Thinking about what to do to thank clients this time of year? Most studios send out holiday cards to their favorite clients and vendors, so should you? Think about if this is the best timing to acknowledge how much you appreciate your clients' business--it can be now or just after the holiday hoopla. A "welcome to a prosperous New Year" gift might stand out longer in their minds and be a good start to your January marketing efforts. So what should you do? Since we're in the food and photo biz, we have a natural doorway to creating really unique gifts--from hand-made confections to beautiful pieces of photo artwork spun off of a great food shot. One stylist shared that she's having personalized M&M candies made for her clients; she's choosing a vibrant color scheme and short message that will be fun and memorable. Other ideas include bottles of wine with a personalized photo label, aprons with your logo, chocolate-dipped fortune cookies (with special fortunes inside, of course!) or a gorgeous appetizer basket, with a selection of non-perishable goodies  that studios can pull out for their own after-hours client fêting. Be sure to tuck in your own hand-written thank-you note, along with an insert of your latest printed promo materials. Be creative!

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