Business and Corporate Christmas Cards

Archive for the ‘Personalize’ Category

I am a great advocate of businesses sending out Holiday Christmas cards.

They’re a great way to thank your clients and customers for their business during the year, to remind them that you are still very interested in them, and to encourage them to think of you next year for their product or service needs.

However, as simple as the concept might sound, yoiu can get yourself and your company in trouble by sending the wrong card or greeting.

1. Watch the content of the card. You might think a naked Santa is the funniest thing ever, but I can guarantee that you’ll offend someone – if not everyone with this example. Save that card for Uncle Joe and his sense of humor.

2. Remember that most societies are becoming more diverse in their makeup, and that certainly includes religions and belief systems. You cannot assume that sending a card celebrating the birth of Jesus will please all your recipients. Better to find an attractive Holiday Greeting or Happy Holidays card to send.

3. If you find sending a generic greeting offensive, or feel the Christmas Season is a time only for a religious Christian card, you are better off sending only Happy New Year cards. A customer who does not share your belief system may well decide that you are insensitive to their beliefs and that they do not want to do business with you.

4. Don’t think that the only card to send must be glitzy and expensive. With just a little shopping around, especially on the internet, you can find something quite nice. Another advantage to doing your shopping online is that you’re likely to find an affordable design your recipients haven’t already seen from a bunch of other firms.

5. Don’t just get cards with pre-printed greetings with your company name and think that’s good enough. Unless your corporation is so big that you don’t have personal relationships with your customers, it is well worth the effort to personalize a greeting and signature, whether the boss does the actual sigining or an employee does it. Personalization goes a very long way.

6. Don’t use printed labels to address the cards. The return address can certainly be a label, but it’s much better to hand write the envelope, again whether it be the company management or a temp worker hired for just that chore.

7. Don’t wait until the middle of December to mail your business Christmas card. Not only do you run the risk of the card getting delivered after the holidays (what kind of attention to detail does that convey to your customer?), but you also will probably have your card delivered with a number of other cards. It’s better to mail early, while the receipt of a card is still somewhat special. There is the possible added benefit of having your card on display for a longer time.

So there are just a few suggestions of things to watch out for as you plan your business Christmas card chores.

Sending a business Christmas card can be one of the most inexpensive advertising methods you can utilize.

While you’re saying “thanks for your business this year,” you are also saying “remember our company and the good work we do.”

Certainly the business holiday card is a pleasant tradition and way to celebrate the season. It’s a nice thing to do, and it shows your clients that you’re thinking of them. They know, as well, that you are reminding them of you and your company in the hopes of retaining or increasing their business, for the most part.

But my experience is that I don’t mind that kind of gentle reminder/advertising. But, and here’s a big but, it should be personalized, at least a bit. It becomes less pleasant and more like traditional advertising when the card comes addressed with a label and when the card is simply stamped with a company name.

I like to receive personal greetings on the card – and the personal ones are the only ones that get displayed in my office. The impersonal cards go directly into the trash bin.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the printed cards. Some are quite beautiful and expensive. And I don’t think poorly of the business for sending it to me. It’s certainly better than no card at all. I’m not going to cross those companies off my vendor list, nor my own business Christmas card list, either.

But given equal circumstances, that I have to make a decision between two vendors who offer much the same product at much the same price, I can’t guarantee that I won’t subconsciously – or even consciously – choose the one who took the time to send a personal greeting.

I am not suggesting that you need to include a Corporate Holiday Newsletter. In fact, please don’t do that. I really don’t have time to read about all the exciting adventures and innovations and personal anecdotes of your business year.

A simple handwritten Dear Jane or even a Dear Company Name above the card greeting and a handwritten signature, either John Doe, John Doe, President, or even Company name are enough to impart the personal attention.

And you know what else? I don’t know your handwriting or signature, unless we’re pretty good friends, in which case you’d better be doing the writing. But, if you’re someone who sends me handwritten greetings at Christmas, I won’t remember what your writing looks like. So get someone in the office to do the personalizing, if that’s what it takes.

So, the bottom line is that Business Christmas Cards are a very good investment for you to make. And when you start looking at the cost, be sure to compare it to traditional advertising methods. You’ll see it is a very good investment indeed.

The holiday season offers a great opportunity to thank your customers, clients, vendors, their staff members that have been especially helpful – or that you hope will help.

A corporate greeting card which is high quality and personalized, even if simple in its style and design, will be a great influence that you can possibly conceive of.  It will certainly let your customers and associates feel important and appreciated.

A Great Way of Saying Thanks Throughout This Season of Christmas

By Jo Alelsto

The Yuletide season is a very special time of the year, a special time to remember the people who mean a lot to you like your family and relatives, your friends and acquaintances, your colleagues and associates, and your clients. A simple yet heartfelt Christmas card for your caring family, loyal friends, supportive coworkers, and valued customers will go a long way for the coming years.

Most of us spend a lot of time in the gift card section of the local bookstore once a birthday, an anniversary, or any other special occasion comes around. It is so hard to find the perfect card which will best express our thoughts and feelings. If you are looking for the ideal Christmas card to give out to your loved ones then it’s doubly hard. It should always be a tradition to give out Christmas cards to those who have made your life more meaningful for the past year and as a sign that you value your relationship with them and intend to keep it in the years to come.

Well, to cut back on the time spent looking for that special card, just put in mind these handy tips:

1. Personalize The Card – You can buy a dozen or so of the card you found, write a heartfelt note and sign your name. Better yet, if you are creative and have enough time to make your own Christmas card then by all means, do so. Your family and friends will definitely appreciate the thoughts and effort that go with every single card you send.

2. Be Sensitive – You have to be extra sensitive in choosing the theme of the card you send out. If you are not sure of the religious conviction of the persons to whom you will send the cards to, just send out nonspecific Christmas greetings so as to avoid offending them. If you are sending the card to your close friends then most likely you know them well enough to be familiar with their religious affiliation.

3. It’s The Thought That Counts – Don’t be too concerned if you are low on the budget, with the state of the economy today, almost everyone is on the same boat as you are. Sending out gifts or cards doesn’t have to be expensive and luxurious. As the saying goes, it’s the thought that counts. A simple card will mean a lot and it will be appreciated more that you’ll ever know. So even if it’s such a simple handwritten card, but one which shows your gratitude, then that’s all that matters.

4. One More Thing – Paste a beautiful stamp commemorating the season rather than using the post meter. It’s a little secret that allow the recipient to know how much you value your relationship with him or her. It would also be great if you can have the addresses of the recipients handwritten because it produces a more personal touch.

Remember to send a simple thank you card to your family members, close relatives, and coworkers. If you are a business owner, sending a thank you card to your associates, suppliers, prospects and customers this Christmas season will also show your gratitude for their contribution to the success you have in your business relationship.

By now, you know that a simple thank you card this Christmas is not as simple as it may seem. It means more than that. It is a token of thanksgiving and appreciation to everyone who had been part of your life and the Christmas season is the perfect time to let them know that. Let your creativity run its course and show off your knack at getting things done even with a meager budget.

Jo is a content writer for ‘Festive Collection’ (http://www.festivecollection.co.uk), the foremost business Christmas card range of Qubic Print Direct. Festive Collection offers one of the most extensive selections of bespoke business Christmas cards in the UK. If you wish to mail to your customers and business partners these distinctive and made to order Christmas cards they’ll remember or if you like to go one step further and design a completely customized card, print your own company logo, and signature at a nominal additional fee then you should check out Festive Collection.

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Have you ever pondered just how important staff is to any business? I don’t mean just your staff, because I’m assuming you value and appreciate their contribution to you business.

Nope, I’m talking about the all-important staff members of your customers, clients, and vendors.

Speaking as a former staff support person, I cannot emphasize enough the value of your taking the time to show your appreciation to them. If you’ve never worked as support staff yourself, you may be unaware of the control, often subtle, they have as gatekeepers to their businesses.

I’m not saying they’d deny you access to their boss (although that’s not outside the realm of possibilities). But they might not go that little extra way to make it easier for you, either.

I have worked for folks who listened and to some who didn’t. The ones who listen far outnumber the ones who didn’t. If I expressed an opionion about how someone, customer or vendor, treated me, more often than not it made a difference in how the boss regarded the other business.

So the point here is to recognize that staff is incredibly important in you business context. You truly need to recognize that they are nearly as important to your relationships with clients and vendors as are the bosses. This is just a reminder that you need to include some sort of acknowledgement to support personnel.

This isn’t to say that you need to include those support folks on your A list of card recipients, but it wouldn’t hurt to examine including them in the greeting on the card, or even a less expensive card directed to them.

The bottom line here is that you should not ignore support personnel when you are making your decision and figuring your budget. Understanding the good will of your client’s employees can give you a big leg up next year in your access to the decision makers in your client’s firms.

You’ve worked through your decision as to whether or not to send business christmas cards, and now you’re ready to choose which card to send out. This may seem a no-brainer, but it does require some care.

When In Doubt, Go Conservative

You might think that naked Santa Claus card is hilarious, but you can be sure that someone on your list is going to be offended. Maybe even angry. Certainly disgusted. And probably rethinking their relationship with you. Save that card for a friend you know will love it as much as you do.

Religious Or Not

Unless you know your clients and vendors well, it is best to go with a generic “Happy Holidays” card rather than something with a more spiritual nature. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and some will feel offended if you don’t recognize that fact. Your card is to be an expression of thanks for their business and/or thanks for their consideration of you and your business throughout the year. It is not meant to be an instrument for prosletizing. Again, save that religious card for those you know will appreciate it.

How Much Do I Have To Spend?

With Christmas cards, as with just about any consumer good, the more you spend, the better quality you’ll have. If you have the extra cash lying around and feel the need to impress your customers and vendors with a gold embossed, super-duper card, then certainly go ahead. However, you don’t really need to go all out with expenses to properly express you appreciation and wish for good cheer.

You don’t want to go too cheap, because shoddy quality sends the message that you don’t really care enough to spend a couple of bucks on the greeting. However, with just a little shopping you should be able to find a nice quality card and envelope without breaking your bank.

You might be tempted to produce something in-house, such as a newsletter printed from you computer, but that’s only a good idea if your business is the production and printing of quality cards. Homemade may say “frugal” to some, or even “cute,” but for a lot of your card recipients it just screams “CHEAP.” Again, a message received that you’re not all that into saying thanks for your business.

What would seem to be a simple act – choosing a business Christmas card to send – really does involve some consideration and decision-making. Most of this is basic common sense, but we all need a reminder once in a while.