I was sitting in front of the TV the other night writing Christmas cards to friends and family and watching a movie. Now at one point I noticed I could finish a personalized letter and address one card for each commercial break. So after I had finished with the cards I started counting the number of commercials in-between each showing of the movie. I counted 10-15 commercials! To me that seems like a lot. 

My first thought was marketers are bumping up their advertising for the Holiday Season. My next thought was I need to get TiVo. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements all day and right now it is even worse. So how do you make your message stand out from the rest of the Holiday marketing madness? Try personalizing a simple message.  

Instead of pumping out massive amounts of advertising wouldn’t it be better to give something a little more personal. A postcard with a PURL (personal URL) and your office staff picture on it with a simple message would be such a nice gift compared to an email or TV commercial. I guess what I am saying is market to your customers the way you would want to be marketed to. Sometimes getting something in the mail is better than email. Sometimes getting a fun video is better than a packet about conserving energy this winter. Not that you should not send that letter too, everyone wants to save money on utilities in the winter. But after you send that letter also take some time to send just one nurturing message with no sales pitch included. Just happy holidays from the staff of your business name. 

You never know the next time you send a letter or a postcard your customers or prospects might be more likely to open it because of the wonderful surprise they received in the mail over the holidays. A little extra time can go a long way to build good will for your business.  

P.S. If you send me a Holiday Greeting I will send you one back.