’s true for everyone, but perhaps especially true for marketers who are trying to capitalize on end-of-year spending from both corporations and individuals.
But it also happens to be the perfect time to reach out to those you’ve worked with throughout the year to send good tidings—and maybe even a small gift.
However, you’re not the only one who’s going to be reaching out. So if you want your season’s greetings to resonate, the best way to break through the noise is to try and meet in person.
In other words: Give presence.
That might mean dropping by as many holiday parties as you can fit into your calendar this month in order to get that valuable facetime with clients, or perhaps making some calls to schedule one-on-one lunches with the contacts that are especially valuable to you and your company. Even if you just have a moment to drop off a generic greeting card in person, the effort of making the drive yourself is going to be noticed and appreciated.
Anyone can shoot off an email or send a branded mug. But if you want your gesture to remain memorable when the noise quiets down again in January, the most impactful and generous thing you can give is your time.
If you are able to put in some valuable facetime this December, use it as an opportunity to set up (or at least discuss) your next potential meet-up. A casual holiday encounter might not be the best chance to really talk business, but this way you can leave knowing you’ll have the chance to broach those topics in the near future – and, ideally, maybe even walk away with your next appointment already in the books.
If you don’t have a lot of free time to put in facetime in the immediate weeks, it does make sense to begin planning your meetings for January. When the new year rolls around, people will immediately leap into action with their first moves to get the year started strong. If you get your meetings locked down now, you’ll already be ahead of the game.
Plus, reaching out now is still a valuable touchpoint that shows you’re definitely thinking of your contacts during the holidays — but also beyond.]]>