Whisper it…Christmas is coming. I know it’s early. Or is it?
Many business owners know that ordering a tree for the office is harder than you might think. Buying a real Christmas Tree(s) for your business premises is the perfect way to share Christmas with your staff and customers as the scent and the beauty of a freshly cut tree are so evocative of Christmas. But here’s the conundrum: You don’t want to leave it too late to have your tree in place and start spreading the Christmas spirit as you don’t want your organisation to appear Scrooge-like. The only problem is that real trees have a tendency to start to dry out and drop needles and you don’t want to be gathered around a dying tree at the staff Christmas party!
The solution to the problem is to buy a freshly cut tree that hasn’t travelled miles from Scandinavia or Scotland. Freshly cut trees last longer and their scent is stronger. What more could you ask for? Well, there is more – you can even buy a variety that won’t drop their needles!
We have recently started working with Warwickshire Christmas Tree Farm, our dedicated Christmas Client. Businesses can order a larger tree from their farm website, and they will cut it freshly and even deliver it. It takes away the burden for retail outlets.
Or, if you want that freshly cut tree experience for your home you can make an outing of it, visit their farm, pick your tree and they’ll cut it for you.
Watch the latest episode of the Purpose People Podcast via the image link below!
The father and son team are among the friendliest people you’ll meet and taking a trip out is worth a day of anyone’s time. So, rather than rush down to the local retail outlets, why not invest in a better tree that will last longer?
You see, Christmas is full of surprises BUT Christmas is no surprise, it comes around the same time every year and we can plan for it, in terms of our marketing as well as our Christmas Tree purchasing.
The month of September is perfect to start that planning and here are a few tips to get the snowball rolling (or is it too early for Christmas puns?).
Schedule Christmas Content.
Start slowly, but then build. Even if it seems a little early at the start, as things begin to build, no one will remember when you started.
Launching campaigns in October is a great time. It’s the last quarter and the nights have drawn in enough for summer to be a distant memory.
The larger retail businesses would have started thinking about Christmas as early as the beginning of summer, but in terms of scheduling, October is optimal.
Don’t get caught in the trap of joining the noise in December, build the expectation earlier. Ask questions, provide answers, show sneak previews, give more, don’t get left behind, and create the relationship ahead of time.
Decide on the gift list.
Christmas is a time of giving, and deciding early who you are going to thank is a way to share the Christmas cheer.
First, make sure you have all your data. The names and addresses of your key contacts. It is surprising who doesn’t have this info to hand! I sometimes find that I have data on my phone that I have not shared with the team! Top tip to myself – ensure you have given your key data to those that count!
Then decide when you want to send your thank yous and who you are going to thank on behalf of the business.
Post or email or both?
Our Christmas Tree client has been planting thousands of trees for the last 10 years. How can we also follow their planet-friendly example with the Christmas cards we send out as a business? Most people would assume that print is bad and email is best but when you consider server costs and processing power, post might not be as unkind to the environment as you might think. Using recycled paper and vegetable inks, for example, makes for a more sustainable Christmas.
Pete Bangham at OMMEC Direct is an expert who can help you not only print more kindly but also has the facility (letter to mail) to personalise. It is a mark of genius!
A posted Christmas card is more meaningful when it is personal. Taking the time pays for the time. We also suggest you get your card out for the first week of December. You’ll be among the first and everyone remembers it.
Back someone.
In a year of tough economic choices, Christmas brings us back to the heart of giving rather than getting. As I get older, I care less about what I receive and more about how I can impact other people with my giving.
A great charity to back at Christmas time is The Marmalade Trust which was founded to help people who were lonely at Christmas. The world’s first loneliness charity continues to impact people positively at Christmas by providing a Christmas meal and transporting people together to make for a happier time when lonely people feel forgotten.
The great news is The Marmalade Trust is going from strength to strength with Loneliness Awareness Week (the next one is in June 2024) and working with brands to promote ways we can look out for each other all year round.
So, back to our Christmas Tree client… If you fancy a trip out to pick a tree or you know people in Warwickshire who would love to have a longer-lasting tree for their business or their home, then make sure you keep an eye out for the Warwickshire Christmas Tree Farm.
You can follow here, order here, join the mailing list and turn Christmas Tree buying into a family tradition rather than a last-minute panic. You’ll get a beautiful, freshly cut tree that lasts longer along with some clever insights and support from the team behind the Christmas dream.
For us at Cre8ion this year, we will be ordering a freshly cut tree for each of our staff members – a new tradition starts this year!
So, whether you think it’s too early or not, let us be among the very first to wish you a Merry Christmas