Tis the
season!
Well, tis almost the season, and you need to start thinking about…Holiday Cards! (Insert rolling eyes and
sighs.) October is a few days away, so now is the time to begin
thinking about your Holiday plan of action.
For many
businesses, sending Holiday Cards can be a time demanding and fund draining
activity. Because of this, more and more companies are opting to forgo the card
sent via snail mail, and reach for the convenience of the computer instead. An
e-greeting can be pretty and send a caring message, but more often than not,
gets lost within the Holiday email shuffle or sent directly to spam. And let’s
face it, opening an email is far more impersonal and leave many reaching for
the delete button as soon as they begin rolling in.
Holiday Cards
should be seen as an investment, and spending that time and funds to invest in
your clients and prospects speaks more than flashy animation and sparkly
graphics. Think of your clientele as family. They help keep your business home
up and running, and if you’re doing your job right, they will have your back when
the opportunity arises. Would you send your loved ones a birthday card via
email if a CVS is not far around the corner? I’m guessing your answer is, “no”.
Printed Holiday
Cards are a great way to thank your clients and partners for their support and
loyalty over the past year, and to let them know how much you value their relationship.
Most Holiday Cards are opened and displayed throughout the busy holiday season,
keeping you at the forefront of your clients’ mind. If you keep up the
tradition, those on your list will look forward to receiving your card year
after year. There’s power in that; knowing you are important enough to make it
on THE LIST.
When you take that step to send out Holiday Cards via
direct mail, make sure you do it right:
Personalize
it. If you
can’t afford to write a unique note in each card, create and print different
messages per recipient. In other words, categorize your list into three or four
different groups. A message to a client vs. a vendor or business partner should
be different.
Leave sales
at the door. This is a
time of thanks for past and current business, not a time to generate
more sales. Greedy Holiday givers who create expectations in return show poor
taste.
Be sincere. If you send flowery words full
of caring sentiments to a client you typically butt heads with, the message could
come across as sarcastic. Always use kind words of course, but if you are
generally a playful person, have fun with your messages. If you are a
sentimental bird, allow your thanks to flow plentifully.
Design
smartly. Catchy, yet simple,
designs will stand out from the crowd. Incorporate your market niche within
your design. For example, if your business is centered around fresh produce,
use an image of a broccoli Christmas tree within the design. Remember to keep
your logo small, perhaps even on the back of the card. This is about them, not
you. (No business cards within either…)
Be a friend,
don’t offend. Avoid
including content, including words or images, that could come across as
offensive or is inappropriate for the workplace. One would think this is common
sense, but you would be surprised.
Time your
sending. The first
or second week in December is the best time to get your cards in the mail and
in their hands. Any time after that, you are risking your investments to be
caught in the mail rush, or lost in vacation pile for your recipients to
shuffle through following the Holidays (embarrassing).
So, now that you have all of your contacts organized and in one location...take this opportunity to get them into a Simple CRM (Client Relationship Management) software, such as AddressTwo. AddressTwo was built for small-medium sized businesses who need a smart and cost effective solution for contact management, setting follow-up tasks, email marketing (drip campaigns), and pipeline tracking, to name a few features. Your clients are important around the Holiday Season, don't let the rest of the year stay quiet! Register for a free trial of AddressTwo CRM to see how it can streamline your sales and communication processes year round. Better yet, email your client list to A2, and have a trial created for you with your contact list imported and ready to go!
Allow PostTwo to do your Holiday cards for
you! Simple and easy solution for printing, stuffing, and mailing. Part of your
friendly neighborhood, simple CRM, AddressTwo.
Discover what the power of Two can do for you!
