Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

Archives for November 2019

You and Your Holiday Strategy Slacking

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London is my absolute favorite during the holidays.

I’ve got you covered if you’re slacking in the holiday cheer department. In fact, I’m sort of an expert at that.

When working at an ad agency, the holidays were my least favorite time of year. Now before you put on your judgey-pants and start calling me Ebenzer Peterson, there are a few good reasons for this:

  1. The holidays typically start in July or August. As in, we start developing campaigns, strategies and determine the products or offers we’re going to be pushing for that joyous season. In August. Then this merry and bright bullshit continues for 5 months. By the time the holidays actually come, I’m tossing presents to people around the tree telling them to open the gifts quickly so I can get back to my tequila. (Okay, now you can call me Ebenzer Peterson.)
  2. Holiday campaigns can often be a bit generic. The campaigns I’ve worked on in the past needed to appeal to broad audiences. That meant, as a copywriter, I had to keep the messaging pretty ho-hum to get approved from brand managers who had directives from their big wigs. It often meant pulling from a cheesy arsenal of words and phrases like: the reason for the season, peace & joy, season’s greetings, good tidings and happy new year. Do any of those inspire you? Are any of those memorable? Of course-freakin’-not.

Now, give me ample creative leverage to make pop-culture references and/or poke fun at uncomfortable family gatherings during the holidays and I’ll give you a relatable, memorable message for your campaign.

But, I digress…

For many small businesses, the holidays are the best time of year for revenue. People are feeling all cheery and bright and generous and shit. I’m really killing it with this holiday magic, huh? But, jokes aside, having a holiday strategy, even one that may seem lame or basic, can really help to create lines that help your bottom line. See what I did there?

While we may be pushing it for time left before the holidays hit us with a glitter storm of peace and love, as small businesses we always seem to have limited time, so this ain’t nothing new! Yes, you’re behind if you haven’t started. But there’s still time to do something, even if it’s not an over-the-top idea that was nailed down and created 6 months ago. A published good enough idea is better than one sitting in your drafts folder.

So, let’s put on our big-kid holiday britches and get to it with some basic tasks to kill it with your holiday strategy.

Determine your offers

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Tequila Tuesday. What do you plan to offer your customers to make them feel like they are getting a deal, something exclusives for being a shopper? This does not mean slashing your prices, necessarily! This could look like 2-for-1 deals, an extra month free for a subscription, a holiday gift guide or even some free samples.

Right now, I’m developing my Black Friday savings for my biznass. Yup, even copywriters get in on this holiday schtuff. For me and my business, it makes sense to offer discounts on services, as my product—writing copy that makes you cry or laugh or snort-laugh (my favorite)—is a service.

Take a second to think about what works best for you and your biz.

Determine your budget

You don’t need to spend a lot. FULL STOP.

In fact, simply promoting on social or your blog or a sweet in-store sign you threw together in Canva, can easily serve as your minimal holiday budget. If you do want to spend a pretty-penny, make sure you’re getting a ROI that makes sense. For me, that looks a lot like, “If I offer X discount, on a service, how much time can I spend on completing this project AND advertise for it to still make it profitable.” Keep in mind, gaining a new client or customer after the holidays, by offering discounted products during the holidays can also improve your ROI.

Now is the time to impress! Don your favorite pearls, put on those fancy pants and use your favorite matte lipstick that doesn’t betray you by making itself comfortable, you know, all over your front two teeth.

Determine you’re different

What makes you, your brand, your products, your company or your services different than the other bazillion brands gunning for holiday customers?

Walmart is known for their bottom dollar prices. Is it often chintzy, single use plastic crap? Yes. But, people go there because they know they can get a deal. That’s their differentiating factor: discounts.

Are your customers getting more than a cheap trinket? Are they getting a heart-felt thank you card sent after purchase? How about a follow-up a week later with a special discount to use in 2020? What will make them feel like you’re different than the rest?

For me, my clients know that they’ll be getting copy packed with a personal punch to the marketing keister. And maybe I’m a little swear-y. People remember that shit.

Determine your messaging

Create a brand-specific holiday hashtag. Update your company tagline to give it some fun, holiday slogan flare. Figure out how you would want your ideal customer to describe your company. Would they use the words: fun and innovative or classic and buttoned-up?

From there, you can figure out your holiday messaging. It could look like something quintessentially festive or something more memorable that may even make Prancer blush.

“Our delightful chocolate truffles are the perfect jingle balls to deck your halls.”

This is where hiring an expert copywriter comes in handy. <side eye>

Hire a Holiday Helper

(it’s me!)

Work with me

Determine your deadline

Pro Tip: This should be soon!

I’m wrapping up finalizing my Black Friday offer by the end of this weekend. That gives me 3 weeks to work on my sales page and the email I’ll be sending to customers. Keep in mind, my clientele and services are particular. Particularly awesome.

If you have a store-front or sell items online, hopefully you’ve got a good idea of when you’d like to have everything set.

Then, stick to it!

The best part of having a basic strategy—besides the fist-pumping feeling of holiday accomplishments—is you actually get to enjoy the holidays! This will set you on a sort of auto-pilot to get you through the next few weeks allowing ample time to chug egg nog like a drunken reindeer who has absolutely HAD IT with Santa’s antics about wanting to hit every freakin’ house in the whole-wide-world before dawn.

Something about spreading holiday cheer to the kids, he says.

Want to be added to my email list to get the discount goodies? (I don’t spam. I don’t know how one spams. Does it actually involve SPAM? Because I heard if you throw a little salt and pepper on it, toss it on a pan with olive oil, it’s quite good.)

For Those Theatre Kids

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What? You’re not dramatic when seeing Mt. Fuji for the first time?

In a former life, I was a theatre kid. Awkward. Creative. Smart. Self-conscious. Belter-of-songs, alone in my room. You know, a theatre kid.

I used to put on shows in my backyard with the neighborhood kids. Writing, directing, acting and craving the applause from all of our parents who gave up 30 minutes of their afternoon to laugh at our Oscar-worthy shenanigans.

From my first show as Glenda the Good Witch in Wizard of Oz in third grade to joining a local theatre group during the summers in middle school, I was immersed in the process it takes to perform.

Perhaps it was the mark of being the middle child. My older sister was incredibly smart and excelled in academics. My younger brother was the family clown, causing a ruckus in whichever room he entered. Theatre was mine. It was something I did alone, away from the things my siblings had mastered.

By the time I got to high school, I felt adequately prepared. I had spent a majority of my young years, at that point, in the performing arts. Then I met my high school theatre director, Mr. Bodick. He had a few things to say and teach me about that…

Mr. Bodick passed away unexpectedly this summer.

A world I thought I had grown out of, a world that filled my heart with such joy and confidence, a world dotted with camaraderie and creativity, came flashing back in waves.

At a local gathering celebrating his life, an outpouring of sadness and beloved memories, made for a remarkably touching tribute to the legacy Mr. Bodick left his students. I was quickly reminded of how wacky and wonderful the theatre community is. I stood next to friends from long ago, who I giggled with backstage and those who I shared secrets crushes with during cast and crew afterparties.

For me, theatre was a much-needed outlet. It allowed me an opportunity to push through fear, focus on characters and memorization, practice my public speaking and provided me a sincere sense of accomplishment after every final curtain.

But more importantly, it gave me and so many others a place to belong.

Belonging. Something so needed in this exclusionary world. Whether you were a geek, jock, crippled with self-doubt and dramatic (who me?) or slept with your International Thespian certificate underneath your pillow—we all belonged on stage.

And, crazy enough, we got along.

Because we had to. We had to coordinate scenes, choreograph dances and sit through read-throughs, shoulder to shoulder with peers often outside our friend circle. Those opportunities taught us theatre kids much more than making sure to remember to point to the orchestra during final bows.

Mr. Bodick was a master of organizing the chaos and making sure everyone had a place on stage; whether that meant running around backstage being part of the tech crew or belting out tunes as the main character. Everyone belonged. Everyone.

Last night, we celebrated his life in a fitting way: by putting on a show filled with his favorite songs from musicals he directed in over 30+ years of teaching and directing. It was special, with very few dry eyes in the house. (It also didn’t hurt that a fellow alumni and two-time, Tony award winning actress, Sutton Foster joined the stage.)

Yours truly also performed a number from Oklahoma with current and past theatre ensemble casts. My heart breaks for the kids at school who won’t have him for a teacher during their tenure. Being back on my old stomping grounds reassured me, though, they would be okay. Theatre kids are resilient like that. They showcased the same camaraderie that made my theatre years so special.

The normal routine of the pre-show jitters, happened of course. Heart pumping beforehand. Practicing the moves backstage. Taking a quick nervous pee in the dressing room right before. I can’t tell you how surreal it was being back on stage in my old high school.

Everything looked the same. Smelled the same. Being on stage felt the same.

I ran into teachers, old friends (including my pals, Dan Clay, AKA: Carrie Dragshaw and Lauren Molina) and friends’ parents, some of which had silly stories from my youth. Some even reminded the hubster how lucky he was. (Their checks are in the mail.) Dare I say, I felt proud.

Mr. Bodick would have been proud. In fact, I’m lucky enough to have his words right here on my blog, saying as much, from a post I wrote years ago about how important teachers are.

For a man who treated his students like professionals from the get-go, hearing he’s proud of you is the cherry on top of a life forever touched by his dedication to his craft. It meant means the world.

It always will.

Thanks for so many fond memories, Mr. Bodick. You’ve made a lasting impact on so many theatre kids—turned adults—who won’t forget.