November is a great time to send out Thanksgiving cards to show your appreciation to your current customers, vendors, business partners, or anyone who refers business your way. You can also send cards to prospects. They will appreciate thought, particularly when they realize that you are not asking them for anything. (This is not place for a sales message. Your only purpose is to make contact).

I recommend business owners consider sending Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas or Holiday cards. Why?

Along with sentiment of “Giving Thanks” being a very appropriate way to appreciate your customers, by sending your cards in November, you’ll avoid clutter of holiday cards in December.

In fact, one main reason I recommend Thanksgiving cards, or “Thank You” cards in November is fact no one sends thank you cards anymore. When was last time you received a thank you card from someone? If you are like most people, it has been quite some time.

Letting your customers know how much you appreciate their business is a great way to build a strong customer relationship. And building strong customer relationships is a key marketing strategy, whether your customers make a one-time purchase from you or provide you with repeat business.

If yours is a one-time purchase business, you want your customers to refer others. If your customers purchase repeatedly, you want them to buy more often and to make larger purchases. Ensuring you have a strong customer relationship can help you to achieve both.

Out of site, out of mind. We’ve all heard it before. When it comes to managing customer relationships this adage holds true. The best way to ensure you will get business when a customer or prospect is ready to buy, is to make sure your company, product or service is first one they think of. The best way to ensure this is to maintain regular communication with them.

And this is especially important in this age of information technology, when many businesses have lost touch with their customers in an effort to automate and systemize their business. They may be operating their business efficiently, but chances are they have lost touch with very people who made them successful – their customers and clients.

Let’s face it, if you are not in a retail business tied to holidays, odds are your business dips this time of year. It’s a natural phenomenon - consumers are preoccupied and busy so they tend to put off purchases and decisions that they don’t absolutely have to make, until first of year.

So what can you do to drum up some business so December isn’t a total bust? Well I always say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! How can you take advantage of holidays and gift giving and buying?

One suggestion is to consider selling gift certificates. Just about any type of consumer business, whether you sell products or services, can offer gift certificates.

Promote your gift certificates to your current clients and customers as a way for them to share your products or services that they know and love with a friend or family member. (This can be a great way to facilitate referrals and generate new business, too!). Gift certificates not appropriate for your business? How about offering an end-of-year or a seasonal special? Make sure your special expires on December 31. This could be a product or service you are discontinuing or closing out. Or it could be a special holiday discount on a regular product or service.

By giving your customers a great deal, or offer they can’t normally get, you give them a reason to purchase from you now vs. waiting until after holidays. They will appreciate special price considering their expenses are higher than normal in December. And you win, because you make a sale when you otherwise would not have. Your profit margin may be lower, but at least it is profit!

So be creative. Think about how you can turn your product or service into a unique gift idea. A way for someone to learn benefits of having a fitness trainer or personal coach first hand, through a gift of a few sessions. Fresh flowers every month for 6 months. $50 toward purchase of any product or service you offer. A free consultation.

Following are three more holiday marketing ideas you may want to consider:

(1) Offer to donate a percentage of all sales in December to your favorite charity and publicize it with a press release to media.