Seasonal greeting cards have been exchanged for almost 175 years, with the first batch of 1,000 Christmas cards credited to Sir Henry Cole in 1843. He commissioned most, sent a few to friends, and sold the rest.
Nowadays, holiday cards are passed between families, friends, and loved ones – unless you’re a business, who’ll probably have customers, vendors, and investors on the mailing list. This helps crystallize and maintain working relationships, and keeps you in mind if you haven’t worked together in months.
Like a good business card, a holiday card to clients needs to execute the design, messaging, and branding (yup, even in a seasonal greeting card). Here are a few tips to designing a festive holiday card for your clients.
Make It Personal
We know, you’re a busy business owner, and everything is all the more chaotic during the holidays.
But the whole concept behind the greeting card is to reinforce that connection between you and your recipients. A generic message just won’t cut it, [Your name here]; they’ll sniff out that templated message like a poorly-wrapped fruitcake.
Find the time to write (hand-written for bonus points) the recipient’s name, and a little message in the card. It doesn’t have to be long, but even one sentence can have a strong, memorable impact. Having said that, if your rapport with the recipient isn’t quite there yet, a basic, cordial message will do.
Avoid Selling and Pitching
Seasonal greeting cards should be sincere; otherwise, don’t waste your money.
As much as the little entrepreneur on your shoulder whispers in your ear to use this occasion as a marketing opportunity, resist the temptation. The holidays aren’t the time for your underhanded attempts at advertising – there’s so much more time during the rest of the year for that (try these branded marketing items for the holidays instead). If you execute your seasonal greeting card design right, your recipients will remember your name and brand in the new year, in which you can engage them on all your new products and services.
Consider the Audience
Everyone celebrates different holidays this time of year, so to avoid making a cultural faux pas or unintentionally offending anyone, stick with generic graphics and messaging that won’t overstep anyone’s beliefs or holidays.
Similarly, humour is subjective, so we advise to play it safe unless you’re a Jerry Seinfeld-level comedian.
New Year, New Card
Instead of sending holiday greeting cards that have Christmas-y motifs, you can try this instead.
Send out a Happy New Year card. This is good if you’re scrambling for last minute seasonal cards for 2019 or don’t have time during the holidays. As an added bonus, while not everyone celebrates the same holidays, everyone does ring in the New Year, even if they’re in different time zones.
Finally, you’ll distinguish yourself from competitors by being the one person that sends a New Year card rather than a holiday one!
From greeting cards to invitations, your local Print Three shop can help you fulfill your mailing list from concept to postage. Happy Holidays!