How to Make Business Holiday Cards

Sending business holiday cards is a great way to maintain customer relationships, but how do you make your business holiday cards relevant to your customers in a way that truly touches them and lets them know you're there for them? The following details how to do just that with a multi-faceted strategy that strikes a chord with customers. .

Theme

The first thing you should evaluate is your business holiday card theme. Most companies settle for generic holiday cards that only reflect seasonal, holiday themes – Christmas and Hanukkah cards, Thanksgiving cards, New Year's cards, etc. The problem here is that while the cards are probably relevant to their customers, they're also relevant to just about everyone else – they do not have an edge that resonates uniquely with your customers. Instead of settling for one-size-fits-all business holiday cards, create a theme that comprises both the holiday in question and something unique to your market niche. For example, a sports bar might send a Thanksgiving card that gives thanks for football, hot wings and beer to those in its customer rewards club.

Personalization

Making your business holiday cards relevant to your target audience is one thing, making them relevant to each individual recipient is another. Always address your envelopes directly to each customer by name. In addition, you can add a personal touch of your own by hand-signing each card and by including personal notes with some of your cards (to your best customers, no less).

Give a gift or make an offer

Savvy marketers know the principle of “What's in it for me?,” the question your customers will always ask when they open direct mail. When you offer an incentive or give away a gift, your customers will see the value in your business holiday cards. Again, it is important to make your gift or offer relevant – not just to your customer but also to your business. After all, everyone would like a new HDTV, but if you don't sell HDTVs giving one away won't do anything for your business. Using our sports bar example, such a business might give away a free plate of hot wings with any beverage purchase to customers.

Timeliness

Another important factor to business holiday card relevance is timeliness, or when you send your cards. If you send your card too early or too late, you can lose effect or response rate. Our sports bar might want to attract customers over the winter holiday break – but if it waits until the end of December to deliver the cards they'll miss customers. A retail store might offer a gift card, something they would want to send well in advance to attract customers to their store during the biggest buying season. Coordinate your delivery to get the best response rate. It would be a good idea to stagger your send dates to test the market and reveal which send date reveals the best response rates.