There are people out there that just seem to blend into the background. They’re not tall. They’re not short. They’re not particularly fat or thin, young or old. There’s nothing about them that really stands out. In fact, you could probably pass them on the subway five times and never give them a second look.

You can probably think of products and the advertisements for those products that are just like them. They sit on the shelf doing nothing to distinguish themselves from a dozen other similar products. Their ads are barely a blip on the radar. It’s almost like elevator music in a way, and it’s exactly what you don’t want for your holiday marketing campaign.

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving -  a holiday for celebrating family and friends, and for giving thanks for the good things in life. Some people are comfortable expressing gratitude year-round, but if you find you only think about being thankful during the Thanksgiving season, read on for some things to consider.

Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Or both?

What will you and your family do on Thanksgiving Day?

Maybe you’ll spend some of it in the backyard while you deep fry that turkey. Maybe you’ll get up early so you can go pick up Aunt Edna from the airport. You could all gather in front of the TV to watch the parade down 34^th Street or sip a few after-dinner brews while you watch the big game. Perhaps you can always count on having to run to the store to get a couple extra cans of cranberry sauce, or Cousin Ernie hogging all the mashed potatoes.

They say everybody has a least one great story inside of them screaming to get out. Of course, given the fact that anyone with a keyboard and a little spare time can produce an e-book these days, there’s also a school of thought that says maybe you should keep that book to yourself. The question of whether you should take a bold step forward and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is a personal one. Before you make that decision, here are some things to ask yourself.

Have you ever watched an old TV show, maybe a murder mystery or a dark thriller, and thought about how much easier it would’ve been for the detectives if they’d had cell phones? Maybe you shook your head as they poured through a ton of dusty of books in a forgotten library looking for clues or marveled at how out of touch they were as soon as they were out of their  offices.

The simple answer is — always, whenever possible! End of article.

OK, that would make for a very short newsletter, and set me up for some negative feedback, so I’ll expand.

But before we get into the details, I want to say that all things being equal, nothing, I mean nothing, ever beats the conversion of a good, well designed and well-executed direct mail campaign. NEVER!

The dog may be man’s best friend, but for a business owner, nothing beats a loyal customer. It’s easier and often less expensive to retain existing customers than it is to find new ones— six or seven times less expensive according to many marketing experts. So now may be a great time to reward that customer dedication by offering a loyalty program. It’s an effective way to enhance your relationship with your customers and generate those moments of ‘wow’ that keep them coming back.

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
— From the film ‘Cool Hand Luke’

What if you called a meeting, but no one came? Would it still be called a meeting? As ridiculous as the question may sound, these types of communication breakdowns can and do occur even in a modern business. Talking to each other seems like such a natural thing to us that we’re often surprised at how everyone from married couples to corporate partners to 21st-century armies can have such trouble with it.

Black Friday is the granddaddy of all retail holidays. Since the late nineteenth century, it’s marked the unofficial beginnings of the Christmas season. It’s even been designated a state holiday in nearly half the country. Yes, state offices from California to Maryland close up shop, allowing state employees some quality time to find good bargains.

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Before you started your own business, you probably worked for someone else and occasionally thought: “I’d do things differently if I was in charge.” That’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur. It’s your show. You can do things the way you think they ought to be done. Every aspect of your business reverberates with your beliefs and your style.

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You’re probably pretty familiar with greeting cards. During the holiday season they fill both our mailbox and our inbox. At Christmas they may be red, gold and green, and at Valentine’s Day they’re decked out in pink and red. We get them on birthdays, anniversaries and on special occasions like weddings and graduations. In fact, cards are such an integral part of our lives that the greeting card industry raked in a cool $7.5 billion last year.

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