The holidays are nearly here again! It’s time to haul your lights and decorations out of storage, start chinking away at your shopping list, and give thought to where you’ll get your tree. But amidst all the tinsel, carols, and eggnog, you can’t forget to send out your holiday cards!   

 Likely, you’re already giving your personal notes some thought, but what about Christmas cards for business? If you own a company or if you’re an executive, the cards you send at work could be just as important, if not more than your own.   

 That’s because business Christmas cards are an excellent opportunity to reinforce your brand and spread a little goodwill. While some companies see business holiday cards as one more hassle they need to deal with, the enlightened business owner understands how valuable they are. This article will explain what holiday cards can do for you and offer guidance on what to avoid.

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The Value of Christmas Cards for Business

The holidays are one of the few times when everyone is thinking about the same things. The days are charged with positivity, and reminding people of that can be very uplifting. Here are just a few of the benefits companies can derive from celebrating the season with their customers.

Cards Provide a Chance to Express Gratitude

There’s power in saying “thank you”, and we don’t get the chance to say it often enough. Humans have an innate desire to be respected and acknowledged for their contributions to each other’s lives. We don’t expect to be recognized, but it feels great when we are.   

The holidays are a time when people reflect on what’s important to them. Taking the opportunity to tell your customers how much they mean to you is keeping with the season’s spirit and will put a smile on their face. And a little goodwill can go a long way. You'll have the opportunity to personalize your corporate holiday cards and their message.

Christmas Cards Remind Your Customers That You’re Available to Help

Throughout the year, people get absorbed in their day to day routines. If they don’t need your services, you may not come to mind. Holiday cards can serve as a warm reminder that you’re available to help whenever they need you.   

It may be that they do need something from you but have been putting off the purchase. Getting your holiday card might be the poke your customer needs to move into action.

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They’re a Subtle Favor That Must Be Returned

It’s not romantic to think about holiday cards in stark psychological terms, but the reality is that when you do something nice for someone, they often feel indebted to you. It creates an imbalance that can be subconsciously uncomfortable until the scales are set square again.   

Of course, you’re not sending out Christmas cards to rope your customers into doing you a favor, but it’s a nice side effect. If it creates in them a need to repay a debt and that leads to future orders, it was a holiday card well sent.

They Personalize Your Company

We sometimes forget that the company’s we work with on a daily basis are really just large groups of people. Christmas cards for business are an excellent way to put a face on your company. They break down the emotional wall that professionalism sometimes builds and allow you to express honest emotions.   

Just be sure to say something meaningful. You don’t want to trade away your chance to make a lasting impression on your customers by sending them a generic holiday message. Say something from the heart.

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Things To Avoid When Sending Business Holiday Cards

While it’s true that you can’t go wrong by speaking from the heart, you do have to be careful what you include. You aren’t sending cards to your family and friends. There’s a certain level of professionalism that should be maintained when sending Christmas cards for business. Consider these warnings when composing your message.

Don’t Make Your Message Salesy

This is the one thing you should avoid at all costs. If your Christmas cards read like a sales pitch the emotion will feel insincere. Imagine you called a friend you hadn’t spoken to in years and then immediately asked them for money. Any excitement they felt after hearing your voice would drain away rather quickly.   

Holiday cards aren’t a sales tactic. They should be a pure expression of gratitude and a wish for good things in the year to come. This creates goodwill and a friendly obligation that can lead indirectly to new sales. But if it doesn’t, that’s okay.

Don’t Blend in With a Generic Card

Your card certainly won’t be the only one your customers receive. Try and create something memorable that will stand out from the rest. The means infusing your company’s personality into the card. That might translate into something funny, artistic, off-kilter, or surprising. Make it clear you put some thought into it.   

 You could include a brief message about your company’s plans for the upcoming year or personal thoughts about what the holidays mean to you. Whatever you write, it should feel as if it could have only come from you. Bland messages that lack personalization aren’t nearly as effective.

Don’t Forget That Cards Can Make a Difference Any Time of Year

Christmas cards for business are the most obvious opportunities to reach out to your customers but they don’t need to be the only ones. Any time is a good time to stay in touch with your valued customers.   

 Of course, just sending Christmas cards is a lot of work. Particularly since you’ll want to handwrite them. That last little touch creates peerless intimacy that’s hard to match any other way. But who has time to do that during the holidays, let alone other times throughout the year?   

 Most people don’t, which is why Simply Noted is so useful. We can produce handwritten cards quickly, in any volume you require. We’ll even mail them for you. The secret is our technology.   

 We’ve built a fleet of custom handwriting machines that hold actual ballpoint pens. Not only do they produce realistic handwriting, but they also reproduce the subtle indentations that pens make when writing on paper. It creates an authentic handwritten experience that’s only just shy of the real thing.   

 Give us a call if you’d like help with your holiday cards this year. You’ll get all of the benefits without the work, and that’s a Christmas gift you can put under your tree.