It’s the same date every year!
Have you ever received a Christmas Card on the 2nd of January, what went through your mind? Could this have been executed better? What we know is that Christmas falls on the same date every year and yet so many companies send out cards far too late. They miss an opportunity to engage in a piece of soft marketing and position themselves in a positive way with their employees, customers and suppliers.
As the year winds down we are all usually very busy so we overlook the value of communicating with those who support us throughout the year. Why not separate yourself from the crowd with a little extra effort but it must be planned and NOW is the time to do it. Ideally, your card should arrive on their desk no later than 5th December so that it is visible for the run up to the Christmas break.
So what do you need to do? Firstly, go to your database and identify who should be receiving a card. Have you got a home address or office address, it really doesn’t matter but the home one is preferable. Now select what type of card you wish to send. You could send an e-card but do people really care about receiving them these days. It will probably get lost in the daily noise that most people have to deal with. My preferred option is a printed card which leaves you another choice, will it be something a bit special, will it support a charity or will it be specially designed and based on the number you are sending, your budget will determine your choice here. Realistically, if you would like to have one designed you are running out of time and need to plan that now. Don’t forget to allow sufficient time for printing and delivery and if that extends past the 4th of December I would suggest putting it in your diary for September of next year.
What is going to be printed on the card apart from the traditional greeting. Can I suggest that if you are going to brand it, make the logo small and indiscreet. If you have a large number to send out it might be better to have the individuals signatures printed but ideally it should be signed by the relevant person. Yes, it is a bit more work but the small details count. If you are overworked have someone sign them for you. Now the next thing is the envelopes, they should be hand written with a real Christmas stamp put on them, not put through a franking machine. This level of personalisation is so uncommon these days that your card will be spotted immediately. Who gets hand written envelopes and think of the smile on the recipients face knowing that someone remembered them and went out of their way to show it. I know it is more work but I must repeat that the small details count.
Please remember that this is not a sales tool, so please do not ruin it by including special offers. Equally, please do not include Christmas opening hours which again takes away from the sentiment.
Finally, will your simple message stand out from the crowd or will it be another year of who cares we are too busy to think of others?
Your choice but a simple message to your employees, clients and suppliers to say we are thinking of you at this special time of the year will have more impact that you can imagine.
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