the season of giving.

I have to say, I am particularly excited about this time of year. The Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are my favorite for a number of reasons, but mostly it's because:

1. Winter is still new and snow is enjoyable
2. Lots of family time, which I don't get through the year
3. PRESENTS!

Now, I know I sound like a greedy five-year-old by admitting the last one, but it's not just about what others want to give to you, it's about giving to others. I don't necessarily just like receiving gifts, because it feels just as good (if not better) to give to others.

This is part of why I like my job so much. I get to oversee some of our online contests, giving away free webinars every Wednesday, prizes for milestones (we're almost to 50,000 fans on Facebook!) and other contests we're working on that have some sweet gear, like bike racks or helmets.

Part of the reason we're giving things away is that it creates a better community. People like to engage, but they like to engage even more when they get something out of it. At least it seems.

So what better time than now to give your customers/constituents something for being loyal to your brand?

Delta, along with a few other airlines, is giving customers free wi-fi between November 20 and January 2 as a "holiday gift." This is great news for me, because I enjoy flying Delta and I have two trips that fall in that time frame. Needless to say, I'm going to be taking advantage of free wi-fi, partially because now I'll get Foursquare's Mile High badge for my collection.

The question is, how do you find the right giveaway to promote your brand? How do you decide when the time is right so that people will take advantage of it? The reason the free wi-fi is so appealing is that people like me, who live out of state, will be flying home for the holidays. Airlines know they will be busy and Gogo Wireless saw an opportunity to find new customers, because some of the logic might be that if someone tries their product for free one time and enjoys it, maybe they will be willing to pay for it in the future.

So as we head into the holiday season, it's great to be excited about what you might receive, but don't forget to spend quality time on what you can give, too. It's a great time to show someone (anyone!) that you care!