This year has gone by fast, to say the least.  By now, you are probably noticing that Christmas decorations are out. The temperature is getting colder. Everyone seems to be extra generous and cheerful as the holidays quickly approach. The holiday season is a great time to reconnect with your prospects and customers, but as any holiday shopper knows, the holidays can also be disastrous.

To help you keep your holiday marketing on the smart side, here are some marketing campaign mistakes your moving company should avoid:

1. Running the Same Holiday Campaign Each Year

That picture of your employees wearing ugly sweaters was funny the first year. In fact, it even deserved a chuckle the second year. But after that, you should really think of something newer and more original. Holiday campaigns are an awesome chance to get the attention of people who may have put the idea of your product or service on the back burner. These campaigns remind them that you a remarkable company doing interesting things and that you deserve their attention. Get creative with holiday campaigns, and don't be afraid to do something "out there." Kicking off a campaign that includes multiple components that get released strategically throughout the holiday season is also a great way to keep your content new and fresh.

2. Forgetting to Reach Out to Your Network

Need an excuse to call a lead you haven't spoken with in a few months? Or do you just want to reconnect with your customers? Maybe you want to increase employee engagement and get everyone at your company in the holiday spirit. It doesn't matter who you want to connect with; holiday campaigns are a great way to do it. It reminds people about your moving company and gives them a sneak peek into an interesting (make sure it is interesting!) campaign. Don't make the mistake of missing out on this valuable marketing opportunity the holiday season offers.  Why wait, you have the resources (Postcards, eNurture, Restaurant.com promo, etc.) available to you, right here on Allied AMP!  Keep an eye out for the holiday card (print-on-demand and eCards) that will be available for you to send out to your contacts!

3. Forgetting to ask how your clients are doing

This is something that most businesses completely miss the boat on; they do not survey clients and customers from the current year to see how they can improve in the future. How are you going to know what worked and didn't if you don't ask? If you keep doing what you have always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. Find out what worked and what didn't, look at your systems and your marketing, and then make improvements and enhance your current offerings. Surveymonkey.com has great online survey templates. Offer a free gift or incentive to customers who take the time to complete your survey. It’s building that relationship and keeping it.

4. Forgetting That Not Everyone Celebrates the Same Holidays

When the holiday season starts, it might feel like everyone is celebrating Christmas and only Christmas. But as a marketer, remember that you are marketing to people with various religious beliefs and backgrounds. Remember that even though the majority of people may be celebrating Christmas, there are still other holidays being celebrated, such as Chanukah and Kwanzaa. Remember to be sensitive about this issue when you're working on your holiday marketing campaign.

5. Neglecting to Make Your Holiday Marketing Campaign Strategic

Creating a holiday marketing campaign for your relocation company is easy. Creating a strategic holiday marketing campaign to reach your target audience, engage with them, and achieve your measurable goals is a bit more difficult. Planning months ahead (yes, even when it's still warm outside) is the best way to kick off an awesome, results-driven campaign. You need to figure out what your objectives are, how you are going to measure your success, and who you want to reach. Then create deadlines to make sure your campaign achieves everything you wanted it to. Again, there is a ton of resources to help you build that campaign, right here in Allied AMP.

Now that we've covered what to avoid, what are some of the best holiday campaigns you've seen over recent years?

For questions about how to best build an optimal marketing campaign to meet your needs, please contact me @ danny.lysouvakon@sirva.com.