Tag: holidays

Are You Ready for the Holiday Season?

adminOctober 26, 2016Leave a Comment

ph-36

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Really.  It is.  If we recognize that the holidays bring the potential for stress and plan ahead, we can truly make them wonderful again.  In our profession, we have stress coming at us from home, work associates, and clients.  This year we have the added stress of the economic crisis.

Stress at home can be from changes in school schedules (how am I going to find a sitter for the two weeks that the kids are out school?), extended families (how am I going to visit my parents, my wife’s parents, grandparents, etc all in one day and a half?), and divided families (is my daughter supposed to be with me this holiday or with her other biological parent?).  The list is actually too huge to consider: when will I have time to decorate the yard, when am I supposed to have time to go shopping, how can we afford everything on the Christmas list, the car won’t start, the windshield is covered in ice, how am I going to prepare a dinner for 25 people and find used riding lawn mowers for sale at the same time.

Stress from work associates: every employee wants to be off on the same day, they all have travel plans that can’t be changed, they all need extra hours for spending money but the revenue isn’t there to support extra hours, someone’s late because of the ice storm, someone’s child is sick, etc.

Stress from the clients: I need you to be open in the evenings and on the holidays if possible because I CAN’T afford to leave early or take a day off, I just lost my job so I really can’t afford that can you please help me out, if I pay for this then I won’t be able to buy any presents this year, can I pay you in two weeks, I need to be seen now because I’m going to be travelling for the next week, etc.

Depending on the day and your outlook it can all be very overwhelming.  The main thing is to recognize that stress will occur and that disruptions will occur and to be realistic.  Don’t commit yourself to becoming superman or superwoman.  Don’t plan a dinner with four entrees, four desserts, and more sides than you can imagine to feed a group of 30 people.  Keep it simple—everyone WILL understand and appreciate being able to visit.  Let everyone know ahead of time that you might not be able to visit everyone on the same day, but will plan visits over a period of a few weeks.

Try to keep your routine as routine as possible e.g. same time to bed, same to get up, eat normal quantities, drink in moderation, etc.  Schedule time to relax with a book or a bath or a game or whatever you need to relax.

Stay positive.  Remind yourself that it’s the time for giving and sharing.  Think about a time that someone helped you.  Don’t dwell on a time that you felt you needed help and had a hard time finding it.  Think about a time that you helped someone and they truly appreciated it.  Reach out into the community and help someone in need.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Posted In Thoughts & Advice
Tagged

How-To Advice for Your Business’ Holiday Directory

adminOctober 22, 2016Leave a Comment

ph-28

For PR professionals, Labor Day marks not only the end of summer, but the beginning of the holiday outreach season. And, with holiday sales representing anywhere from 25 – 40 percent of annual sales for some retailers (National Retail Federation), holiday outreach is a high stakes game for marketers and PR pros whose clients rely on holiday buzz and sales on used zero turn mowers as a significant percentage of annual revenue.

As you gear up for the holiday outreach seasons, here are some outreach tips that may help you maximize your 2011 holiday PR efforts:

Don’t Delay! One of the most important things to remember when it comes to holiday outreach is that starting early is critical to every marketer’s success. We all know that long lead publications, including glossies, are working on their holiday books as early as June and July, but many bloggers get started on their holiday coverage early as well. Despite short lead times for stories, many bloggers (especially part-time bloggers) have family obligations during the holiday season, so reaching out in December may prove to be too late to get their attention. Plan on at least 6 weeks of lead time, to allow time for product samples to be sent and reviewed, where applicable, or discounts and holiday promotions to be posted on blogs to drive holiday sales.

Plan A Tiered Campaign. While it’s important to get started with holiday outreach early, you should also plan on a last-minute follow-up campaign right before the holidays. While many bloggers have already posted their holiday stories, many marketers will also have conducted their outreach campaigns, so last-minute pitches will have less “noise” to compete with, and may result in some last-minute posts, particularly if this outreach promotes a “last day to ship” or other updated promotion.

Show, Don’t Tell. EVERY marketer is promoting “the must have” holiday item for 2011. Show your contacts why your product is useful, why your promotion is relevant to the holidays, and who your target audience is. Avoid use of fluff buzzwords and phrases (like “the must have holiday item for 2011”) and instead focus on facts that paint a picture for bloggers. Have a food-related product? Consider offering up holiday recipes that are quick, easy, and timeless. Consider offering tips and how-to’s from corporate executives on anything from holiday shopping for the best garden tractor and time-savers to holiday relaxation and stress-busters.

Tailor Your Pitch. This should seem obvious – but many marketers assume a knowledge of their client’s brand or a clear connection to the holiday season. Even the largest, most prominent brands may be unknown to some bloggers (and at our site, we’ve seen this happen). Include a one sentence summary of the brand, product or line that you’re pitching, and be sure to include links so that bloggers can learn more about related products that your client offers.

Posted In Business & Finance
Tagged