Christmas and New Year’s Campaign Checklist

With Christmas being just a few days away we wanted to give you a final quick checklist for your holiday campaigns:

• Create and post messages to your social media accounts that not only promote your products/services, but spread well-wishes to your clients
• Send Christmas cards by Monday, Dec 20th or Happy New Year cards by Monday, Dec 27th to selected valued customers
• Send a Happy New Year email blast to your entire database on Wednesday, Dec. 29th
• Give a small token to your vendors whom you can't live without - mail carrier, print shop specialist, coffeeshop barista by Friday, Dec. 24th
• Make a donation to a charity in the name of your clients and send a notice telling them what you did. It's a very meaningful gift that you can give anytime.

Marketing Quick Tip
If you are running a holiday sale or special promotion, in addition to adding it to your social media sites, be sure to add a short, descriptive "buzz" sentence about it to your company email signature, voicemail message, and invoices.

And, remember, to take a breath and enjoy the special moments that the holidays bring.

It's Time to Deck the Halls (re-visited)

(This is re-post from last year. The tips are still fresh and valuable.)

Well, as Halloween comes and goes, stores are already putting out Christmas decorations. Yes, it's hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner. And, if you haven't already started planning your holiday marketing campaign, now is the time.


But, before you run out and deck the halls with marketing messages remember: holiday campaigns must be integrated with your overall marketing strategy. They must have clear goals, objectives, target audience, and must stay consistent with your overall brand promise. A focused plan can help your company generate sales, increase awareness about your product/service, and show appreciation to your existing customers, employees and partners.


If your campaign will rely on heavy email-marketing, the right time to start will depend on what product or service you are offering, to whom, and when they are likely to buy it. Restaurants may want to begin now in promoting holiday parties and gift cards, while last-minute gift retailers should wait until the beginning of December. Internet marketing expert Paula Skaper encourages that your email campaigns allow enough time for readers to receive the promotion, respond and receive delivery of their products/services on time for Christmas (click here for full article).

In her article 10 Tips for Designing Your Holiday Email Campaign, Karen Scharf further suggests to segment your merchandise and mailing lists to make shopping easier, such as Gifts for Men, Gifts for Children, etc. Or if you are a service-based company, segment by market--Specials for Retailers, Specials for B2B Companies. "There is so much competition for the in basket at this time of year, don't waste your customers' time with promotions that are irrelevant to their shopping habits."

Because I'm big on the personal touch, consider investing in a small postage budget and mail a gift card or coupon to selected loyal clients and customers. It's a good way to say "thank you" and generate business.

Bottom line: start planning now for happy holidays. Waiting until Thanksgiving will be a little late and will have you and your team scrambling at the last minute--and there is nothing happy about that.

Click here for more holiday marketing tips.

On the Personal Side: Commit NOT to Over-Commit

(On The Personal Side are rare personal entries by the owner of this business journal blog. We hope the insights here have value for your life.)

Well, this week marks two months since my surgery that I was so excited about having. What was supposed to be a 5-day recovery turned out to be a 2-month ordeal of complications and after-effects (some very serious). So much so that one of my doctor friends said that if I had gone through this 20 years ago, I would not have made it. While I didn’t know the medical implications, I did know that the combination of infection, fibroids tumors breaking down, dehydration, menstruation, vomiting, and excruciating pain was horrible.

So, I am certainly grateful for the miracles of modern medicine, but I know that it was the effectual prayers of the righteous that truly availed much on my behalf (James 5:16b). Now, my infection is cleared, blood pressure is great, hemoglobin levels are good, food is staying down, and pain is manageable—all opposites of where I was 3 weeks ago. I continue to work on my stamina. I still get tired easily, especially while talking. So, thank you for your patience with me if I’ve not yet responded to your caring phone calls. I do check all of my messages and soooo appreciate them. I also check my email and respond to those a little quicker. I love, love, love, love, love all of you so much.

I am starting light duty this week with the expectation that I will be strong enough to return to normal duty the 1st week of November… But, a word about that “returning to normal duty”--I learned something during this journey back to health.

While my healing process has been a painful and draining one, it’s not been all bad. I’ve seen many good movies, read good books, experienced my husband as a good caretaker, enjoyed my dog, seen my parents twice (to help take care of me, my good caretaker husband, and my dog), re-discovered my love for old-fashioned letter writing, and learned Il bel far niente--the beauty of doing nothing (as taken from the lesson learned in Italy by Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love—one of the good books I read.)

There were so many days that all I could do was stare at the sky that I began to appreciate the value of doing so—(I mean doing so when I am not in excruciating pain and on heavy, street-value drugs). That’s something I rarely ever allow myself to do. Between working 14+ hour days with various large and small clients; and maintaining a house, healthy marriage, and an over-active dog, taking/making downtime was a luxury I couldn’t afford. So, during the last 2 months, in between doses of medicine and all the after-effects that I mentioned, I had a few days that I felt well enough to do nothing but read a few pages of a book without the weight of all my other responsibilities, and I liked it.

Excited about my new Il bel far niente discovery, I sent my friend Melanie a text message to tell her. She kindly noted that I actually wasn’t doing nothing, because I was reading the book and texting her. So, OK, maybe doing nothing is a stretch, but the art of doing less-things-than-I-normally-do is what I am seeking. Or, as my other friend Kay said, “maybe just try to do two things, instead of your normal 20.”

I think that is doable. Strangely, it helps that right now two things is about all I can manage; but I do expect to gradually restore my stamina back to a normal level and I want to be intentional about not restoring my activity to a normal level. I confess it was a bit much, even for me. I also confess that, while it sounds noble to lighten my load, I know it won’t be easy. It means making some hard and sometimes unpopular choices. But I’ve got to do it—for my health, for my sanity, and for my longevity.

So, I’m making a commitment NOT TO OVER-COMMIT, and I’m asking all of you to help hold me accountable. What do you need to commit to?

New Season, New Look

In honor of our favorite season, we are springing forward with a new logo. This new look dones a natural color palette, and organic feel, which parallels our strategic and creative process. Our marketing process is flexible and natural, which helps us develop unique marketing tactics for our clients that fit together into a unified, organic whole.

Let us know what you think...

News from the KAI Team

Committed to its mission of pursuing excellence, thinking bigger, reaching father and being more, KAI has great news to share:

New public relations intern Laura Allen is a graduating senior, English major from Spelman College. A native of New York, Laura is interested in a full-time career in public relations.

New project manager Art Bower has extensive experience in marketing communications, strategic planning and marketing program integration. He has led account service departments at multi-national advertising agencies, served as president of the American Advertising Federation-Houston, and been a media spokesperson.

Our president Kimberlee Scott has been selected to join a team focused on a new initiative with Grady Health System that will work to increase the awareness of eight neighborhood health centers in the community. Kimberlee will use her skills in needs assessment, public relations and community outreach to help reach specific measurable goals of the 1-year+ grant-funded initiative.

Let us know what's new with you...

The Personal Touch

Here at KAI, we believe that the personal touch is one of the most important factors in strategic marketing. We encourage our clients to develop genuine relationships with their customers. This month, we want to focus on relationship wellness and explore ways that you can maintain healthy relationships with your clients, business partners and target audiences in ways that will make you noticeable and favorable.

Personal gestures do not have to be elaborate and extraordinary feats. In fact, the simplest ideas are usually the most effective and genuine ways to improve relationships with those who interact with your business. For example, periodic phone calls and face to face visits will surely stand out in this technology-driven era. E-mail is certainly a wonderful tool to use but never underestimate the power of your voice and your presence.

Another great way to maintain healthy relationships is to consider your clients, business partners and target audiences around holiday seasons. Though it is tempting to only consider this option during the fourth quarter with your annual holiday campaigns, you will certainly make a lasting impression if you consider other holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Also, sending a card or a small gift to one of your business partners on their business anniversary will certainly improve rapport.

Do some research on national and personal holidays and observances that relate to your clients and target audience, and build ideas from there. When others know that you have their business in mind, they will certainly keep yours in mind. This can only lead to a prosperous and healthy business relationship!

Just Say "NO"!

As January draws to a close, most businesses have begun diving into their strategic marketing plan. While these new plans can bring much excitement and motivation to move quickly, it is important to consider your approach carefully. A big part of keeping yourself and your businesses healthy, is knowing when to say “no” to requests and projects that you know you will not be able to handle.

Saying “no” can certainly be a difficult task, especially when we truly desire to do the task. However, proper assessment of your company’s resources and the task being asked of you will make you more confident about your decision if you have to say no. Here are a few strategic tips to ensure the process goes smoothly:

1.) Think of what you can do first. Although you may not able to take on the full project, there may be a smaller set of tasks that you can assist with.

2.) Be firm. Whether you have to say no to all or some of the project, stand solid on your answer. Let your clients know that you have thoroughly considered all of your company's time and resources, but you will not be able to committ at this time.

3.) Direct clients toward additional resources to help them accomplish their goals. This will help continue to position you as their problem solver.

4.) Follow up. Make a note to check on their progress within a few weeks. Reiterate that you care about their success and that they can still depend on you.

Let's face it, no one wants to send business away, but sometimes it could actually be better for your bottom line. And, while it may be a temporary inconvenience for your clients, in the end they will appreciate your honesty and desire to see them succeed. They should not hesitate to request your services the next time.