Invite Your Clients and Potential Community Members to the Celebration
Everyone loves a good party, right? Inviting business clients or potential members of your social club to celebrate an anniversary, an award or an expansion is a great strategy to affirm loyalty and even nudge those fence-sitters to make a move.
Everyone from Buckingham Palace to Lange and Fetter Ford knows that 70 years at the helm of a substantial entity is no easy task. The durability of a brand is already implied when impressive dates are piped onto the celebratory cake. But ordering the cake is just the beginning.
Who doesn’t remember the experience of Charlie finding the Golden Ticket in the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Savvy marketers see anniversaries as valuable opportunities to press Golden Tickets into as many hands as possible. They are a way of saying: “Come and be part of something worth celebrating!”
Saying thank you isn’t limited to cutting a cake and handing out swag. It is also about warming the heart through pro-social behaviours (that’s psych-talk for doing nice things). This might include engaging with community projects such as Quinte SailAbility or sincere get-to-know-us type stuff on IG or TikTok.
For the business operator, the recognition of special dates may also be a time of reflection. Longevity is hard won, and telling the story is part of feeling good about a brand’s impact on staff, leadership, clients and the wider community. They’re even a chance to reconnect with valuable team members to link past and present.
Extending the Warm Welcome
Audiologist Dr Sanjeev Sukumaran greets longtime friend, colleague and former office manager Mary Girard in an opening scene from a brand story created for The Ear Co. in Peterborough.
For example, when Dr Sanjeev Sukumaran wanted to tell the story of The Ear Co., he invited Mary Girard, who was there from the start. Mary may have retired from her role as Office Manager, but her recollections greatly contributed to the Brand Story film that marks the 30th anniversary of the clinic in Peterborough.
Lastly, linking up with the chamber of commerce in your area might also be a valuable way to keep the party going. The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce is a great supporter of milestone achievements in member businesses. They recently went the extra mile to plan and execute a short film celebrating diversity within their membership.
Regardless of the ways one might choose to mark a significant anniversary, the most important step is to recognize its value and to make a plan.
