Whether you’ve got your tree up and all your gifts wrapped or are freaking out that there are only 24 days left until Christmas, there is no denying that the Holiday Season is officially here. On your long list of Holiday to-do’s is probably “send holiday cards” or “write holiday letter.”
We all love getting holiday greetings in our mailbox (or in our inbox), but we the ones that are mass-produced from businesses and vendors? We don’t pay much attention to those. If you are going to send something, it needs to be creative, personalized and different.
Rather than the generic “Happy Holidays!” or “Happy New Year from Our Team,” why not get a little creative? We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and brainstormed creative ideas that would be so fun (and so much more interesting) for both clients (and prospective clients!) to receive this year. Whether you physically send cards in the mail or create an email newsletter that includes one of these ideas, it’s not too late to change things up!
1. Send an Office Infographic
People love visuals, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think beyond including just your basic team photo. This playful infographic is a great way to lighten up the mood and put a smile on your clients’ faces. You could copy the example below and share “a few favorite things,” or you might list out the places your team traveled to, or the gifts you are most excited to give this year. Not design-savvy? That’s okay! Check out our fav and free design tools where you can get resources to create your own infographic for free.
2. Do a “Year in Review”
If you’d like to share a special achievement or provide more general updates on your business, you might consider doing a “Year in Review” card, but with a twist. Rather than long paragraphs explaining every achievement or update, take your accomplishments and add a visual twist to make them more appealing. Whether that means an e-card that includes a picture of each team member listing out 3 updates from the past year or a printed card with an infographic like the one below, a “Year in Review” is a great way to combine important information with a playful approach. Like this idea? Here’s an easy “Year in Review” template you can customize (We like this one too!) Or, if you prefer to send a year-in-review email, check out Mailchimp’s pre-made templates.
3. Create a Holiday Gift Guide
Perhaps you are an avid reader and your clients are always asking you for book recommendations. Or maybe you are known for your love of travel to exotic and remote locations. Why not share your passion with others through a holiday gift guide? The book lover could share their top 5 book recommendations (a book for your adult children, the best novel you read this year, an interesting approach to economics, etc) while the avid traveler might share the “10 top ten gifts for the travel lover in your life.”
Another idea would be to create a gift guide for your client’s adult-aged children. After your basic holiday greeting, you might say something such as “As your children get older, it can be harder and harder to find the perfect gift for them. We’ve put together this gift guide to help!” You could even include the idea for a “2 Hour Starter Financial Planning Session” with your firm at a set price!
Gift guides are also great to include on your advisory firm’s website or blog and then perhaps just share a preview of the guide in your holiday email linking back to your blog post.
4 Tips To Create the Perfect Holiday Gift Guide:
1. Pick a specific category
Keep it simple. Create gift guides that cover a specific topic or group. For example:
- Gifts for Your 20 & 30 something grandchildren
- Favorite Finds under $100
- The one gift every one of our advisor’s is most excited to give this Christmas
- 5 Homemade Gifts you can make with your children or grandchildren
- 10 books to give (for everyone on your list!)
Categories are crucial. By organizing your gift guide in similar buckets, you can help your customers find what they’re looking for with ease.
2. Highlight three to seven items
You don’t want to overwhelm readers, so don’t try to highlight more than 5-10 things in one guide. Plus, you’ll want to include a visual of each item you are recommending, which will also take up space. Be sure to also include the name of the item, the price, and where people can purchase it (a link is best!).
3. Use visuals
As mentioned above, it is crucial to include photos of each item you are recommending. If you recommend a more abstract gift, such as an experience, search for a stock photo that would help to represent the idea.
4. Host the guide on your website & email it
Your gift guide should live on your website (under your blog). Then, email the guide to your clients and prospects, linking back to your hosted gift guide. You can even use that same link to promote it on your social media channels, getting even more eyes on your site!
4. Share a Personal Story
This tip might be the most basic, yet when done well, it can be the most powerful. Share a personal story or achievement you are proud of from the past year.
Whether you describe a powerful “A-ha” moment you had while volunteering in your local community, or share a funny moment from your travels this year, your clients will love reading something about you they may not have known.
Go into just enough detail to captivate your audience and keep them interested, but don’t write a book – 1 to 3 paragraphs is ideal. Also be sure to include photos!
Here are some idea’s we’ve seen work well:
- An advisor and his wife went on a mission trip to Central America and it made him take stock of how grateful he is in his own life. He made a donation to the non-profit they volunteered at in his clients’ names.
- All the team members of a financial planning firm took a day off work to volunteer in their town’s “Day of Caring,” lending their hands to projects like playground building, city clean-up, etc.
- One financial planner I know had the trip from hell. Every flight was delayed or missed, hotel reservations were lost, and the weather was awful. Yet he and his wife laughed about it and wrote a really funny story about it in their holiday letter, complete with hilarious photos from the trip.
5. Best Time To Send: Think Outside The Box
Greeting cards aren’t just for December. Thanksgiving is a natural time to send a card to show your clients how much you appreciate them.
We’ve also seen New Year’s cards work really well also – especially when delivered a week or so into the new year when everyone is back to work and the holidays seem well behind us. Virtually no other business will be sending their cards at that time, so yours will naturally stand out and get more attention.
On that note, why not really think outside the box? How about sending a fun “Christmas in July” card instead!
However, if you do want your holiday card to get to your clients before Christmas this year, be sure to send it by December 10th!
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