The above image is the holiday card I sent out to a few of my clients and colleagues. As I thoroughly enjoy the holiday season, I decided to send my best wishes to the people who made 2008 stand out for me. Before I created my e-cards, I did a little research first.
Yesterday, I posted a few questions on Twitter about sending “Happy Holiday” greetings to your clients and colleagues. I received a surprising amount of different opinions, from every side of the “Holiday Spirit Spectrum.”
Here are the best tips for deciding how to send quality holiday greetings.
- Choose your recepients wisely. Sending out cards to past clients can be an effective marketing tool. But if you only had one brief encounter, I’d advise against it. Send cards to those people with whom you’ve had an ongoing business relationship.
- Keep the greeting generalized. With the wide variety of celebrations and beliefs that are out there, the only way to avoid offending anyone is by using a generic greeting. “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” are the two most common phrases to use, but get creative, if you can.
- Add your personal touch. While the official phrasing of the card should be generalized, do not be afraid to let your personality shine through. Write a heartfelt message that conveys how much your favorite people mean to you.
- Include something special, if appropriate. If sending snail mail cards, you can include a small gift relating to your business. This can gently remind your clients that you still have services to offer, without sending them an annoying sales pitch.
- Write a unique headline. This is your one chance to have your e-card noticed. If it comes off as generic, or even as spam, your holiday wishes will never reach your clients. Stand apart from the inbox clutter, and your clients will remember why you are the right person for the job.
- Create a special image. When sending out e-mail cards, you don’t want to use the corny e-card sites. They will make you appear cheap and unprofessional. Create an image, or search for one you can modify on sites such as flickr (thanks to nez for the original image.)
Then, there is the eternal question: snail mail or e-mail? By this point, if you haven’t sent real holiday cards, they won’t make it in time for Christmas. (Yes, I am a Christmas girl!) If that is an important date for you, then you will probably have to rely on e-cards this year.
Snail mail cards are definitely more personal, and cannot be as easily ignored. While on twitter (you can follow me here) three different people recommended SendCardsGetBusiness.com. This site takes all the hassle out of sending cards, and you can personalize the cards with your own signature. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, then check them out. (I haven’t used their service, and haven’t been paid to include them in this post.)
So far, my responses to this e-card holiday greeting have been great. I sent out 15 emails, and I have heard back from four people. That is four more people than I thought would respond. I think with e-mail, it is far easier to send out a response. With snail mail, your card can be easily set aside and forgotten.
Are any of you sending out holiday greeting cards this year? What methods are you using? How do you feel about receiving them, whether by e-mail or snail mail?
