Business holiday card tips

A quick review of the tips from past years 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!

Picking out the right business holiday cards for your company style

Business holiday cards are a wonderful marketing tool. And employee holiday cards are a great way to create a team spirit and boost morale.

Or at least...they can be. IF you pick the right cards for the right people.

Earlier in this blog, I told you about paying attention to the recipients' religions. And we discussed using Thanksgiving or New Year's cards to sidestep that with some customers or employees.

But there are other factors that affect the card you choose for your company. Before you place that card order, here are some things to consider:

1) The quality of the card. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to using business Christmas or holiday cards as marketing tools, the quality of the holiday cards and even the envelopes MATTERS! A LOT! Sending a cheap card doesn't tell the recipient that you are cautious with expenses. It says:

a) I'm cheap -- too cheap to buy a good card, so expect cheap service

or

b) Our business is not doing well, so find someone more stable to hire/buy from because we probably won't be around next year

Is that really the message you want to send with each and every card? Spend the extra few cents a card and send a message of quality and stability instead. The ROI will be worth it.

2) The match between your company style and your card. The holiday cards your business sends out should be a reflection of your company's overall image and style. If there is a significant disconnect between your company image and the card you choose, you could end up hurting rather than helping business. For example, a very casual and lighthearted card from a very traditional oak-desk style law firm, or a heavily foiled card from a green business.

3) The timing of your card's message. If your holiday cards arrive far too early, or even one day too late for the holiday, the message will be that you are not an organized company. Make sure you allow enough time for mailing -- the post office publishes schedules for domestic and overseas holiday mailing each year, so take a look before you plan your card schedule.

If you want to get in the first word with potential or existing customers this holiday season, do not mail out your Christmas cards in November. You will just look as though you cannot read a calendar. If early is important, send out cards with a Thanksgiving message, too. That will take your business to the front of the holiday season.

Choosing the right cards makes all the difference in the world to your marketing and PR efforts. Spend the time up front to find the right card for your business and for the time you will be sending it. The results later will be worth the time now.

The new holidays cards are in!

I was just browsing at G. Neil and saw that the new holiday cards are up!

There are some really nice choices this year. If you like something classic and elegant, I saw a rich burgundy and gold one that would be perfect for clients or even employees.

Another reminded me of the deep winter snow I had at my farmhouse in Pennsylvania. Such a peaceful scene, especially on a 90+ degree summer day!

They had cards with flamingos and cards with penguins. Tradition Christmas tree Cards and abstract images of ribbons and lights.

I guess the point of this is that it's that time of year. So I'm going to be updating my posts on business holiday card ROI, etiquette, best practices and best choices. I'm going to be prodding you to get that Christmas card list done, and card order in. And I'll be reminding you why we send them.

So here, in the heat of mid-July, I wish you a very sincere, but very early, Happy Holidays!

PS..I'm getting the farmhouse one!

It's time to start thinking about Christmas cards

Okay, okay, it's not even summer and I'm telling you it's time to start thinking about your company Christmas cards! Enough already, right?

Give me a minute and I'll tell you why now is EXACTLY the right time.

Now is the time to start building your holiday card list

Start with the cards that came back last year and correct those names and addresses. Make phone calls, look up addresses in databases and online. Make sure you have the right names for cards that are sent to other businesses...receiving a card addressed to your predecessor is not likely to inspire confidence.

Create a list of new contacts, prospectives and customers to add to this year's list. Brainstorm groups or individuals you want to add to your list this year based on your business and marketing plans.

Check your lists for duplicates, misspellings and incomplete addresses and make necessary corrections.

Now is the time to select your cards

The card you choose says a lot about your company and how you feel about your customers and employees. Review your card choices and select designs that convey the message you choose.

Now is the time to compose your message

The sentiment and the signature printed in your cards will also say a lot about your company, too. Take your time, and make sure the message your customers and employees read is the one you want them to see. This is too important to be left for the last minute.

It takes awhile to sign all those cards

If you were reading this blog last year, you'll probably remember all the posts talking about how important it is to sign each card, in addition to the printed signature. If you have many cards to send, it's never too soon to start signing all those holiday cards!

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.

Use humor to address tough economic realities this holiday

Everyone knows times are tough, so why not laugh at what we can't change?

That's exactly the idea behind a line of holiday greeting cards just released by Order of St. Nick, a company that specializes in edgy, funny greeting cards. Their new collection uses images and verses to hit at today's worse financial issues, from foreclosures to high gas prices.

One card deals with a lost 401K and offers the recipient a timely wish:

"Have a Great Depression and a Subprime New Year."

Another shows a Depression-era child rejoicing because Christmas dinner will feature squirrel instead of rat. Check out the whole line at Depressing Times.com.

These cards might be a good way to get a laugh out of customers stressed by recent events in the stock market and at the supermarket. But you have to be careful in your choice of recipients. Sending a subprime mortgage themed Christmas card to an employee or client who has just lost their home would be cruel, and we often don't know who is facing that issue.

If you decide to go for humor, but want a slightly lighter touch. A reindeer tangled in Christmas lights or a stack of cheering penguins might bring a smile to a recipient's face without a tear in their eye.

And right now a good laugh or even a small smile might be exactly what your clients and employees need.

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.

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.