Santa’s 6 Secrets to Success
December 12, 2011
Whether he meant to or not jolly old St. Nick created one of the most recognizable and beloved brands in the western world; one that children have adored and parents embraced for centuries. Santa Claus has endured wars, depressions, scrutiny (is he real or not??), imposters who tried to tarnish his image (ala The Grinch), and even opposition from certain religious groups. 
So how the heck did he do it? How did Santa Claus build such a phenomenon, despite the obstacles and challenges the world threw at him? And what lessons can businesses owners learn from him for building our own brands?
I’ve identified some key things that Santa does to solidify his brand, create raving fans, build trust and grow his Christmas Empire! Here they are, along with the lessons we can learn from his success:
Marketing Lessons from Santa
1. Santa is painstakingly reliable. Most of us awoke every Christmas morning, year after year, to find a plate sprinkled with cookie crumbs, an empty milk glass, and a bounty of presents; all bearing witness to Santa’s late night visit. Despite snow storms and freezing temperatures, or dad losing his job, moving to a new house, or fighting with our brothers too much, Santa never let us down. Santa is the epitome of reliability.
Business Lesson: How reliable is your business? Are you letting customers down? Like expectant children on Christmas mornings, our customers have high expectations and it’s our job to deliver – or risk losing them. Make it habit to ask customers if they’ve ever felt let down by your company, what areas you can improve upon, and what products or services they’d like you to offer. Being painstakingly reliable builds trust and people buy from companies they trust!
2. Santa surprises and delights us! Who doesn’t think of Santa and smile? Why is that? It’s because he always surprises and delights us! Whether it’s flashing a jovial smile and belting out a jolly “Ho Ho Ho”, delivering that Barbie doll we’d been obsessed with for months, or making a surprise appearance with a bag full of goodies at a holiday party, happiness and smiles follow Santa wherever he goes.
Business Lesson: Can you say the same about your brand? Does your business leave a lasting smile and happy thoughts? Do you surprise and delight? If not, study your competition and your industry, talk to people, and find out where others let customers down. Then do something that no one else in your industry does. Find that “something extra” can you add to your product or service. Customers love the unexpected, so what can you do to surprise – and delight them.
3. Santa encourages us to write. Everyone knows Santa loves getting our letters – and even reads every single one of them! And what does he ask of us? Nothing but a list all the presents we want him to deliver on Christmas morning!
Business Lesson: Imagine if our customers felt comfortable enough to send us a list of their wants, needs, and desires– don’t you think that would help us understand and serve them better? What can you do to encourage your customers to stay in touch with you? Since we don’t have our own North Pole address, I’d recommend things like suggestion boxes (on, or offline!), surveys, and service follow up calls.
4. Santa rewards good behavior. ”Have you been naughty or nice?” Your answer could mean the difference between that diamond necklace you’ve been eyeing or a big ole lump of coal!
Business Lesson: Businesses can build their brands by rewarding “good” behavior too! Did a customer buy more than usual? Reward them with a discount or an extra freebie. Did a customer refer you or leave a raving Yelp review? Send a special present or gift certificate to say “thank you.” Rewarding good behavior not only shows the customer your appreciation, it encourages them to do it again!
5. Santa has elves and 8 reindeer- Santa wouldn’t be Santa without his team. Do you think he’d be able to read all of our letters, be painstakingly reliable, or jolly and delightful if he didn’t have a team to help him all his Christmas responsibilities? Of course not, so then why do you expect to be able to take care of all of our business responsibilities yourself?
Business Lesson: If you don’t have the time to provide the level of service you want, surprise and delight customers – or market and build your business then it’s time to get your own team of elves and reindeer! No one ever built an empire alone… and it may be time for you to hire some help!
6. Santa is one-of-a-kind! Santa has an image like no one else: long gray beard, velvety red suit, and shiny black boots. Santa has a catch phrase, “Ho, Ho, Ho”. Santa knows his target market are children. Santa also knows these three things set him apart from the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and moms and dad - and he used that to build the Santa brand to be the unmistakable symbol it is today!
Business Lesson: Take a look at your business, what can you do to make your business stand out from the crowd? Do you have a unique image? A symbolic uniform? A bright red sleigh pulled by 8 tiny reindeer (Ok, a fleet of bright red trucks will do!)? A quirky catch phrase? Find your uniqueness and do something big to stand apart from the competition!
Summary:
The bottom line is this: Santa “gets” marketing – he built one of the most recognizable brands that ever existed by doing these 6 things. Sure, we may never be as popular as Santa but by following his example, we can certainly create our own little world of magic! Happy holidays! Ho, Ho, Ho!!!
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6 Ways Any Business Can Engage Customers and Increase Sales During the Holidays!
December 5, 2011
Tis the season for businesses across the world to see the bottom line of the P&L report go from red to black! It’s the time of year that can make or break a business. So what are you doing to make sure you stay in touch, stay top of mind, and stay on top of sales this holiday season?
Here are 6 ways any business can stay in touch and increase sales this holiday season!
- Offer special discounts to your best customers on the things they buy the most. Why not treat them to a holiday gift, from you to them? Offer amazing deals on the things they buy the most! It’s a great way to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, or Happy Kwanzaa to your most loyal customers!
- Offer Gift Certificates. Maybe you’re an automotive repair shop, or a hairdresser, or maid service, or a professional organizer, or a web developer – how do you gift those things?? With gift certificates, of course!!! We all know times have been tough for a few years, who wouldn’t love a free oil change and tire rotation, new hair style, or house cleaning!?! (I know I would, hint, hint) Or maybe you have tons of products and services and choosing one is too difficult! Give the gift of choice! Gift certificates are great stocking stuffers AND offer a great opportunity to cross sell (see #3!).
- Cross-sell! It’s a great time to suggest items to go with products or services they already purchase. Maybe they bought a beautiful set of earrings last year for mom, this year suggest the matching necklace. When you sell a spa package, offer the premium at-home spa kit to go with it as a carrier for the gift certificate! The hairdresser can cross sell a salon quality shampoo and conditioner set; the auto repair store can offer jumper cables or fix-a-flat canisters – all as nice little carriers for the gift certificates! Cross-selling is a great way to add value to the client – and to increase sales!!!
- Send gift ideas. How many times have you been stumped on a gift for that hard-to-buy for person on your list? We’ve all been there! So help your customers by sending an email full of gift ideas tailored to the people on their list with headings like: “gifts for mom”, “great gifts for co-workers, neighbors, or mail carriers”. What are your most popular items and who buys them? Share that info with the people on your mailing list and they’ll be grateful for it!
- Offer free wrapping or free delivery. Who doesn’t love a surprise?!? Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. What if that premium spa package and at-home spa kit were hand delivered with a bouquet of fresh flowers or a box of chocolates?? What if the oil change was done on-site at the recipient’s home? What if a gift basket with a few jars of local homemade jam and bakery-fresh scones were delivered fresh on a Saturday morning? Wouldn’t that make the gift extra special?
- Send cards and/or gifts to current and past clients- Maybe staying in touch and top of mind is as simple as wishing them a Happy Holiday and thanking them for their business! Customers love to know they’re appreciated. Send them a card or a special gift that has nothing to do with trying to sell them anything – they’ll love you for it!
Thank you Purple Cow Websites for responding to my Facebook post yesterday with this great idea for a blog!!
Want to share?? Please do! Leave your comments here.
By the way, if you liked this post, I’d really appreciate your Retweet!!! Thank you.
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+Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company
- Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses get the customers they need to sell more, increase profits and achieve all of their business and personal goals. We do this by implementing and managing marketing systems based on data and strategy - there is no guess work. For more information visit us at: FortuneMarketingCompany.com. We'd be glad to help!
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