It is that time of the year again! A lot of businesses send holiday cards or are planning to this year, and a holiday card is a great way to connect and nurture the relationships that you have with current, former and prospective clients. If you haven’t sent cards before, now is a great time to start. Holiday cards are a simple way to show your clients that you’re thinking of them during the holidays and to let them know that they’re important to you. Now that you’re ready to put together your holiday cards, follow these do’s and don’ts to make your card successful.
- DO make sure that you’ve double-checked all of your names and addresses. It can really harm a relationship if you don’t take the time to get someone’s name right on the card. Sending it to the right address is also important, for obvious reasons.
- DO send your greetings on time, sending a late message may make your business look disorganized or forgetful. Give yourself plenty of time to order, inscribe, address and send all of your cards.
- DON’T send a religious card. Make the card universal, unless you work in a religious business doing business with others of the same faith. Not everyone celebrates Christmas, which includes your employees and your clients. It may upset your employees to send a Christmas card on their behalf if that doesn’t align with their beliefs. Additionally, your clients may not appreciate your lack of understanding or inclusiveness if your language or imagery is religious. You can wish happy holidays, season’s greetings or a Happy New Year.
- DO make the card personal, as a personalized card can be really meaningful. If you don’t have time to sign each card personally you might consider dividing up the work and having multiple people pitch-in to sign the cards for those they work with the most.
- DON’T use your card as advertising. A holiday card is not the place for a sales pitch. Any good wishes included with the sales pitch will be ignored and the message will come across as disingenuous.
- DON’T try to be funny or edgy, not everyone has the same sense of humor and this has the potential to really backfire.
- DON’T forget your employees! Taking the time to send your employees a holiday card is a nice way to show them that you care about them and are wishing them well during the holiday season.
