How to Do Secret Santa: Marketing Agency Style

Stuck for ideas on your secret santa? Here’s a quick guide on what the folks in every marketing agency might want to receive for Christmas.

How to do Secret Santa: Marketing Agency Style

A quick guide to what you can get your marketing agency colleagues for Secret Santa

Secret Santa for an Editorial Manager

Organisation is key for any editorial manager in an Inbound marketing agency, especially as 37% of marketers say that blogging is the most valuable type of content marketing. We recommend:

• A classic organiser. Although we’re aware of the apps available now on Smartphones and Tablets, sometimes a bit of paper and pen suffices nicely.
• A stress ball. All too often we see the editorial manager having battles with contributors and paid writers (non physical battles of course), or frantically trying to reach deadlines. A squidgy ball could be all they need.

Secret Santa for a Web Developer

You might have to stretch your budget with a web developer as they’re used to living a world surrounded by technology, gadgets, and all the latest gizmos. We recommend:

• A pair of funky new headphones. P.S. are they actually listening to music or just trying to block out the laughing from the social media department?
• A giant coffee mug is clearly a must for all developers. All of that coding and HTML must get tiring, so your webby friend will love this as it’ll see them through the day.

Secret Santa for a Designer

Marketing agency designers rely on two things; regularly updated creative software, and inspiration. You probably can’t afford the latest suite from Adobe so try and ignite their creative juices instead. We recommend:

• Something that’s their favourite Pantone colour. Finding this information out might require them to remove their earphones though.
• DYO wallet. If you’re wondering what the acronym is, it means Design Your Own and I completely made it up. But what designer wouldn’t want to design their own wallet or purse?

Secret Santa for a Social Media Manager

Social media managers do not just sit on Twitter all day; there is a lot of strategy and process involved in social media marketing. However they probably do love to share their stories and ideas across the social web…and the entire office. We recommend:

• A Journal. This gives them a platform to jot down all of their ideas that they can then transform into amazing articles to distribute on blogs, rather than vocalising all of their immediate thoughts with the person next to them.
• A calendar. For agency workers, it can get overwhelming when managing several clients’ social media accounts, so a calendar could come in handy. However they’ll probably just use it for their lunch and dinner reservations.

Secret Santa for the Sales Team

Days spent on the phone or in client meetings, the sales team are a talkative bunch and need to have a lot of charismatic charm. We recommend:

• Aftershave or perfume, but not a pungent one. When giving that all important handshake after finalising a sale, the last thing a member from the sales team wants is to leave a bad taste in the client’s mouth.
• A nice pen. Without the pen, how will any contract get signed? It’s possibly the most important element of any meeting.

Secret Santa for an Online PR/Outreach Manager

The main skills required from an PR/Outreach manager is the ability to create lasting relationships, which are now being created and nourished online since the rise of inbound marketing. Getting them a secret santa present that’s on trend and makes them look good is a surefire way to please anybody in the public relations field. We recommend:

• A compact mirror or a tie. This is generally depending on the gender or preferences of the online PR manager you have to buy a gift for, but whether or not they’re set for a client meeting or just negotiating placements online, they’ll want to look smart and snappy!
• A quirky mouse mat. If they look the biz, their desk needs to do so too. You can even get personalised mouse mats, but be sure to upload a photo of their face so even when they’re absent, their presence is still very much felt.

Secret Santa for the SEO consultant

Quiet but focused, the SEO consultant loves facts, logic and reason, so stay away from the soppy teddybear aisle. Searching for keywords and optimising page rankings is tricky business, so keep their brains ticking with these gifts. We recommend:

• Sudoku puzzles. This Japanese number cracking puzzle will keep your SEO consultant entertained for hours! Well, at least for the entirety of their lunch break.
• Pictionary. Let them channel their inner artist with everyone’s favourite (key)word drawing game. See what we did there? They’ll be amazed to see words outside of an excel spreadsheet!

Secret Santa for a Project Manager

Communications, team management, budget and risk assessment are all in a days work for any agency project manager. Normally thought of as the ‘how’ guy, a project manager will resolve your issues, just without the emotion of an agony aunt. We recommend:

• Newtons Cradle. Not only will it soothe and relax in pressing times, but it will also reinstate their status of power over the project.
• An address book. Remembering names and phone numbers isn’t an easy job when managing a million projects, and who wants to witness the cringe moment when your project manager muddles up client information? Not us, and not you hopefully.

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from everyone at Tomorrow People Inbound Marketing Agency! P.S Personas are based on humorous stereotype. Happy Holidays!