Whether you own a sole proprietorship or are the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation, sending business Christmas cards can serve to boost your customer relations and ultimately improve your bottom line. About half of all businesses send holiday cards - sometimes with unintended negative consequences. Here are some guidelines to ensure that your thoughtful gesture will be interpreted in the best possible light.

Selecting the Right Card

Every business has an image it portrays, whether through its logo, its branding efforts, or its marketing plan. The design of business holiday cards you select should reinforce that image. If, for example, you are a stockbroker, a Wall Street winter scene might be appropriate. On the other hand, if you are a pediatric dentist, more whimsical greeting cards are in order. For most businesses, and elegant and tasteful card is always appropriate.

When it comes to choosing a greeting card company, there are many online sources for business Christmas cards. Make sure to choose one that is well established and has a track record of satisfying customers. The best online greeting card companies will send you sample cards upon request, and offer personalization, free coordinating foil-lined envelopes, and printed envelopes.

When ordering business holiday cards, keep in mind that not everyone celebrates Christmas. A card expressing “season’s greetings” or “warm holiday wishes” will prevent you from unintentionally offending those who aren’t of the Christian faith.

Sending Your Cards

In business, timing is everything. Although you have some leeway in sending business holiday cards, the rule of thumb is to send them between December 1 and December 15. If you’re a business-to-business company, keep in mind that many businesses close or have reduced hours during the holiday season, so make sure that your card arrives in advance of the holidays.

In order to send your holiday cards out in a timely fashion, make sure to order them early. Personalized business Christmas cards can take a few weeks to produce, so try and place your order by mid-October.

The Personalized Touch

The purpose of sending business greeting cards is to engender warm feelings in the recipient. That won’t happen if your Christmas cards have address labels and are run through a postage meter. Expend the extra effort and have someone on your staff (who has nice handwriting) address the envelopes by hand. In addition, use a postage stamp instead of a meter when applying postage.

In the same vein, although you should have your cards printed with the company’s name, the cards should also be signed by hand. The best approach is to have those who most closely work with the recipient sign the card by hand. If yours is a small enterprise, have a card signing party one afternoon, and have each person on your staff sign each card. This will go a long way towards making a positive impression on the recipient.

Be a Gracious Recipient

There’s little doubt that your company will also receive business holiday cards from your vendors and associates. Be a gracious recipient and display the cards in your workplace. It will not only bring a bit of holiday cheer to your office, but it will also please those who have a sent a card to you and see it displayed.

With Christmas approaching, individuals are more likely to experience holiday stress (a combination of financial pressure to fulfill a shopping list, with the growing awareness of every broken resolution…) than the stereotypical Christmas cheer.

Even an optimist can be broken down during the holiday season, because the bills won’t stop piling up (wouldn’t it be nice if December was a “free” month?) and the junk mail keeps coming in. All of that junk mail is the failed attempts of businesses who think that “shopping season” is the best time to try impersonal direct mail marketing strategies.

Meanwhile, modern communication has resulted in Christmas card being sent to an inbox instead of a mail box.

Your business can make a smart decision this year, because the holiday season should not be viewed as a commercialized time of year. Advertising does not need to stress consumers out!

Business Christmas cards are a direct mail marketing alternative. Including a special offer or incentive is optional and completely unnecessary because the biggest conversion point is in the Christmas card itself.

Business Christmas cards are a warm and friendly, personal gesture of gratitude and appreciation. Even the simplest of messages (”Dear X, Happy Holidays… Sincerely X”) can be a powerful message when delivered in a business Christmas card.

While this approach is beneficial to building customer loyalty, you should not overlook the advantages of expressing appreciation to employees through business Christmas card.

The holiday season can be overwhelming for everyone, and this can have an impact on work productivity. Regardless of the size of your business, Christmas cards are a simple and cost effective way to brighten the moods and express appreciation for the contribution that each employee makes to your company.

It is important to avoid a generalized or impersonal message when sending out business Christmas card to employees. If you have a larger business, you can encourage each branch manager to provide a personal message for each unique individual that plays an important role in your business. Christmas cards will improve customer loyalty and increase employee productivity, through the simple task of expressing appreciation.

When used as a direct mail marketing strategy, business Christmas cards are also a smart approach for B2B marketing. Local businesses, and relevant businesses (affiliates) will appreciate the message that is received with a business Christmas card and you will be in their thoughts…

Choosing Business Christmas Cards for the Most Effective Delivery of Message

Remember that religion plays a large part in Christmas, so “Season’s Greetings” might be less offensive to some than “Merry Christmas.” It’s never a good idea to be too general either you want business Christmas cards that offer a warm and inspiring message to all.

While many companies who specialize in corporate greeting cards can personalize a card to match the color and style of your business, and perhaps even include your logo, this is not a good idea with business Christmas cards. The purpose of a Christmas card should be nothing more than a friendly gesture that will receive the appreciation of those who receive it.