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.