Holiday Marketing: Dos and Don’ts

December 7, 2007

Every year clients ask me what they should give their very best clients. Every year there’s a struggle between something old and something new, something edible and something material, something memorable and something forgettable.

Which is what got me thinking… Just why is it so hard to gift our clients?

WARNING: I have very strong opinions about what works, what doesn’t and why. Keep reading only if you really want my truth as I see it!

To me, a gift says a lot about the giver. In all relationships – personal and otherwise – the gift selection says a lot about YOU! I believe this may be what causes so much of the fuss around this time of year.

What to do? Well, let’s look at the DOs!

DO give gifts that match the RECIPIENT. Give the gift that speaks to THEM. Match loves and passions to something that says, “Hey, I know who you are and I like it!”

DO give gifts that are memorable. Why waste money on something utterly forgettable? For years I gave away food for gifts. People would say to me, aren’t you afraid they aren’t going to remember you gave them something? I would think… But I’m not thinking about ME, I’m thinking about them and what they might like! I can tell you that if you have every wondered about giving food items for a gift, the key is to get something SUPER MEMORABLE! One year I gave 6 lb. apple pies. Since most of my clients are outside of Texas, the comments came flowing in! Notes like… “They sure do make everything bigger in Texas!” and “I will never forget the look on my wife’s face when she saw that pie!” Now THOSE are memories, folks!

DO give the gift and then detach from any expectation! No one wants to get a gift with strings attached (read this like: Did you get my gift, huh? Huh? What did you think?)

Do give gifts that reflect the value you have for the relationship. Many people believe a million dollar client might require a million dollar gift. While it doesn’t have to be dollars to dollars, you certainly wouldn’t want to send a $15 wood car with chocolates to a client that you are billing $500,000 a year with! Often, high-wealth clients care more about the sentiment than they do the actual gift.

Do give gifts that show how much you know the client. If a client, for example, lost a mother or father during the year, you might make a donation to a charity in that person’s name. The card might say… We are thinking about you this holiday season and have made a contribution to XYZ organization in your father’s name. Sincerity goes a long way and people can feel the intent behind a gift.

DO make it personal. Anytime it is possible, match the gift to the person. It may take a little more time, but it’s often worth the extra effort! If you have a client who is from New York, why not gift a Junior’s New York Cheese Cake?, for example.

Now that we’ve discussed DOs, let’s discuss DON’Ts.

DON’T make the gift about YOU. I believe giving gifts with your name printed on the side is tacky. It’s like gifting advertising. Ewwww. ‘Nuf said?

DON’T be cheesy and DON’T be cheap. It’s better to not give a gift at all or give a simple card than it is to give a cheap gift that speaks volumes (in a very bad way) about you!

DON’T give a gift for the wrong reason. If the only reason you are giving someone a gift is because it’s on the to do list or because someone else is or because someone gave you one, then don’t give one at all. People know the difference and if you think they don’t, then you are missing the boat! People can tell when care was put into the gift selection and when it isn’t!

DON’T just pick something. See the memorable part above – choose something that reflects what you and your client share together. Many of my clients are adventurers, so I love to gift them with adventurous food, crazy toys, interesting and off-the-beaten path books. What do you represent for your clients and how can you share that message in your gift. That way, you are thinking of them and gifting a piece of yourself too!

DON’T be a bah humbug. Oh, you know the types. Bah! Holidays! No one says you have to wear a necklace made of mistletoe, yet there’s something to getting into the holiday spirit. Is this an opportunity to take a client to lunch. Cut out early and hit the links? Whatever the urge – explore it!

DON’T stress and overextend. Do what you can and do what is best for you in the long run. Our world is full of consumers with more ‘stuff’ than they know what to do with (another reason why food works well). If cards are it for you, then choose another holiday to play up client delight – Valentine’s Day, St. Patty’s Day, Spring, Spring Break. Let your creativity take you away!

If you have specific questions about holiday gifting, feel free to email me! I would love to share your question and my response via this ezine or in our new blog!

What’s New

10 Crazy Gift Ideas

I just love the holidays, don’t you? I love to see crazy gift ideas that I can share with everyone. I’m telling you… if you have a person on your list that is hard to buy for, this is the list for you!

Number 10 – Crazy Illustrated Dancing Bobble Heads – There are lots of site out there that allow you to take a photo, cut your recipient’s head off and attach to an illustrated body that dances to the beat. Some of my favs are www.jibjab.com  and www.boogieheads.com. OfficeMax has a clever little viral version that you can do too at http://www.elfyourself.com/!

Number 9 – Singing, Dancing Toys – Okay, now this is really crazy, but I have to say it is a huge phenomenon. If you aren’t privy to the singing, dancing toy phenomenon then, trust me, there is one! It started many years ago with the Boogie Bass. Remember the ‘mounted’ bass on a wood backboard that would sing to you? As crazy as that little gadget seems, it and others like it have sold millions and millions worldwide!

Number 8 – Any Food Item That is Outrageous – Hmmm, how about a 8 lb. cheesecake, a 6 lb. award-winning apple pie that takes two hours to bake/reheat (that comes prebaked), or a dozen $3.25 cupcakes? Mix in a little geographic flavor, some exclusivity (you can only get those pies from Neiman’s and a couple of other retailers) and you’ve got a winner!

Number 7 – Stupid Gifts – I bet you didn’t know there are sites dedicated to selling ‘stupid’ gifts. Well, if you are on the search for gag gifts, the completely inane, or the downright wacky, look no further than Stupid.com. Stupidiotic.com sells Be Unseen glasses for those A-listers who would rather be unseen – there’s a little craziness for every generation out there. Or entertain your inner child or someone else’s with gifts from the Perpetual Kid. And, if that’s not enough, I just heard about a little boy from Wimberley, Texas who has taken Fart Gifts to a whole new level! This is a budding entrepreneur!

Number 6 – Electronic Gadgets and Goodies, Oh my! For the electronic gizmo-lovin’ guy or gal in your life, look no further than Engadget.com for crazy electronic holiday gifts. There are holiday gifts for him and holiday gift ideas for her. Don’t forget Apple, Newegg.com, Amazon.com, and Sharper Image.

Number 5 – Anything Extreme from the Neiman Marcus Catalog – Oh, you know you know all about this year’s crazy gifts that cost an even crazier amount of money! This year, the Dallas retailer boasts the news-getting really crazy gifts, and if you go to the site you can click through the Top 100 in your PJs! Anyone for a $615 bath set?

Number 4 – Adventure Gifts – What about giving an adventure that creates memories? Horseback lessons cost about $40 an hour, I’ve heard a couple of people report that you can get a flying lesson for as little as $10 for the first one. Incentive travel packages can be found for as little as $250 for three days and two nights. Use your imagination and go where the adventure is! And if you really want to give your client an experience that is out of this world, check out Zero G.

Number 3 – A Taste of the Best – The home of one of the world’s most expensive chocolates – Noka Chocolate – is right around the corner from where we live. At $854 a pound, it isn’t the most expensive chocolate, but it might be fun to see what $20 bucks will get you. Other items that you can gift for a fraction of the full cost – rent a luxury car for the day, a small portion of fine caviar, a smaller portion of a fine wine. For high wealth clients and those aspiring to high net worth, consider a subscription to The Robb Report, the Global Luxury Resource. Let your creative juices run wild.

Number 2 – Unique and One-of-a-Kind – How can you place a value on unique gifts? You can’t! As Mastercard would say… *Priceless!* Name a star or planet after the recipient, or create a blog (free!) for the writer in your life, secure a web domain for the budding entrepreneur you know.

Number 1 – DNA Artwork – For the really hard-to-buy-for person, here’s the intersection where biology meets art. It’s called DNA11. This really cool site allows you to take a swab of the recipient’s mouth and turn DNA into artwork. Talk about a gift that is personal AND memorable!

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Posted by Tina Ferguson | Filed Under Blog, Marketing Results 

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