If you do it right, December is the month you can interact with more clients than any other month of the year. I’m a big believer in expressing gratitude just because you’re grateful, though I’m also thinking about the strategic message I’m sending about my brand this holiday season. So how do you get the most of your holiday season interactions? This is what I do.
Step 1 – I plan December in October. I look at my businesses, my database, and assess how I want to engage people this holiday. Finalize the plan before the weather turns cold and you’ll get everything done before everyone else and increase your chance of success.
Step 2 – assuming most of your interactions are events, make sure you tee up 3-5 touch points in advance of the event. I recommend a variety of mediums to capture interest. Send photos of last year’s event, send the menu if you’re having food, let people know Santa will be there, and so forth. Your reminder interactions should be interesting, and friendly, and offer people a preview of what’s going to happen.
Step 3 – follow-up within 2 days post-event. If you execute this well you’ll have a multitude of conversations, be sure to document those conversations immediately after the event so you don’t forget about them and the commitments you made. Then work the next few days on the follow-up. Consider hiring a photographer so you can send individual pictures to people after the event as another point of interaction.
December is the month for you to book out January as a result of your conversations right now. Don’t let the spiked eggnog keep you from setting up a powerful Q1 before the snow flies.
