Sending Business Holiday Cards - Dos and Don'ts

Sending business Holiday cards remind your clients of your service during a time of year that they typically would not. These cards are more than just being a polite greeting. By practicing wise card sending etiquette, you can create an atmosphere of familiarity and camaraderie between professionals.

Here are 5 basic Dos and Don'ts that will get your best holiday wishes to your customers with a minimum amount of stress.

DO shop early.
Order your Holiday cards as early as possible. You can receive a discount on the total order if you purchase early enough. Buying in bulk can get you another discount.

If you weren't able to get your order in before the discount deadlines you may want to consider choosing an online card option. In the past many considered sending electronic cards as a "too cheap" option but today with so many companies cutting budgets and an overwhelming concern for the environment, eHoliday cards are becoming a positive alternative to turn to.

DON'T try to reach out to every religion.
Your clients probably come in all varieties of faiths and religious practices, but one message that comes across loud and clear is good will.

You don't need to get a sample pack of religious cards, just find a tasteful card that states "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings". Even if they don't celebrate anything at that time of year, you have reminded them that you exist and, more important, that you are thinking of them.

DO be imaginative.
There are lots of ways to make your business Holiday cards stand out from the other ones your clients will be receiving. One way to do this is the shape or the style of the card itself.

It's not much more expensive to get cards in shapes related to your business or service.

If you deal with construction software, what about holiday greetings inscribed on a shiny paper hammer or a card that appears to look like mini blueprints? If your specialty is child education software you could go with a card that resembles a chalkboard. The creative possibilities are endless here!

DON'T be generic.
Request personalized Holiday cards from the card company doing the printing.

You don't want to give the impression that you bought your cards last minute at a quick stop. If you got the time, think about having a design created in house and ask your trusted print company to process the order. The card should reflect your company's image, whether that's bold and respectable, or wild and creative.

DO get the contact information right.
You wouldn't misspell the name of a relative or a friend, so don't do it to your customers. Take some extra care in verifying names, addresses and in some cases email addresses. The only word for poorly addressed business Holiday cards it tacky.

To be successful in business these days it's not just about providing a high level product and service. You must also convince your customers that there is a human side to the service itself.