Should your company send Thanksgiving cards this year?

The experts agree - sending business holiday cards improves customer perception of a company, increases the likelihood that a given customer will select your company over a non card-sending competitor and reduces the likelihood that your company will be seen as financially unstable, even in troubled economic times.

Okay, so we know that sending a business holiday card is good. Now the question is, what kind? A tradition company Christmas card with a wintery view? A modern Season's Greetings or Happy Holidays? Maybe a New Year's card with a calendar?

What about a Thanksgiving card?

A Thanksgiving card offers several advantages:

1) It gives your company a head start on competitors who send out their cards only in December

2) It allows you to sidestep the "which holiday" issue associated with the winter celebrations

3) The holiday naturally lends itself to expressing gratitude, which is a perfect message for customers and employees alike

4) You can still send company Christmas cards or other holiday cards in mid December, for a double-dose of contact and name recognition.

It's not too late to add a Thanksgiving card to your company's holiday marketing plan. And the results may leave you expressing thanks of your own.

Business holiday cards are critical this year!

A few organizations are claiming that the recession is over and recovery is right around the corner.

I would love to believe them. But the fact is, none of us really knows when the day will come when we can all take a collect sigh of relief and go on with our businesses and lives without worrying about the rising foreclosure rates or the latest round of layoffs.

So until we know for sure that all is well, companies cannot afford to neglect the little things that keep their name in front of customers.

Business holiday cards, company Christmas cards or whatever you want to call them, are one of those things companies cannot afford to let slide. For very little cost (around $1-2 each), business holiday cards make a major impact on customer perceptions about your business.

Studies have shown that the majority of customers feel more positively about businesses which send holiday cards. They are perceived as more stable, more reliable and more accessible.

Always sent company Christmas cards in the past, but thinking of cutting back this year? Thank again! Another researcher found that companies who stopped sending cards were perceived as less financially successful and less of a safe place to shop, because they may not be around down the road.

Is that really the message you want to send?

Time to pull out that holiday card list! Winter is almost here!

Business holiday card tips, Part II

And some more bits of wisdom and etiquette from previous posts....

Match your message to your business.

When deciding on your signature line, consider matching the message to the services you offer. For instance, an insurance agent could wish clients a “Happy and safe New Year,” while a medical practice might elect to offer wishes for a “Healthy and happy holiday season.” Those greetings work as mini-marketing messages, reminding recipients about the services you offer.

Not sure who celebrates which holidays?

Go with a Thanksgiving or New Year’s card. You can convey the same message without worrying about religious issues.

Hand signed cards work twice as well.

Have a signature line professionally imprinted for a crisp, business look. But add a personal signature to each card to double the impact. Hand-signed cards are twice as likely to result in a sale as cards with only an imprint.

Never use printed address labels on holiday cards.

Printed labels are great for catalogs and invoices, but when it comes to holiday cards, those with a handwritten address are far more likely to be opened and read.

Go for quality when choosing holiday cards.

Saving a few pennies per card by choosing a cheaper cardstock or lower quality printing reflects badly on your company’s image. Let your clients and customers know that you value quality in everything you do, including your choice of holiday cards.

Check with the post office for mailing deadlines.

Make sure your business holiday cards are in the mail well before the post office deadlines, especially if some of your cards are being sent to military or overseas recipients, or are oddly shaped and require special handling.

Consider ordering different cards for different people.

Selecting one design for employees, one for existing clients and one for prospectives allows you to customize the look and the message for maximum impact.

Include a personal message if possible.

Taking the time to add a line or two to each card can significantly improve business relationships. Letting star performers or valued customers know that they’re important to your business can yield great results in the coming year.

Mail employees’ cards to their homes.

Simply dropping cards on desks isn’t nearly as meaningful as receiving a card in the mail. As simple as it seems, that little extra effort tells employees a lot about their value to the company.

Business holiday card tips

A quick review of the tips from the past year's blog posts....

Watch for returns.

If a card comes back with an address correction, pull out another envelope and resend to the new address. If no address is provided, do some research and find the new address. If the card has been damaged, bent, torn or mangled in the first round, WRITE A NEW CARD! No one will believe it’s the Post Office's fault when the envelope arrives in perfect shape and the card inside is not.

Update your holiday card address database all year long.

In November, it’s too late to scramble for addresses, so maintain and update your holiday address list all year long.

If you sent a coupon or special offer, track the results.

Why send offers in your company Christmas card if you don't know what works? Keep track and use that info to improve future mailings.

Make your extra cards count.

If you have extra cards, send a greeting to a wounded soldier at a veteran’s hospital, brighten the holidays of a homeless family in a shelter with a card and gift certificate for a local store, or take the cards to an assisted living facility and give them out while visiting the residents.

Match the card to your company’s image.

By selecting a look that reflects your company’s values, you are saying "This is who and what we are, and we connect with who and what you are." Without shouting it, the message will get across.

Cards build customer loyalty.

Studies have shown that sending holiday cards is an extremely effective tool in establishing and supporting customer loyalty and reinforcing name recognition.

Holiday cards build team loyalty.

Receiving a signed holiday card from one’s employer has been shown to increase employee identification as "part of the team." Choose a card with a humorous or lighthearted image to reinforce a sense of belonging.

Holiday cards can reassure customers and clients in uncertain times.

An elegant, well-worded corporate holiday card can convey gratitude for past service or business, offer wishes for a prosperous New Year, and show recipients that your company is still successful.

Small tokens can mean a lot.

Enclosing a gift card for a local grocery store or gas station is a wonderful way to reward employees. It’s less expensive than a big holiday party, but still lets employees know you care.

...More coming next post!

Top 10 Reasons to Send a Business Holiday Card

10) It's cheaper than a catalog, discount offer or coupon

9) People hang up their holiday cards and others look at them, so the word spreads, making your cost per viewer is really lower than the already low cost of a card

8) The season is ready-made for getting your company's name out without seeming salesy or pushy

7) Making a holiday card list creates a good opportunity to update mailing lists and make sure all info is current

6) Businesses that send holiday card are perceived of as "friendlier" than those who do not

5) Employees who receive company holiday cards and other business greeting cards report higher levels of engagement and loyalty than those who do not

4) Sending a company holiday card can become a company tradition. And companies with observable traditions last longer then companies without them

3) Selecting a company Christmas card encourages management to think about the company image and message. According to Stephan Covey, companies with a clear picture of their image and message are far more successful overall.

2) Sending a card to employees that says "thank you" results in a more employee-focused company culture, which promotes productivity, lower absenteeism, and lower turnover.

And most importantly,

1) People genuinely like getting holiday cards, even from businesses, so sending them makes customers happy. And above all, you want happy customers.

Getting in the mood for business holiday card shopping

It's mid-September. In much of the country, temperatures are still in the 70's or even 80's. The sun is shining. So how do you get in the mood for ordering company Christmas cards...or signing them? You know it's the right time...the deals are great, and you need time to address and sign all of those cards for employees and customers...

But it's tough!

Fear not!

If you're responsible for selecting your company's holiday cards this year, here are some suggestions to help you get in the right frame of mind for dealing with business holiday cards....

• Crank up the a/c and pull on your favorite cozy winter sweater or soft hoodie. A little bit of shivering will distract you from the sunshine and sultry temps outside your door.
  
  
• Pour some cooking oil or even better, spray some silicon, onto your front steps. That frantic grab for the handrail will help bring back memories of winter's glory. A bonus -- a sprained ankle or twisted knee will give you plenty of time to sit and card shop online!
  
  
• Start working on your family holiday newsletter. It could take a couple of months to reframe last year's losing football season into a "wonderful family lesson in accepting the ups and downs of life" or sort through disasterous family vacation memories to find those few tidbits worthy of inspiring envy in friends as they read of your "exciting summer get-away." You'll have the holiday spirit in no time!
  
  
• Pull out the November and December calendars, and start working on scheduling everyone who wants the same 10 days off during your busiest season. Suddenly selecting and holiday cards will seem like a delightful alternative!

Ready to shop for those cards yet? We thought so!

And the countdown begins

Well, it's official now. I went into my neighborhood Target and there were Christmas decorations on the shelves. Yup, there amid the Halloween costumes and Thanksgiving table cloths were the first of this year's Christmas decorations.

The holiday season has arrived! So now it's time to decide...Thanksgiving cards for your employees and customers? A good way to jump-start seasonal sales, and remind people of what you have to offer before their shopping is done. A good way to get your name in front of potential customers before your competitors send out their business holiday cards...

Hmmmmm... Not a bad idea, right? And a pretty card with a colorful autumn scene...I can tell you I would welcome it, especially since Florida for all its charms, lacks autumn colors. Ditto for much of California, the southwest, and Hawaii. And by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the north will have left autumn colors in the past...you could give them one last look at nature's finest display -- and get your name out there!! Clearly a win-win!

Other reasons for sending a Thanksgiving card?

It avoids the whole Christmas versus Hanukkah versus Winter Solstice versus Diwali etc. dilemma...it's a national holiday!

How about this...Thanksgiving cards first, to remind customers how much you have to offer them, and to say thanks to overstressed and overtired employees who really need acknowledgment. And then a Christmas or holiday company card in December to follow up. That double dose of holiday greetings will go far towards reminding customers exactly who you are and what you represent.

Good marketing, cheap marketing, effective marketing!