Sounds like a great idea to me. I’m not talking about celebrating Christmas in July but wouldn’t that be a great idea! It’s that time of year to begin thinking about employee and client appreciation, if your firm celebrates these around Christmas time. I’m a fan of doing something NOT around the holidays, but should your company’s tradition be to show your appreciation to employees and clients around the holidays, here are some friendly tips. The key is to start planning now.
For your employees, a dinner or luncheon is a standard occurrence. If you have more than 10-12 employees, you will need to secure a location, caterer, entertainer, etc. today so you can have the date of your choosing. Also, if you order any type of promotional products with your logo to give to employees (particularly coats and jackets), you will need to gather sizes and get those orders placed. Many times, if you wait until October to order coats/jackets, they are back ordered until after the first of the year. It doesn’t do much good to give your employees a coat in April. The more employees you employ; the sooner you need to get these things taken care of. Remember all the details of the event, too. It is important to keep in mind that effective event planning takes time and consideration.
For your clients, the standard protocol is a promotional gift with your logo. Make sure it’s something that they will use and enjoy. It’s also good to make the gifts personalized. For example, if you know your client is an avid Pittsburg State University Alumni, then buy them something centered around Pitt State. If you know they enjoy watching movies at the theatre with their family, then buy them some movie passes. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Again, though, get these things taken care of early in preparation for the holidays. Now is a great time to start preparing and planning those gifts.
After you have spent time game planning for the holiday rush it is important to not drop the ball; deliver these gifts early in the month of December, before everyone is out of the office on vacation. My recommendation is the week after Thanksgiving or the first week of December. People are more likely to remember them and you.
If you are really feeling creative, show your employees and clients your appreciation at different times of the year. Celebrate your business anniversary and thank employees and clients for the success of your business. You can also center it around another holiday like St. Patrick’s Day, 4th of July, or just a random month (other than December). People appreciate you thinking about them and doing something different and unique. You can stand out by giving gifts at odd times of the year. What’s your plan for employee and client gifts?
Nu marketing can help you with your employee or client holiday party and also with ideas for employee and client gifts. Give us a call today for your creative solution.
