If you work at some company then there is a large chance that you get your holiday card every year. Why do companies send that cards to their employees? What it brings them? And what to do when sending one yourself? In this article you will find out everything.
Lots of people are wondering about corporate holiday cards and don’t know if that is a good idea. The answer is simple, it is a great idea. You can’t go wrong with these ones. Even if you don’t create a good holiday card it should still turn out good because employees, partners and customers will know that you care.
What you get with corporate holiday cards?
Like I said above, it is really hard to go wrong with holiday cards and there is a large number of different benefits you can get from it.
When you send holiday cards to your customers they will surely feel very special and that will improve the company relationship with them. That cards will be more personal than the usual business you do with customers and it will increase their loyalty to the company and the whole brand.
Partners will also feel very much appreciated by your holiday card. If you have some business partners like suppliers or associates then holiday cards will create a friendly message and it will show them how much you appreciate their work.
Your existing clients are not the only people who deserve holiday card. You can send holiday cards to potential clients. Greet them, wish them a happy holidays and it will remind them that you exist and that you care about them. It leads to increased loyalty and can bring you new clients.
And finally, employees are a part of your business you can’t function without and it is important to appreciate their work. And holiday cards are a great way of doing that. Thank them for their excellent work and wish them all the best. And maybe give them some bonus. They will appreciate that and it can lead to increased motivation and effectiveness in the future work.
Card rules
In the beginning of this article I mentioned that it is hard to go wrong with corporate holiday cards. But hard doesn’t mean impossible and if you don’t follow some basic rules it can bring you some bad stuff. Here are some tips about maximizing the effectiveness of corporate holiday cards.
If you have a lot of customers, employees and business partners then sending out card to each person can be pretty expensive. That’s why you should always buy cards earlier. Start looking form them early. Some companies that sell cards can have a special discounts in the start of new year. Buy them in January and keep them safe till’ December.
Always, but I really mean always check the address and names of people you send cards to. If you send card to wrong address then some people won’t get their card. Imagine two of your employees talking and one of them says “Hey, those holiday cards we got from boss before Christmas were great, right?” but the other person didn’t get it, he surely won’t feel good. And try to check names to avoid mistakes like confusing Matt with Mark, John with Jake and similar stuff.
Another thing you must look out for is to send cards on time. It is better for cards to arrive few days earlier than few days later. You can even send them a month before, it doesn’t matter if they arrive much earlier because everyone will still appreciate the gesture.
And before you send out card check everything for spelling mistakes. And here I don’t mean just the names, try to write the whole message correct. And while we’re on the message, put some personal touch to it. Don’t try to be all formal, try to write special message to every person. Trust me, it will help.
When you think about it, lots of customers or business partners probably get more cards from different companies and that’s why it is very important for you to stand out among others. Choose a weird design for your card, try to put some interesting message or picture and make it memorable.
If you want to send holiday cards for Christmas but don’t know if your customer celebrates Christmas then don’t risk it. Simply send card that includes winter, snow or something that is connected to that month but not necessarily to a specific holiday.
And last of all, don’t just send cards for Christmas. Try to send them for different holidays like New Years or Thanksgiving too. In that way people will feel even more appreciated because they will get more cards in one year and you won’t have to compete with every other company that is sending cards only in December.
Corporate holiday cards tips
So, you learned something new and decided to send out your own corporate holiday cards this year? Great. But first, here are some more tips that should help you send a perfect corporate holiday card and increase your relationship with clients, partners or employees.
- Follow current trends
You don’t want to look old fashioned and boring. Create a classy and tailored card that follows all the current trends.
- Be creative
Always try to include some new stuff in cards and explore new ideas. Put a coloring page for people with kids, include your business card to it and create some new stuff to stand out with your card.
- No virtual gifts
One of the biggest mistakes companies make when sending holiday cards are virtual gifts and virtual cards. Sure it’s also nice to wish all the best with e-mail or through Facebook communication but an old fashioned paper card will create a lot more effect with people.
- Return address
Always include the return address of the company in the card. Simply write it on your envelope.
- Write cards yourself
You can always buy some printed card and simply send it. But if you write something it will seem more personal and caring. Write out all messages or at least the names or address. Trust me, it is worth it. And if you have a lot of customers, employees or business partners then at least write cards for the most important people like best customers and most important employees (like your personal assistant).
- Respect everyone
This tip is actually the same thing I mentioned in rules part and it means to respect everyone including people who celebrate something different or don’t celebrate any holiday. If you are not completely sure about someone then send neutral card.
- Include employees
Include employees to in your card. And I’m not thinking about messages, I am thinking about photos. It will give different touch to the card and surely help your company.
- Top cards
Treat your cards like you would treat your customers, employees or partners. They are very important people so try to make everything the best you can. Handwrite names and addresses, put genuine stamps on it and use 1st Class postage.
- Timing
Another thing I already mentioned with rules, send cards very early and make your card to be the first one that will arrive to people.
- Fresh start
Praise everyone for their cooperation in this year and motivate them for the New Year? It will surely create some spark and interest with everyone and it will help you to reach to the full potential of people.
- Spelling mistakes
I can’t stress how important this is so I will repeat it again, check your grammar. Double check names, addresses, content and everything else because every mistake will make you look unprofessional.
- Always do your best
This one is actually obvious but what I mean is that your cards don’t have to cost you a lot of money. If you just started the business and simply don’t have money for lots of cards then use your imagination. They will appreciate the gesture and you will surely impress them.
To see more tips check the infographic below. I hope you learned something new. Happy holidays 🙂
