Showing gratitude is a way to honor relationships, in business and in life. Here are six ways to celebrate Thanksgiving every day.
In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every year. But, you don’t have to be a resident to count your blessings. To help you do that, here’s a refresh of a Thanksgiving PR post originally published in 2007.
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
Aesop
When you thank someone, you recognize them for the goodness they bring to your business or your life.
When you publicly thank partners, vendors, employees – and of course, clients, your create publicity opportunities for both sides.
Happy ThanksGiving Every Day
1. Give thanks at the first point of contact
One dreary day I strolled into a splashy gift store. After spending 20 minutes looking around, I walked out empty-handed. On my way out the door, the cashier said, “Have a nice day!” – the only words she said the entire time I was there. Is it any wonder the store was out of business a few months later?
2. Let your prospects know – right away – you’re glad they are there.
Bloggers can add a static page or a link to a blog post with a welcome message and a reader’s guide. Want to reach local journalists and influencers? A comment or reply to a social media message, LinkedIn article, or on their blog might start out with, “Thanks for the story you did on time management. Here’s how you helped me.”
3. Keep affirming the relationship
When my hard drive crashed, the repair center called to give me a replacement price. I picked it up and didn’t check the receipt until a few days later. I saw they charged me for installation, but not the part. Back at the store, the associate took my payment and talked about the repair center contact in front of me, but they didn’t thank me for coming back to buy the hard drive. They were too caught up in their own conversation to notice the customer on the other side of the counter.
4. Always, always, always connect with a thank you to someone who mentions or refers your business.
Use Google Alerts to track where your name shows up. While there’s no need to send a formal thank you note for most small interactions, you can acknowledge the giver with a quick thank your reply and like or share one of their social media updates. Online PR continues from the news release to a landing page to an order page to a – you guessed it – thank you page where you can offer additional products [in addition to thanks].
5. Be Thank-full at Thanksgiving or Any day
Stand out from your competition by showing you care with a personalized message to everyone that contributes to your success. Thanksgiving is a great time to think big and write a personal note to authors, bloggers, company presidents and yes, your mom and dad for the good things in your life. You know you wouldn’t be who you are today without them.
6. Send Gifts!
Go off of your holiday list to show gratitude to business partners. Then, reach out to prospective partners with a gift. Whether you send books or brownies, everyone loves opening presents – any time of year. Send yours out soon, so you can beat the holiday rush.
What about you? What or who are you thankful for this year?
Photo: Marigolds and cranberries from the Thanksgiving collection by Barbara Rozgonyi
About Barbara Rozgonyi: Marketing Expert Speaker, Sales Trainer, Business Development Consultant and Executive Leadership Coach
Barbara Rozgonyi leads CoryWest Media. A Midwest-based WIRED branding and social selling consultancy, CoryWest Media positions its clients as highly visible, attractive, and influential leaders online. The company’s client list covers a wide range of industries in sizes ranging from Fortune 500 to startups. Named one of the top 50 content marketing influencers on Twitter, Barbara’s digital brand is @wiredPRworks.
Barbara is a published author, LinkedIn sales trainer, personal branding speaker and digital marketing transformation consultant.
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