Marketing using Business Christmas Cards

Corporate greeting cards can be used in many ways to promote your business and to show appreciation to supportive clients; some traditional and some a bit more creative. However, there are some rules and tips you should keep in mind to get the best return on your investment of sending out a Business Christmas card:

1. Procedure/mailing list

Make sure you keep your company contact information up-to-date on a regular basis and take your time to add new contacts you gain throughout the year.

A good way to control if your contact details are up to date is by including your return address so that the post office will return the card if the address is no longer valid. It will also serve a dual purpose by providing your contact information to your recipients.

2. Timing is everything

Don’t send your cards late, set yourself a deadline. December 15th is a convenient cut-off date for having your cards in the mail. If you’re sending business Christmas cards internationally, they’ll have to be in the mail much sooner. Here are some helpful links for recommended Christmas mailing deadlines: NZ Post, AUS Post, Royal Mail, USPS, Canada Post. If your Christmas card arrives after the holidays, you have just sent the wrong message to your customers.

3. Chose the right design with the right content for the right business

Start with a good quality business greeting card to show that you value your clients and colleagues. Skimping on your selection can be interpreted in a number of ways. Your recipients might take it as a sign that business has not been good or that they aren’t worth a little investment.

In order to bring the appropriate message across chose a card that best portrays your company. If e.g. ‘sustainability’ is one of your core values by using business e cards you are sending your clients a very clear message that you take your environmental responsibilities seriously.  Always be sure that you select your card with care, keeping in mind both quality and your recipients’ cultural or religious beliefs.  To avoid offending the reader of the card, be more general, use something like ‘Seasons Greetings’ instead of wishing ‘Merry Christmas’.  Also, if you are sending out greetings to a very traditional business, make sure to use the appropriate card – red and green are the most classic colours you could use.

4. Personal approach

Don’t just write something such as ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Merry Christmas’ above your signature. Take the time to write a hand written, personal message to let the recipients know you took that extra time to think about them.

5. Who signs it?

There is no universal rule for who should sign the Business Christmas card. However, one thing is for sure: there should be at least one signature on the card. If you are a small business and your whole team is communicating with the client, everyone might sign the card.  On the other hand, the larger the business, fewer people should place their signature on the card.

For most people, email is the primary form of communication. The question if it is acceptable to send email Christmas cards instead of physical ones really depends on your business relationship. If you mainly communicate through email, then an email Christmas card might be expected. However, keep in mind that it is usually preferred that you take the time and effort to send physical cards.

Here are some useful links for the different types of Corporate Christmas Cards:

Printed Christmas Cards

Traditional, contemporary, eco friendly:

http://www.myexpression.com

Business appropriate, customer appreciation, from all of us:

http://www.cardsdirect.com

Traditional:

http://www.fineart-international.com/search.asp?ids=91&mode=sub

Modern:

http://www.fineart-international.com/search.asp?ids=28&mode=sub

E-Cards

http://www.123greetings.com

Eco friendly:

http://www.eco2greetings.com/

Viral Christmas Cards

Humour: