People are bombarded with messages from stores, non-profits, friends and more during a typical holiday season. The best way to cut through the clutter is to keep your message simple, and add something that will give your customer or audience some words of wisdom, or words and deeds to help them during this busy and stressful time.

Keep your messages positive and short. At this time of year, shorter is better because people typically have even less time to sort through their messages than usual. One effective way to message during this time is a simple mailing piece that says “thank you”. If you are a small business owner and can hand write a card or note, that is ideal. If you are a larger business, you can customize and personalize your message. A handwritten card can contain a discount message for your store, or simply offer a coffee or a hot chocolate to a shopper who visits your store.

Customer appreciation days can be effective, too, but you have to be careful about not overloading your audience with yet one more thing to do. Know your audience, respond to what you think will be important to them during this time of the year, and enjoy your engagement with them. Sometimes slowing down and keeping things simple is the best way to go.