Yes, I know it’s only five minutes since the schools went back, and that we haven’t even got Halloween and Guy Fawkes’ night out of the way yet, but you just know that Christmas will be upon us before we know it.
So here’s the big question
Have you considered a Christmas charity campaign?
A Christmas charity campaign is a great way to raise your brand’s profile, and spread some goodwill around your staff and client base, even if (and perhaps especially if) you’re not looking to boost sales over the festive season.
It’s not all about the staff party…
For better or (sometimes) for worse, the staff party is a big part of the calendar at many firms. For some companies, it’s a feel-good affair, a fun, social event which people look forward to. For others, it’s an annual bone of contention – where to go to keep everyone happy, who pays for what, what’s the budget limit for the Secret Santa gift…We’ve all been there, I think.
Spreading some Christmas cheer
At the Kent Construction Expo earlier this month, I saw a great idea on one of the stands. Instead of offering a prize draw for a bottle of bubbly, or a hotel stay, in order to collect business cards, one company promised to work with a local charity to buy a meal for a homeless person for every business card they collected. What a great idea.
What ideas could your team come up with for a December activity? Could they get behind a fundraising event to raise money for a local charity? Generate sponsorship? Ask them to contribute their ideas for what to do. You’ll usually find people are brimming with them, and it’s a good way to start talking about Social Impact.
Identify a cause or local charity whose values and mission align with your own, and with those of your primary audience; then discuss ways you could help them. You could host a food donations drive, donate a percentage of all sales during a specific period to them (and ask your customers to try match this), or organise a sponsored fancy dress day. These are all popular ideas, and I’m sure your team could come up with many of their own.
Whatever you decide to do, it should generate some great content for your social media channels. You can add some ‘Christmas’ to your profile images (don’t forget to schedule them to return to normal in January), and use Facebook and Instagram stories to promote your Holiday content.
Do remember though, to focus more on the cause, or the work being done by your chosen charity, than making your content nothing more than a self-congratulatory pat on the back. Although your content will feature your branding, that’s a secondary message. Your first message should be about raising awareness of the issue or the charity.
We’d love to hear what ideas you come up with!
For more ideas to help you get better at marketing, or to discuss how we can provide your business with strategic marketing support, get in touch.
tabitha@themarketingassociates.co.uk or call 01233 720379
At The Marketing Associates, we specialise in strategic freelance marketing support for professional service practices, providing excellent quality advice on your marketing strategy to develop and grow your business on a retained basis.