Using Holidays To Put Some Extra Cheer In Your Cash Box
By Meredith Pond
No matter your age or station in life, we all look forward to holidays. They give us a reason to decorate, celebrate, and most of all, spend.

Think back to any of last year's holidays. Did you buy some new decorations? Probably. Did you plan a party or host a dinner? Likely. Did you buy gifts or take advantage of special sales and promotions? Undoubtedly!

Well, instead of being on the spending end of this year's holidays, why not turn the tables and put on a promotion of your own? During the fall and winter especially, people are jolly, joyous, and a little more willing to open their wallets.

Of course, no honest person wants to take blatant advantage of people and their money, but for those who are already ready to buy, why not take advantage of the season by giving them a special deal?

If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, why not have a holiday open house? These events are obviously more common from Halloween to New Year's, but have you ever though of holding this kind of party at your store for the 4th of July? Advertise free refreshments, music, and giveaways, and people will come in droves, no matter what holiday it happens to be. At the very least you'll have a good time showing others a good time, and you'll probably make a lot of extra sales. If holding such a bash requires you to stay open a little later, why not? After all, 'tis always the season to please.

If your business has its only home on the Internet, put some festive touches on your web site. Try decorating it with lights, fireworks, or other festive delights. Play some holiday music, or offer free holiday sounds or screen savers for those who stop by (if you do this, you might want to register your download site with search engines to make sure people can find it). People love to decorate their home or office computers with the free stuff they find online, so why not join the club?

Another fantastic way to use for marketing is to send out festive cards to your current and past customers. Wish them a happy holiday and thank them for their business. If possible, have them hand-signed for a personal touch. Be sure your company logo appears somewhere on the card.

During the Christmas season, why not buy some attractive but inexpensive tree ornaments or other decorations, and stamp them with a small version of your company logo? Offer them free to those who make purchases, or sell them at your counter (or on your site) for a ridiculously low price. People tend to keep and collect decorations over the years, so your cheap little ornament is bound to make a lasting impression.

Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or Ant Farm Harvest, offer a great chance for your business to show its stuff. Let people see your kindler, gentler, jollier side and have a little fun with your promotions. When January rolls around again, your bottom line will be glad you did.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Meredith Pond has been writing marketing copy since 2000. She personally writes your sales

A gift from Iona
Iona Flavell, aged 12, raised 175 sterling for the victims of the Asian Tsunami. Today (7th April 2005) she presented a cheque for that amount to Lt. Col Ian Joiner of the Aldershot Rotary Club which will be put towards the cost of the replacement fishing boats. The first boat will be named IONA in recognition of such a big effort from a young girl.
The School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (SEME) donate 6,000 sterling to Ex. Shrivenham Spirit
SEME are the training school for the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) of the British Army. Earlier this year SEME undertook a rowing marathon to raise money for the victims of the Asian Tsunami.
MALABAR YACHT CLUB - new club facility
the club house for the MYC is now complete. The building has 4 good sized guest rooms each with a/c and on-suite bathroom. Pictures are in the gallery. Guests are now welcome - contact us for latest rates.
The Kondo Syokai Bouken Project gets underway with Exercise Shrivenham Spirit
the first UK Forces Adventure Training Exercise in Kerala (Ex. Shrivenham Spirit) is building a replacement fishing boat for the victims of the Asian Tsunami - reported here in the Malayalam Manorama news and here in the Hindu
Update on Asian Tsunami Boats
the first replacement boat for the Asian Tsunami is now out of the mold. Paid for by the Rotarians of Aldershot, UK, this is a 9M vessel. She will be named IONA after the 12 year old daughter of Lt. Col Alan Flavell who by herself raised nearly 200 sterling towards the cost. See here and click on Boats for the Tsunami link for pictures.
Asian Tsunami
following our narrow escape from the effects of the tsunami, Kondo Syokai is trying to help fishing families in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. See here for details.
ROSA in the News
Reporters from The Hindu (India's largest circulation English newspaper) and the New Indian Express visited Kondo Syokai today (26th November 2004) and were shown around ROSA, the Malabar Yacht Club's first yacht. Articles appeared in the press and on the web.
Ganso-Kiso
the "base" Gazelle from Kondo Syokai and the lowest cost of all the Kondo Syokai Gazelles.

In response to enquiries and suggestions the specification of Ganso-Kiso has been re-written. Now she really is a practical sail-away Gazelle for less than the price of a kit-boat. Ganso-Kiso is the door to the experience and benefit of journeying under sail.
First pictures of ROSA under sail
the first gazelle for the Malabar Yacht Club, ROSA, was sailed in the backwaters this week (17th October). This was simply to carry out a few preliminary checks prior to starting sea trials proper (scheduled for 30th October). It also provided an opportunity to get a few good pictures.
MALABAR YACHT CLUB
the first gazelle for the MYC is launched today 7th October 2004. The ribbon was cut by Mr David Pyle, Sales Director of Princess Yachts International PLC. This is a stunning vessel, the KS team have worked hard to get her ready for showing at the Indian International Boat Show this weekend. Pictures of the yacht can be viewed here.
SOUTH INDIA - Practical, Affordable, Yacht Ownership
for those of you who live in an area with cold and miserable winters from November to March this is just the tonic. Now you really can afford to own and keep a 50' yacht in one of the most fascinating places of the world - and at the same time escape the misery of winter.
The KS Boatyard is now able to offer wooden boat building

So you think all steel boats look the same? Think again!
the KS Boatyard produces an unbelieveable mirror finish using International and DuPont coatings.
Launch date set for Gazelle No.1
7th of March is the date that the first Gazelle will be put in the water
Auxillary Finalised
The decision was taken to fit the Simpson S 217 25.5 bhp diesel engine mated to a ZF 12M reduction gear as our standard item.
Boatyard Visits
Boatyard visits are also a great holiday opportunity - check out the Prospective Buyers Visit Package for more details and see the new images of the boatyard on the Boatyard Visit page

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