Last minute ideas for your company Christmas card

If you waited until the last minute to send your company Christmas cards, here are some tips to get them in the mail and to the right people on time:

1) Have a card writing dinner at work. Enlist the help of a few people with good hand-writing, and a few others to get those cards written, addressed, stamped and out the door. Let those with elegant writing sign and address, while the rest insert the cards into envelopes, seal and stamp them. Treat all participants to dinner before or after the process...not during unless you want spaghetti sauce spots next to your signature!

2) Make sure the right cards go into the right envelopes! This may seem obvious, but it happens, and it does not reflect well on your company. Have everyone double check as they insert the card!

3) Consider offering a last minute savings opportunity. A discount, special offer or other incentive could boost your year end bottom line by inspiring those who are on the fence to shop/buy. This time of year, many consumers are willing to spend more than originally planned for holiday gifts, and business buyers may be in a "use it or lose it" budget situation. Either way, your company could be the big winner.

4) Go with a known quantity. This late in the game is NOT the time to save a few bucks by going with a cheap new printer or the one you got in your spam box. Choose a professional business holiday card supplier like G.Neil or HR Direct. It may cost a few extra dollars, but if the cards arrive late or with mistakes, your so-called savings will evaporate instantly!

Following up on your company Christmas cards

Handwritten holiday card image courtesy of Write On Results 

By now, you've probably ordered, signed and addressed your company Christmas cards. Good job! (What? You haven't? Do it today, people!)

So once those cards arrive from the printer and the envelopes are addressed (remember, no labels! Hand address them,) you're done, right? You can just stuff those cards into the envelopes and let the postage machine do it's thing.

NO!!!

Now is the time to review....

1)Hand address those cards. Yes, it's a pain. And yes, it matters. So get out those nice gel writers and get everyone with really nice handwriting addressing those company Christmas cards!

2)Write a personal note in every card addressed to someone who matters. What? Everyone you're sending a card to matters? Then stock up on the hot chocolate and get busy. A personal note, especially one that references some business the customer or client had with the company scores big in the "Standing out from Crowd" department. And that is WHY you're sending cards in the first place. Just make sure that if you farm this task out to others in the company, you assign them by gender. Women and men write differently, so a note supposedly penned by Sarah Goodman should not look like it was written by Josh or Dave.

3)Sign 'em. While you're writing, sign it. First name, first and last, first-last-and-title...your choice. Just add your John Hancock there, even if you've had a signature printed. Again, a pain, but one that pays off.

4) Watch for returns. If a card comes back with an address correction, pull out another envelope and resend to the new address. If it just says something like "Forwarding Order Expired", do some research and try and find a new address. A note that I should NOT have to write but do because I have SEEN this...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 looks chewed.

And one more thing, update your address database as you resend these cards.

5) If you sent a coupon or special offer, track the results. There is no use sending offers in your company Christmas card if you don't know what works and what doesn't. Hopefully, unless you have a tried and true offer, you did some testing with different coupons to different people. Keep track and use that info to improve future mailings.

Last chance for company Christmas cards!

It's December already! So where did the time go? And where are your business Christmas cards?

Opps! There are only 23 days until Christmas, but it's not too late to order holiday cards today! Here are some tips for last minute business Christmas card orders.

1) Keep it simple. Now is not the time to design a custom verse, create a new logo or fret over the format of the signature. Get your orders in with a minimum of custom work and you have the best chance of getting the cards done right and on time.

2) Overnight your paperwork. Now is not the time to trust regular mail or lower-cost three or five day package delivery. Spring for the first thing in the morning delivery, then follow up to make sure it was received.

3) Opt for e-mailed proofs. Forget seeing your signature and logo on the card itself. Time is short, and you want those cards delivered on time. Opt for an e-mail proof, then double and triple check spelling, verse and layout. There's no time for reprints!

4) Order from a company that understands business needs. While there are lots of quick and cheap printing companies online, many have never dealt with a large or critical corporate order. They are just not B2B professionals. With time as a critical factor, go for one of the B2B specialists with a long history in the business like G.Neil or HR Direct. They understand your needs and your schedule, and have the experience to get you what you need.