At year end, the temptation is to send the Christmas card everyone sends, with the same image and the same sentence. It does no harm, but it is not noticed either. For a small company, it is more useful to use December to communicate what customers actually need to know, and to say thank you in a personal way.
Message 1: inform
It is the most important, and the most forgotten. Say when you close, when you return, until when you accept requests for the end of the year, and what to do in an emergency. Put this on the website, on social media and, above all, on the Google Business Profile, which lets you set special hours for holidays. Whoever searches on Christmas Eve wants to know whether you are open, and correct hours avoid wasted visits and bad reviews. Read the Business Profile guide.
Message 2: thank
A short, true message to customers, preferably written by whoever deals with them. One or two sentences about what you take from the year with that person is worth more than a text identical for everyone. If you cannot personalise them all, personalise those of the best customers and of the people who recommended you.
Message 3: look back (optional)
A summary of the year, in plain language: what you learned, what you changed, what you did that was new. Without numbers you cannot prove, and without exaggeration. It can be a post, an email or a message on the website.
Message 4: prepare the next year
Whoever has bookings or projects at the start of the year is grateful to know in advance how it is organised: when you open the diary, how to book, what changes. For services booked in advance, December is a good time to open the January slots.
Message 5: leave a door open
A simple invitation to whoever wants to talk to you in the new year. If you have an entry step, such as an initial conversation, remind them of it. No pressure.
What to avoid
- Generic cards, identical to everyone's, with nothing to say they came from you.
- Last-minute discounts just because it is Christmas, which can devalue what you offer.
- Mass messages to people who did not ask to receive them. Check consent first.
- Posting every day just because it is the festive season. One or two good messages are worth more.
- Forgetting the essential, which is informing about hours and emergencies.
A simple calendar
- Early December: confirm closing and return dates and update the Google profile.
- Mid-December: publish the hours notice and send it to customers with something booked.
- Christmas week: send the thank-you messages.
- Early January: say you are back and open the diary.
To plan next year, read how to plan next year's marketing budget, and for the posting rhythm, how many posts a week to make. In Digital Marketing, year end serves to tidy up the information customers look for, and to prepare the year.
The list of five notices
Write five lines, one for each notice your customers need to receive in December: when you close, when you return, what happens to requests made during the break, how to get in touch in an emergency, and when the January diary opens. Put a date beside each one: when you decide, when you publish, when you send. Check that the Google profile, the website, social media and automatic replies all say the same thing. If one says something else, it is the first to fix, because it is where customers get lost.
In short
- In December, the most useful thing is to inform: when you close, when you return and what to do in emergencies.
- Update the special hours on the Google Business Profile.
- Thank in a personal way and leave the next year prepared.
- Avoid generic cards, last-minute discounts and messages to people who did not ask.
Quick questions
Do I have to send a Christmas card?
No. A useful, true message is worth more than a card identical to the others. If you send one, let it have your voice and, if possible, the name of whoever receives it.
Can I send messages to all my contacts?
Only to those who agreed to receive communications from you. For the rest, check the consent rules before sending.
What if I work on the festive days?
Say which, and at what hours. Whoever needs you on those dates is grateful to know, and the hours on the Google profile must be right.
Want to choose a year-end message that is only your company's?
The exploratory call is a 30-minute conversation, at no cost. We help choose the closing message of the year. You keep the written summary.
Book an exploratory call