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Spread Joy to your Customers, Vendors, and Employees this Season!
The holidays are a’coming, and so is the mail. In the steady stream of bills, a customer, vendor or employee receiving a custom holiday card will feel appreciated by your organization.
Holiday season is prime time to check in with customers and employees and show your appreciation and share your gratitude. It’s why big-name companies still send holiday cards, and why local businesses will continue to send holiday cards well into the days when our streets look like something out of Blade Runner.
Still, putting together the perfect holiday cards for your corporation or business is no easy feat. That’s why we’ve decided to put on our holiday hats at Printing for Less and share our festive insights, best practices and tips for spreading some holiday cheer with a holiday card.
Why Send Holiday Cards?
Sending a small memento reminds people they’re cared about. Holiday cards aren’t just a gimmick; they can be a sincere token of appreciation to show customers that you value them. Just think about the times that you’ve gotten a card in the mail; it probably made you smile or added a snippet of cheer to your day.
Holiday cards also make good business sense. Emotions play a big part in decision making. By spreading some joy to your customers, they’re more likely to remember your brand and associate positive feelings with it. That association is a strong step toward conversions. Likewise, sending a holiday card is a powerful way to stand out against competitors: it’s a chance to showcase your brand’s personality, build deeper brand loyalty, and highlight your human side.
As a side note, holiday cards have been making a comeback. Millennials are increasingly purchasing and sending holiday cards, embracing the personal touch they carry. Don’t assume then, that if you’re targeting a younger audience, they won’t be interested – holiday cards are in fact, cool.
Holiday Card Customization Tips
You need to ensure time and thought goes into the holiday card customization process if you want customers to respond well to your greeting card. Below are a few business holiday card tips from our paper professionals about how to make sure your holiday cards are signed, sealed, and delivered with love.
Personalize your Holiday Cards!
A personalized touch makes your business or corporation’s holiday greeting more meaningful and cherished by the recipient whether a partner, customer, vendor, or an employee.
”Personalization is essential for a holiday card campaign”, says our E-commerce Demand Generation Manager, Laura Phillips Laura. Customers should feel like their card was uniquely designed for them, not just sent out to the masses. How? Well, Printing for Less offers variable data printing, where businesses can change a postcard to say “Hello (name)” and address the person. “We can be incredibly specific with the variable data,” says Laura, “you could include a product someone purchased last year or even state your closest store to someone’s address.”
Be Prompt
Sending your business holiday cards promptly is crucial to making a lasting impression. It showcases your genuine interest and appreciation for your relationships. It can be tempting to leave your holiday cards to the last minute but doing so can be risky.
In the United States alone, nearly 1.3 billion cards are sent every year. The flurry of the holiday season means supply chains can get backed up and deliveries often take longer. To guarantee that your cards arrive in a timely manner, prepare your campaign at least a few months before November.
Patrick Trembley, Sales Manager at Printing for Less, comments that “the earlier you start your campaign, the better. And, you can always call us to ask about the timelines of production and shipping to clarify dates.”
Be Inclusive
Whatever aesthetic you use in your holiday card, remember to be inclusive. The text, images, and overall appearance should speak to everyone. Not all people celebrate in the same way during the holiday season, so select elements that are generally appealing and neutral. A good example is a card that reads “Happy Holidays” or “Wishing you joy.”
Add a Unique or Festive Touch
Stand out amidst the sea of traditional greetings. Uniqueness grabs attention and makes a memorable impression on recipients, demonstrating your creativity and thoughtfulness. A distinctive card conveys that you’ve put extra effort into making the recipient feel special, reinforcing the significance of your relationship.
Laura recommends utilizing different mailer sizes or choose a specialty mailer, like one that includes hot chocolate or cider. “We’re used to seeing typical sizes for promotions and mailers, but by using a larger sized postcard, or adding a special treat, you can make your message stand out more.”
For holiday marketing mailers, she suggests adding a QR code, allowing customers to scan the code and immediately access your website promotion. Elsewhere, James Casey, our Account Executive, says that a simple foil stamp can do wonders for holiday cards, as it brings some sparkle and feels expensive in customers’ hands. He also stresses the importance of having a holiday-themed call-to-action. “Include something like ‘Find your gifts here’ or ‘Get your holiday shopping started here’ and then point to a street address or a QR code,” James adds.
Some Examples We Love
The abundance of holiday cards means there is no shortage of inspiration for your masterpiece.
Brooke Seidel, Sales Manager at Printing for Less, recalls a card that had the family’s photo outline printed in shiny material with a foil trim. “Behind the family photo, the rest of the postcard was a matte print, making the family focus really obvious.” This attention to detail and strategic placement of the photo is what made the card seem extra personalized, and while you probably won’t have photos of your recipients on file, you can highlight things that you know matter to them in the same style.
Laura also notes that self-mailers can strike a particular chord with people around the holidays. “It’s a card that’s folded together, and you can include something inside the mailer like a peppermint hot chocolate.” Any additional gift will go a long way with audiences, especially if it relates to the season and has a certain coziness to it.
There it is, the holiday card code, cracked. Whatever design and campaign you choose, keep it authentic, true to your brand tone, and be considerate of the diverse ways people spend the holidays.
If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you spread holiday cheer to your customers, browse our holiday collection or send us an email at info@printingforless.com. We’d love to connect.
