What's your company style? A quiz to help you pick the right business holiday or Christmas cards

The cards you choose to send as your company holiday cards say a lot about how you see your company, and what you want to say to your customers. Now there's a quiz to help your find the right card style for your company's personality. It's only 8 questions and it's free! You just might learn something! :-)

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.

Greeting cards for the women at work

It started with very separate roles for men and women. By and large, men inhabited the workplace and women worked at home.

Then it moved towards an ideal of androgyny. Men and women as not only equals, but essentially identical. Gender differences like temperament, management style, pregnancy and childbirth were swept under the proverbial rug of "things we don't want to deal with or even admit are there."

Times have changed. Equality is taken for granted (although it's not a complete reality.) And people are beginning to address the differences, not as good or bad but as unique and potentially valuable. For the very first time, perhaps ever, women are able to succeed without having to pretend they're men in skirts and pantyhose.

So what does this have to do with cards? A lot.

Whether it's a woman choosing the cards, or a woman receiving a card, it's no longer necessary to choose a gender-neutral (or even masculine) card in order to appear "professional."

Does that mean that business greeting card companies need to start making cards embellished with Victorian lace and teddy bears. Not necessarily. But maybe.

It is now okay for women to decorate their offices with decidedly feminine accessories. To admit that working while pregnant is NOT the same as anything the men in the office will ever experience or understand. And that a pretty card is a nice thing to receive.

Another revolution! And one to keep in mind when you're choosing cards for the women at work.

Christmas is over, but the value of cards continues

It's January and you thought the time for business greeting cards was over for another year. You are free from the need to order anything until next fall, right? Well, you could look at it that way.

But that would mean you'd be missing one of the least expensive and significantly powerful motivational tools you have for recognizing and honoring your employees!

A simple birthday greeting or business anniversary card sent to an employee can help to reinforce those bonds of loyalty and instill a sense of belonging. A congratulations card for a job well done, or a way to go for a project completed says more than the words on the card...it says that their work has been noticed and is being acknowledged as important to their manager, supervisor or even the whole company.

A get well card or a sympathy card tells an employee that they are recognized as a person, instead of just a worker who counts only when they're being productive and useful.

For the next little while, this blog will address the value of business greeting cards; how, when and where to send them; and the impact a simple card can have on an employee's motivation and attitude.

Don't wait until the last minute!

It's December 20th. The business holiday cards you ordered three days ago in a last minute panic have arrived. You tear though the pricey overnight rush delivery package you had to pay extra for. You open the box and there you see hundreds of lovely cards with an idyllic rural winter scene -- and your company's name misspelled on each and every one.

What are you going to do with 600 pretty Christmas cards that proudly call your business "Shakespeare's Booksnore." It's 5 days until Christmas, Hanukkah has already started, and the New Year is almost here. It's too late to send them back, wait for a reprint, and then sign and send 600 cards.

Don't let this happen to your company! Mistakes can and do happen, and any good greeting card printer will replace the misprinted or otherwise unacceptable cards at no charge. But that won't help you when the cards arrive too late for a fix.

Today is October 24th. Two months from today is Christmas Eve. Have you ordered your company holiday cards yet?

G.Neil, my personal fave for company greeting cards, has some great specials right now. And they really do a nice printing job too. Very clean, no smears or stray ink spots (I am a fanatic about clean printing!) But wherever you order, order NOW! It's almost Halloween! Can Hanukkah and Christmas be far behind?

Quality pays when it comes to business Christmas cards

A story from one of my readers:

I got a sample in the mail from one of the business holiday card companies I've been seeing a lot online. Their prices were so low, and money is tight, so I wanted to see what I could get for my money.

Thank goodness for samples! Had I ordered these cards sight unseen, I wouldn't have been able to send them to my clients. Yes, they had a tiny price. But they were also cheaply printed on thin and flimsy paper. They looked like they belonged in a dollar store, instead of in a corporate office!

Clearly, sending out a business holiday card is more than just getting something into the mail. You also have to consider the message your card sends when recipients open the envelope. Before you order, think about:

Paper weight. Thin paper feels cheesy. Is that the message you want to send about your company?

Print quality. Crooked, smeared or bleeding colors make your company Christmas card look cheap. And while you may need inexpensive or affordable business holiday cards, you certainly don't want cheap holiday cards.

Image clarity and appearance. Look for a well designed, attractive image or graphic for your company Christmas cards. Tacky designs send a tacky message about your business.

Unless you're trying to send a tongue in cheek message about the company Christmas card tradition, I'd recommend you deal with a company that knows what quality means. Two of my favorites are listed on the sidebar to your right.

Saving a few cents per card isn't worth the risk of making your company look cheap. Go for the best...your business is too important to do otherwise

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.