Too often, businesses that are not connected to the holiday season suspend their marketing this time of year. But there’s a lot of opportunity. The holidays are prime time for building loyalty and getting a head start on the New Year. We’re offering a few things you can do:

1: Make a business connection. Don’t assume that businesses are closed or too busy to respond to your communications. Many businesses are in fact slow this time of year. It’s a good opportunity to pick up the phone and chat about what you might do for them in the New Year. Ask them how their year was and what they want to improve in the next one.

2: Send holiday greetings. Let your customers know that you’re thankful for their business over the past year. Good old snail mail cards may be more noticeable.  They’re often kept on display in their offices. That’s where we put all our cheery cards.

3: Submit story ideas. The media is always open and looking for stories. If it’s too late, submit an idea for the coming year.

4: Email a survey asking clients and customers about what you’ve done in the past year and what might be improved in the next.

5: Focus on year-end budgets as well as the budget for next year. If there’s still money left to spend, make it work to your advantage to end the year on an upswing. Plan for next year’s spending and come up with a plan to hit the ground running in January.

There is still time to incorporate a few, if not all of the five suggestions. Yes, this is often a slow time, so make it work for you.