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By Gail Goodman
Business-to-Business: Make a Personal Connection
In the B-to-B world, the holiday season is the perfect opportunity to express your gratitude and stay connected.
Spread holiday cheer with a personalized e-card: Connect with your clients by sending them a personalized e-card. You can include a photo of your staff along with their signatures. You can also include a personalized note letting them know how much you enjoy working with them.
Send an email invitation for holiday events and celebrations: If you are planning to host a holiday party for your clients, invite them using an email invitation. You can send holiday-themed invites and confirmations, along with paper invites, to help them get into the holiday spirit.
Encourage charitable donations: The holiday season is the perfect time to make a charitable donation. If you are planning to make a charitable donation in the name of a client this holiday season, let them know with an email card.
Nonprofits: Make the Holiday Season Work for You
The holidays are the season of giving. If you are a nonprofit, chances are you are in the middle of a holiday giving campaign. Use email marketing to help increase donations during the holiday season (and year round) by linking back to your website’s “Donate Now” page. Make sure you also include a physical address where people can send donations.
Here are some ideas that you can include in your holiday newsletter or email card.
Holiday donations make great gifts: Remind your volunteers and donors that they can make a donation in the name of a person, family or client as a holiday gift. Let them know that you will send an email card and a physical receipt to the person alerting them of your gift.
Tell a touching story in the spirit of holiday giving: Include a touching story in your holiday e-newsletter about how donors’ funds have made a difference. You can also include a photo of someone you are helping.
Make your donors aware of your accomplishments through an email newsletter: Make your donors aware of your yearly accomplishments with an email newsletter highlighting the best moments. Make it more interesting by including lots of photos and don’t forget to include the donation link at the bottom of the page.
Express your goals for next year: Share your goals for the upcoming year and thank your volunteers and donors for their hard work and dedication, which contributed to the success of your organization.
Thanks to the immediacy of email marketing, there's still time to get your piece of the pie. Use email marketing to make the most of the spike in holiday traffic and spending, and create a positive impression of your company that will last long into next year.
* The 2006 Small Business Holiday Outlook survey was conducted from September 14th - October 11th, 2006 through targeted online distribution to U.S. small businesses who are current customers of Constant Contact. Results were recorded from more than 1,500 respondents.
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