It’s December. Your holiday marketing plan is in full swing. You’ve celebrated with important clients. Orders are heading out the door. And you’re heading into the home stretch of the holiday season.

But have you done enough to keep those new holiday customers coming back for more?

Before you kick up your heels and get ready to sign off on the year, take some time to think ahead and get a jump start on the new year.

Take Stock

You may be all “holidayed” out. But take some time to think about what went well and what didn’t while the season’s still fresh in your mind. Because the best customers are happy customers, it’s good to make note of what you can change and build upon for next year.

Mishaps

• What can you do next year to ensure orders are received on time and in one piece?
• Can you do more to rectify any situations that were beyond your control?

Missed Opportunities

• Didn’t get to throw that VIP client party or run a Facebook campaign? Why not? Did you run out of time, not have enough budget?
• Make note now of when you need to start planning for next year and what will be needed in order to get it done. And then mark it on your calendar.

Magical Moments

• Things went great, yay!
• It may seem like a no brainer to replicate your successes for next year’s holiday season. But a year is a long time. Even if you have a fully fleshed out campaign strategy it’s the little things that can throw it off after a year of collecting cobwebs.
  • Were there any last minute changes you made?
  • Were there elements that were more successful than others?
  • What outside elements impacted your efforts?
  • Is there anything you’d do differently next time?
• Write. It. Down.

Think Ahead

A great holiday season is… great. A holiday marketing season that seeds business throughout the coming year is better. Holiday marketing isn’t just about holiday sales.

The most successful holiday marketing strategies think ahead.

Turn holiday gift-givers into lifelong customers:

• Send out a discount code with a quick, “Thanks for making somebody’s holiday brighter, now we’d like to do something for you.”
• Reach out to make sure customers were satisfied with their experience and product quality.
• Communicate with customers throughout the year about new products, services, discounts and events.

Now you can relax and kick up those heels!

Happy holidays, and may your New Year be filled with happy, return customers!

Photo credit: the balancing act by Kyle Steed CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Jacqui Genow

Brand & Business Strategist

J. Genow Marketing

Jacqui Genow is the founder and principal of J. Genow Marketing. She works with clients in aligning their brand message, building their marketing roadmap, and helping them stay on track to move their business forward. As a Brand and Business Strategist, her focus goes beyond marketing; making the connections between how marketing decisions made today can impact a client’s business in the future. You can find Jacqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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