The end-of-the-year festive season is the perfect opportunity to remind your clients and other business associates how much you appreciate them.
Consider the following tips and suggestions as you spread holiday cheer.
Do I Really Need to Do Anything?!
You might not be 100% convinced that you even need to do anything during the holiday season. If you are on the fence, consider these powerful client retention statistics:
- The probability of selling an additional product or service to a previous client is 60-70%. The probability of selling to a new client is 5-20%.
- Nearly 70% of business comes from previous clients.
- The average US business will lose nearly 20% of their clients each year.
- It costs 5% more to secure a new client than it does to maintain a current client.
- It costs 16 times more to bring a new client up to the same level of profitability as an existing client.
Sending a holiday greeting is a small gesture, but a powerful one–especially for a freelancer. When your revenue stream is unpredictable, you need to do all you can to maintain as many clients as possible.
Tip #1: Pick the Best Time to Act
Many businesses strive to send holiday greetings around the middle of December. However, that timing isn’t necessarily a requirement. Ultimately, you’ll want to do what’s best for you and your business. But don’t freak out if Christmas comes and goes and you haven’t done anything yet.
In fact, there are several benefits of strategically planning your efforts around a time that isn’t December 25th.
Give it Your All
Doing something before or after Christmas probably means you’ll be able to give it more attention. You won’t be tempted to just throw something together and call it good enough.
Get Noticed
You probably aren’t the only person contacting business owners, thanking them for their commitment. If you aim for a less popular time period–say, Thanksgiving or New Year–your efforts might draw more notice. You’ll stand out from the crowd.
Secure More Business
You can time your message with the potential for more sales.
For example, Midigator, a chargeback technology platform, sends out client gifts after the first of the year–when chargebacks start to escalate. They provide a friendly reminder of their risk management services at the exact moment when those services are most valuable.
Your clients probably aren’t thinking too much about their website’s design during the holidays. They’re in party mode, just like you are. But after the first of the year, new year’s resolutions kick in and everyone is ready for a fresh start. Put your brand in front of them at the exact moment they might be interested in your services.
Tip #2: Draft Your Mailing List
Who will you contact? Plan your “naughty” and “nice” lists carefully!
The people who probably should be on your mailing list include:
- Your current and past clients–anyone you’ve done work for. If you worked with a team at a large company, reach out to everyone you had contact with.
- Service providers you’ve hired, such as your accountant or legal advisor.
- Any freelancers you’ve worked with.
Tip #3: Decide What You’re Going to Send
Once you have your mailing list ready, you can start thinking about what you want to send–and how much each option will cost.
Gifts
If your mailing list is small, you might financially be able to send a small gift, in addition to a holiday card. If you decide to send a gift, make sure it is appropriate. While you do want to be memorable, you want to stand out in a good way–not because you were inappropriate. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Cards
If you are going to mail a card, what will you send? A generic holiday card with a stock image? A photo of your team (if you have a team!). Ideally, you’d personalize the card in some way. You are, after all, a design professional. Whatever you send should be a reflection of your skills and abilities.
Emails
Your last resort should be an email. Emails are cheap, easy, and fast–but they aren’t the best option for a holiday greeting. But, if you can’t afford to do anything else, an email is better than nothing. Make sure you include some graphics and ensure the message is personal and sincere.
Tip #4: Follow Through
It’s easy to get distracted and consumed with personal obligations around the holidays. But don’t put in the effort and fail to follow through. Make sure your holiday cards actually make it to the post office!
Happy Holidays!
It’s never too late to tell people you appreciate them. If you haven’t already, take a moment to think about the most appropriate way to say thanks to the important clients and associates in your life.
Have you already sent something out? Tell us what you usually do to wish your clients happy holidays.
