With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s a great time to bring the festive and giving spirit into your marketing efforts. One popular marketing tradition is the annual holiday card. Sending season’s greetings is a personal way to offer gratitude to your clients and customers while reinforcing name and brand recognition for your business.
Since the rush of the holidays has a way of sneaking up, getting started on your holiday cards now will ensure you have enough time to do them right. But first: to print or to email? There are pros and cons to both options, so asking yourself a few questions is key to determining the best method for your business: What is your budget? Is your mailing list up-to-date, and does it include both a physical location and an email address? How much time do you have to produce and distribute your cards? What type of impact are you hoping to create?
Many businesses opt to send printed cards because recipients can interact with them in tangible ways that can’t be replicated digitally – from opening the envelope, to seeing the art and feeling the paper, to reading a personal hand-written message and displaying it on a shelf or routing throughout the office for others to experience and appreciate.
To produce this sort of engagement, you’ll need to consider printing and mailing costs and timelines. And if you have a very large mailing list or limited staffing resources to address and send the cards, a mail house can send it out for you, which will also incur costs. If you’re ready to order your printed holiday greeting cards, International Minute Press can provide you with a traditional style personalized for your business or create a custom design just for you.
If you have a limited budget, a digital card can be a great alternative. And you’ll have the added benefit of being able to see who actually opens or shares your cards with others. You don’t have to look too hard to find low-cost cards with animation and music. Just be sure to account for additional time and budget if you’re looking to create a custom design. You’ll also need to consider whether you or someone on your team has the knowledge and skills to send it out to your list.
If you’re looking to make an extra impact and stand out this holiday season, there are other ways you can incorporate the season of giving into your marketing efforts.
Giveaway.
Create an incentive for new business by inviting your customers to purchase a certain product or service within a given timeframe to be automatically entered into a drawing to win a prize – like a Thanksgiving meal, a special holiday decoration or one of your products or services that is unique to the season. It’s a fun way to get customers engaged. And imagine how great it will feel when you get to call the lucky winner.
Get social.
Create a holiday-themed contest on one of your social media channels inviting your followers to tag your business in a photo they upload. Offer a prize to the person whose photo gets the most likes by a certain deadline. You’ll reinforce goodwill and loyalty from people who already feel connected with your business. And you’ll benefit by having your followers promote your products or services at little cost to you.
Give back.
There’s a reason this is the season of giving. When you donate to a local cause, you are showing your customers that you are invested in our community. It not only creates a more personal connection with your customers, but it also makes them feel good about doing business with you. FBN
By Tracie Hansen
Tracie Hansen is passionate about helping others plan and execute their marketing and communications efforts. As the new owner of International Minute Press, formerly The Print Raven, Tracie will help you with all your design, print and promotional needs.