Why business Christmas cards are a great idea in a recession

All across the country, budgets aren't just getting trimmed...they're being chopped down and left in the forest of abandoned ideas and plans of corporate growth.

So in this wasteland of cutbacks and eliminations, why on earth would someone spend good money on business Christmas cards? Surely they can go, right?

Wrong!

The business Christmas card, especially cards sent to clients and business networking contacts, is one of the easiest and most cost efficient ways to connect with the very people who keep your business in business!

Business Christmas cards tell clients you are:

• Still in business
  
• Know who they are
  
• Aware of their business
  
• A business who cares about them
  
• Someone who took the time and invested the money to send them a card

Hand signed business greeting cards to your employees that:

• You know who they are
  
• You think they are worth the effort it takes to sign each card
  
• You value their service

All that from one inexpensive business Christmas card! Wow!

The even better news is that with the emphasis on recycled and affordable business holiday cards this year, it could be even less expensive than last year.

Thanksgiving cards can help you beat the Christmas rush

Before you know it, the holiday season will be here. You're already feeling rushed. But I'm going to suggest you start even sooner!

What?! Sooner??

In fact almost a month sooner. Because I'm going to suggest you start the holiday season with business Thanksgiving cards. Cards of thanks. Cards of gratitude for business transacted or hard work performed. Cards that do not require thoughts about religious differences or who celebrates which holidays when.

Cards that will catch your clients' or employees' attention before the holiday rush officially begins.

More and more companies are offering business focused Thanksgiving cards, along with their traditional business holiday cards for Christmas and the New Year. But fortunately for you, few businesses are taking advantage of this other opportunity to acknowledge the people who keep your business running. And in business.

So what are the rules for sending business Thanksgiving cards? They are exactly the same as for Christmas cards. Hand sign each one, adding a personal note if possible. Hand address them. Get the titles and names and addresses right.

And if you send a Thanksgiving card, consider skipping the Christmas/Hanukkah card and sending a Happy New Year card instead. It's another less cluttered holiday, where your cards stand a better chance of standing out and getting noticed.

The right business holiday cards at the right holidays can be golden for your business. Ready. Set. Go. The holidays are almost here!

Giving back with your business holiday card choices

Most of the posts in this blog have talked about the business benefits of sending a company Christmas card. But don't overlook the many other reasons for ordering and sending holiday cards.

Before you finalize your holiday card list and place the order, think about others who might appreciate receiving holiday cards...or having cards to write and send.

• Start with your local hospital. Contact the volunteer coordinator and find out if you and perhaps some of your employees can come in and help patients,(especially children and those in for a longer stay), write and address holiday cards.
  
  
• Find out if there's a local support group for military families, and offer to provide a holiday card writing party for their members. Bring helpers (your employees), cookies, drinks, and of course holiday cards, stamps and pens and help these families make their holiday burdens a bit lighter.
  
  For a special touch, ask your employees to each bring a small gift for the service members, and give them to the families to send. Send one of your company Christmas cards to the families and the service members, too. A peace themed Christmas card is a good choice, as no one wants peace more than military families.
  
  
• Is there a wildlife center or animal shelter near you? Donate your time and several boxes of holiday cards to help the
  employees and volunteers send cards "from" the animals to potential donors including pet food companies, pet care suppliers, veterinarians, and people who have helped with previous campaigns. The personal touch could pay off in major donations.
  
  
• Have a holiday card party at a homeless shelter that cares for families. Many people are surprised to learn how many homeless people have families in other cities or states, but are embarrassed to contact them. A holiday card might be just the thing to break the ice and help some people reconnect with family and friends.
  
  Don't forget to bring enough cards for the families to give one another, as well. Having a pretty holiday card to give a mom or dad on Christmas Day can mean the world to a child who has so little. Consider bringing small gifts for the children to give their parents, and the parents to give their children. Having a treat to give one another will make the day just a little brighter for everyone.
  
  Give each family and staff member a pretty holiday card before you leave. The cost is small...the benefits are immeasurable.

Getting ready to share

Order a selection of Christmas, New Year's and Season's Greetings cards at the same time you order your business Christmas cards. Then add pretty holiday stamps, plenty and pens and some willing volunteers. If you'd like to multiply your efforts, invite other area businesses to participate. You could provide the cards and stamps, someone else could bring small gifts and another store or business could offer snacks and treats.

Keeping your holiday card list affordable

Once you've decided to send out company Christmas cards, you need to decide who will receive them. It's tempting to try and include everyone. After all, when you compare it to other types of marketing, business holiday cards are very affordable.

But even with the relatively low cost of sending business Christmas cards, it's wise to carefully review your holiday card list before you place your order.

• Start with the names you know best: your best customers, your favorite vendors, the big potential client you've been courting. Make sure you have their names spelled correctly, their addresses up to date, and their titles, if any, correctly entered on your list. If you know that any of them celebrate specific religious holidays, consider a special card to acknowledge that, rather than a more generic Seasons Greetings card. Remember, these are the names you know best, so the extra effort will pay off.
  
  
• Add your current customer and vendor lists. Again, take the time to double check spelling, look for duplicate listings and make sure the addresses are current.
  
  
• Decide on your target criterion for prospectives. Pick those groups who are most likely to respond to your business. If yours is a local service, like a dry cleaner or restaurant, invest in a demographic survey to pinpoint those neighborhoods or streets most likely to shop for your type of product at your price point. If your services are not geographically limited, choose your mailing list carefully. Make sure the people you are contacting are likely to be in the market for your specific services or products.
  
  
• If you decide to prospect beyond your target demographic, you may wish to choose smaller or more affordable holiday cards. After all, this is your high risk group, so you are better off focusing the bulk of your expense in a demographic with an expected higher ROI. A word of caution: affordable should not mean cheap! Make sure you select quality cards for all recipients!
  
  
• Add your employees. With this group, you have the option of in house or mailed to home cards. If you mail them to employees' homes, be sure you include spouses or domestic partners in the address. If you are in doubt about surnames or titles for partners, ask before sending. That little extra attention to detail will go far towards creating good feelings.

What's my name and where do I sign?

It's mid September already! Have you ordered company's Christmas cards yet?

No? Good! That means you still have time to get an important part of it right...the signature!

When you sign your personal holiday cards, the question of what to sign is simple. Your name. The name of your spouse and children, if any. Your dogs and cats if you so choose.

But what about the holiday card you're sending to your clients? Your vendors? Your employees? How should you sign them?

For most company Christmas cards, there are two steps to the signature: the printed signature and the handwritten signature. Both are an important part of your professional image. The printed signature establishes your business, and separates the business holiday card from the personal holiday card. But the second part is equally important. So what should you write?

Here are some suggestions from the pros in business etiquette:

• Have your company name and, if desired, a tag line professionally imprinted on each card. You may also elect to have your name and title imprinted. If so, this would go above the company name. The tag line would come last. Be sure to leave space for your actual signature.
  
  
• Hand sign each card with your full name. The only exception to this would be if you are known well on a first name basis by a particular client, and even then, full names are recommended. Avoid nicknames unless that's how you're widely known.
  
  
• Omit generic titles like Mr. or Ms., but do include professional titles like Dr. if they relate to your business.
  
  
• Omit credentials from your signature. Things like certifications, degrees and honorifics have no place on a business holiday card signature.
  
  
• Middle names and middle initials may be included if they are a part of your ordinary business name. For instance, if your business card reads Sarah A. Smith, you could sign with or without the "A" but if the "A" is not on your cards, do not add it to your signature.
  
  
• Make sure the signature is legible. Practice if you need to, or enlist the help of same-gendered volunteers at work to help you with signing. (Yes, most people can tell the difference between a man's and a woman's handwriting.)
  
  
• If at all possible, include a one or two sentence handwritten note to each card. If this is not feasible, add this to the cards of long term or otherwise significant clients. A word of caution...if you sign some employees' cards and not others, you are creating problems. Even if you mail them to employee's homes, word will get around.
  
  
• Keep the season in mind, and make your message one of gratitude for business, loyalty or service.
  
  

The point of business holiday cards is to build relationships. Make sure the way you imprint and sign each of yours conveys the kind of relationship you hope to have in the new year.

Green business holiday cards

If you're making greener choices in your business, why not carry your commitment through to your business holiday cards?

Now wait...I know what you're thinking! Recycled Christmas cards are brown. And scratchy. And ugly!

Not so!

Paper recycling has come a long way since its early days. Recycled papers are now available in a wide variety of colors including white. They have an elegant look and feel. So recycled Christmas cards no longer look like they're made of old paper grocery bags!

Add natural inks...soy and other plant based inks are safer and recyclable. That makes them ideal for a green office to send.

Once you've decided to buy recycled holiday cards, shop around. Look for cards that are made from at least 20% post consumer waste, with soy or agra-inks. Check out some of the traditional business product sites, including those to the right in the resource list...many of them are now carrying beautiful cards made from recycled paper. Also check to make sure the envelopes are made from recycled paper -- there is little point, from an environmental standpoint, to send recycled cards in a virgin paper envelope lined with foil!

Mr. Postman, wait and see...(Or when should these cards go in the mail?)

You found the perfect business holiday cards...just right for your business. And they've just arrived from the printer. Now when should you mail them?

Ah, yes...another "It depends." But the fact is, it does! Here so factors that will determine when your company Christmas cards should hit the post....

1) What message is on them? Is it Merry Christmas or is the image clearly "Christmas-y?" If so, you'll probably want to send them out to arrive about a week before December 25th. If the message is for a Happy New Year, shoot for an arrival on or around December 26th through 30th. If there's a weekend in there, send them out a bit sooner. Finally, if it's a generic holiday season wish, send them out to arrive on or about December 1st. Not only will you beat the last minute card crunch, you'll probably hit Chanukah, as well as Christmas and the New Year.

2)How far are they going? If your business holiday cards are just going around the corner or across town, you can probably send them out two or three days before the target date, and have them there on time. Cards criss-crossing the country, or heading overseas need much longer lead times. Check with your local post office for suggested mailing times for the company Christmas cards that will be heading far from home.

3)Is there time-sensitive material enclosed? Many businesses use their company Christmas cards as a way to send out discount coupons, employee gift cards or discount offers. If you are planning on enclosing something within the card, make sure the recipients have enough time to use it before the expiration date. Willingness to spend is often much higher in December than in January, so sending out your coupons earlier might increase holiday sales.

To sign or not to sign --- that is the Christmas card question

One of the most common business holiday card etiquette questions I've heard is whether each and every one needs to be signed, or if having the company name and perhaps sender's name imprinted is sufficient. After all, signing hundreds of cards seems overwhelming. And if no one really cares either way....

Sorry folks, but recipients do care. It's not so much that they'll hate your company if you just go for the imprint. Truth is, they probably won't notice. That means they won't notice your card very much.

It's a version of what those in the psychology business refer to as a hygiene factor...it blends into the background. (Think of a waste basket...few people notice it when it's empty. It's nearly invisible. But most people will notice it when it's full! In this case, the imprinted only card is like the empty waste basket...expected and unnoticed.)

BUT....if you take the time to sign each card, by hand, (or even better, write a short note in each card), it moves from a hygiene factor to a motivator! In the case of the waste basket, papers spilling over the top motivate someone to empty it. In the case of the card, a note and signature motivate a recipient to read the card.

These small things take it out of the invisible. And that is the point of sending a company holiday card! You want people to stop and read your card, to notice your company, to think about your services.

Go ahead and have your company name imprinted on your cards. It looks professional. But then add a personal signature. And a note, even if it's just one line. If there are too many cards for one person to sign, recruit other members of your organization to help. Just make sure everyone has good handwriting, and that the gender of the alleged signature matches that of the person signing.

Quality counts for business Christmas cards

Once you've made the decision to send business holiday cards, make sure you select well made, beautifully printed cards. Check for:

• Quality paper
  
  
• A well crafted graphic or clear photo image
  
  
• High quality printing, free from smears and stray ink spots
  
  
• Consistent colors in the ink on each card
  
  
• Easy to seal envelopes (peel and stick are the fastest and most secure)

If you shop around online, you can find companies who offer elegant but affordable business holiday cards.

I know what you're thinking.

But wait...it's only a card, and most people get dozens of personal and professional cards. So why does it matter so much?

The answer is simple.

Sending a cheaply printed or in-office printed card sends the wrong messages to your clients and employees. A company Christmas card is a great marketing and team building tool, but not if it send the message that your company:

• Doesn't care about them and therefore chose the cheapest card
  
  
• Is in financial trouble and could only afford cheap cards (even if this is true, send quality cards. The few dollars you'd save would hurt your company more in the long run.)
  
  
• Is sloppy and inattentive to detail
  
  
• Doesn't know how to find quality products or services

You only have a few seconds and a few square inches of paper to convey an number of essential messages to the recipient of your company holiday card. Make every one count.

Choosing your company Christmas card

The very first lesson you need to learn if you're responsible for choosing your company's Christmas card is that, well, it probably won't be a Christmas card. Or at least, not all of them will be Christmas cards.

Unless your company's niche market is such that every customer, vendor and employee celebrates Christmas, you're going to have to deal with the issue of choosing the right holidays cards for everyone on your list including those who do not observe this Christian holiday.

The good news is that's getting easier. The bad news is it's getting harder. Let me explain.

More and more companies are designing business holiday cards that eschew the traditional Santas, nativity scenes and brightly decorated Christmas tree in favor of snowy landscapes, messages of peace and stylized snowflakes. Finding cards that offer a generic Happy Holidays is easier than ever.

But...with information readily available about the religious holiday schedules of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and others, can one really justify sending a Happy Holidays card in late December to people who do not in fact have a holiday at that time of year? Ignorance about other faiths and the dates of their holidays is no longer a reasonable claim.

If at all possible, sending the right cards in the right seasons is a much more effective tool for building personal relationships.

But even if you elect to send just one kind of card, claiming that there is some kind of "holiday season" that is universally observed, at least in the US and Canada, you need to be aware of the images....a snow-covered Christmas tree shaped evergreen in front of a house bedecked in garland with a red-ribboned wreath on the door is in fact, a Christmas card. Regardless of the words. Even if it says Happy Holidays, it is a Christmas card. Be sensitive to that message.

If you are unsure about your clients' or employees' religious faiths, take the time to choose a seasonal image free from traditional Christmas imagery. Consider one with a message for the new year...even people who observe separate religious calendars acknowledge the secular New Year. A card like the one here is an excellent choice for a company looking for a way to tap into the power of personal greetings, while respecting religious differences.

For more information on business holiday card etiquette, check out BusinessHolidayCards' article.

Why should a business send holiday cards?

The world of business has changed.

Gone are the days when the best way to reach customers was with a print ad or flyer in their mail box. In this world of networking and instantaneous access to hundreds of competitors online, people need a reason to choose your business instead of the cheaper/faster one they found online.

It's all about the relationships. It's about connecting and feeling like the person behind the desk (or behind the package on your doorstep) knows who you are and what you need. Maybe it's a backlash against the impersonal box stores and anonymous internet interactions that dominated throughout the late 1990's and early part of this decade. Or maybe it's the ability to network and connect online and get to know people before you do business. Whatever the reason, it's here now.

And as low tech and traditional as a Christmas card from a business might seem, it fits perfectly into that new paradigm of connection.

No matter what business you're in, sending a holiday card to your customers and vendors is a proven way to let them know you value their trade. Sending a holiday card to employees lets them know you recognize them as individuals with lives outside of the company. And in both cases, it makes a difference.

As I write that, it occurred to me that maybe it isn't something new...it's something old. Anyone who has looked through an old scrapbook or browsed the ephemera dealers at an antique shows has seen 19th and early 20th century business Christmas cards, Valentine's Day cards, and New Year's greetings imprinted with the names of grocers, clothing stores, banks and even funeral parlors. In fact many of the first commercially printed Christmas cards were designed to promote local businesses.


If it's done right, a company Christmas card or other holiday card is an inexpensive, effective marketing and motivational tool. And in these days of tight budgets and rising prices, that's a tool you can't afford to miss.