Some insurance agents say that business slows down during the holiday season. That may be true as clients get busy preparing holiday meals and buying gifts. But your client's distraction is no reason to stop your own promotional efforts because your community members are likely to get back to business early next year, and you want to be sure they keep you in mind. Here are a few ways you can reach out to clients during the holiday season:

Sponsor a Holiday Food or Toy Drive

If you work with a local charitable foundation to help sponsor a local holiday food or toy drive, you have an opportunity to involve your clients in your efforts. You might even offer your office as a drop-off point for donations to bring more foot traffic in. Alternatively, you could try to organize interested clients as volunteers for a holiday dinner or visit to a nursing home. If you organize a volunteer event, you also have a chance to have nice T shirts printed up with your agency name prominently displayed along with the event. Besides getting in the giving spirit of the holiday season, you also have a chance to generate some pretty valuable press for your agency. Lots of charities will promote their sponsors, and they may even offer a website link to your agency and mention you in their press releases. You can also tag your volunteers and your charity on your agency's social networking pages, and this gives you a chance to get your posts shared by people or organizations that you mention.

Send Holiday-Themed Promotional Items

Mailing out promotional calendars before New Year's Day never goes out of style. Fridge magnets, pens, and other useful promotional items also get noticed because they help your mailing stand out from dozens of other pieces of mail your clients might get this time of year. Of course, this gives you the chance to include a mailer that reminds clients about all of the services that you can provide them. For example, your auto insurance clients might not realize that you can also help them with life insurance. That mailer will be more likely to get read and remembered if it comes with a gift inside.

Holiday Referral Promotions

State laws and insurance company rules may differ, but agents are usually allowed to give inexpensive gifts as incentives for referrals. Many of your existing clients will be able to use an extra gift card at a discount store even if it is only for $5 or $10, and if they are satisfied with your services they should be open to the idea of referring their friends and family to your office anyway.

We Wish You a Happy and Productive Holiday Season

At the American Agents Alliance, we wish you the best for the holiday season. We also hope you take a moment to explore the many member benefits that our national insurance association offers agencies all year long.