Questions You Should Know about Custom Made Holiday Cards

Holiday greeting cards are a tradition all over the world, and offer a wonderful way to reach out to those you care for (be it social or business) to spread a little cheer and good wishes. Even with the tradition being common. We end up with a lot of questions to the Institute about how to handle holiday cards.

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A Little History

Holiday cards are hardly a recent phenomenon. In 1822 the U.S. Superintendent of Mails complained that he had to hire sixteen additional carriers to handle the December deliveries and petitioned Congress to limit the practice. (Fat chance!) Britain holds the honors for the first commercially printed card, commissioned in 1843 from artist John Calcott Horsley by Sir Henry Cole, who was looking for a tasteful card to send to friends. Wishing “A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You,” a thousand cards were printed. The idea caught on and by the 1860s printed cards were big business, featuring both seasonal and religious themes.

No matter what you celebrate, the holidays are a time when many people make an effort to stay in touch. Season’s greetings, family newsletters, cards and notes of thanks and appreciation flood mailboxes and email boxes around the globe.

The Basics

1. You can send cards or not. Just because you sent last year doesn't mean you have to send cards this year. Cards don't have to be reciprocal, however, if someone sends you a card and they hadn't been on your "send list" and you have some extras, by all means send one out. Or you may choose to add this contact to your list for next year. You may receive more than you sent, or send more than you receive and both scenarios are okay - you aren't doing anything wrong.
2. You do not need to include photos but you might choose to. Where you choose candids or a staged photo are up to you and your personal tastes and how you like to present yourself (or a couple or your family).
3. Adding a handwritten message and signing is perfectly okay. You might choose to personalize it base on each person you're sending to. Or you may just do a heart, xx's and o's (kisses and hugs) and your name(s). It's also okay to send printed cards exactly as they are, without a personal touch - this is true with something you might get off a print on demand website or from a printer or stationer. For cards where you haven't customized the greeting you might want to at least sign them. It adds a nice personal touch since the greeting card itself has no personal message as opposed to the print on demand cards which are often personalized with wishes from you (or you and your significant other, or you and your family).
4. You can include a personal newsletter in holiday card. Many are annual favorites. A good personal newsletter gives updates from the year but avoids bragging (Kelsey just got a job with a huge salary and bought herself a BMW - is not the right way to go. Instead try: Kelsey is loving her new job and we are thrilled for her! Tempting though it may be, do try to avoid political commentary in your newsletter - remember the focus of the card is to send good wishes during a festive time.
5. You may sign the card in whatever way you feel inspired. Hugs and kisses, hearts, love, sincerely, best wishes, cheers to all, all my best to you and yours. If there are multiple people in your home that you're sending the card from it does NOT matter what order you put the names in. Couples do not have to abide by either ladies first or gentleman first. Though most people will put the adults first and the kids afterwards, even this is not a hard and fast rule at all. And yes, Rover and Fluffy can be added as well.
6. Cards are usually sent anytime from Thanksgiving until a couple weeks into the New Year. (Really??!! Yes.) A greeting for the New Year avoids all of the holiday season's religious associations which can be a nice option for some. It can also help spread out a very busy season. Remember, if you miss the season this year, there's always next! While electronic cards are fun - sometimes gorgeous! - and easy on the environment, paper cards sent through the mail are more traditional and typically favored this time of year. (Especially during social distancing when that personal touch is so nice - and so many are trying to stay off their screens.)

Some brands view the holidays with a healthy dose of apprehension. You want to do something nice to stand out and make your brand relevant during the holiday season, but how do you do it without making a misstep by neglecting the religious diversity of your customers or ending up too wishy-washy because you tried to accommodate everyone? I suggest sending holiday greeting cards to your residential customers. Enough brands do not do it—either from trying to avoid controversy or a lack of demonstrated return on investment. Your brand will really stand out from the crowd if you choose to do it.

Other than the initial sign up and invoices, how many touchpoints do you have with your customers? Often, the answer is “not many,” when you should be reaching out to them regularly to reinforce their choice in using your services. Take advantage of this opportunity to remind your customers that they are important to you—even during this busy time of year.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?
Are you concerned about bringing religion into your marketing by sending out Christmas or Hanukkah cards? Unless religion is very important to your brand identity, you are welcome to leave it out entirely and work with variations of “Seasons Greetings” and warm wishes during winter. If that does not work for your brand, consider moving your timeline up and sending out Thanksgiving cards instead. It is fairly controversy-free and it is a unique opportunity to tell your customers that you are thankful for them.

If religion is important to your brand, you are welcome to indicate that with your holiday cards. Simply evaluate the imagery and message to ensure that while your preferences are clear you come across as inclusive to all faiths and traditions that your customers may hold. Your goal should be to make your customers feel appreciated and to convey warm thoughts for the season. If your message overshadows that, you may want to re-evaluate. If you are not sure what is appropriate, reach out to some folks who celebrate different holidays than you and ask them for advice on how to be inclusive.

Special Holiday Rates
Avoid the urge to offer any promotional rates or other sales-related information in your holiday greeting card. If you do not have many touchpoints with your customers planned for the year, you might feel some pressure to include incentives along with your holiday wishes. Unfortunately, a promotional offering eliminates the sincerity of a greeting card. Consumers are easily able to pick up on when a message turns into an advertisement, so it is best to avoid it. Save promo rates for another mailer and plan to send that in January when people feel the pinch of overspending during the holidays and are looking for a good deal.

Greeting Card Tips
Personalize as Much as Possible
Get a custom holiday card (I know where you can find some waste and recycling-themed holiday greeting cards!) printed with your logo. This helps with instant brand recognition and lets you control the art, which is important if you are looking to go the secular route. Since some families display their holiday greeting cards, you also have the chance to get your logo seen by your customers’ visiting friends and family members. In addition to personalizing the cards with your brand, try to personalize it for each customer. Chewy, an online pet food retailer, sends out greeting cards every year. Each card is handwritten and includes the customer’s name in the salutation. In 2017, Chewy’s Vice President of Customer Service, Kelli Durkin, estimated that the company would be sending out five million handwritten holiday cards. If Chewy can do it, you can, too.

Outsource Labor
If you are already running successful marketing campaigns, do not try to squeeze in greeting cards if time and labor are in short supply. Outsource the work as much as your budget allows. Your local print shops may offer services that include pre-sorting your cards so that you do not have to worry about sticking on labels and stamps—plus presorted mail saves the Post Office time and money, so these postage rates often save you money. If you are looking to do handwritten cards, you may find that hiring a temp office worker to do the job makes good sense for your budget. Find creative ways to get the job done while keeping a personal touch.

Make it Relevant
What do the holidays have to do with garbage? Not much, unless you consider the waste generated, the recycling questions raised around the holidays, or the schedule changes you make to allow your team to have the day off. Do not feel like you must go through the motions and send a holiday card only because it is a good thing to do for your brand. Solve a problem with your cards by printing some additional holiday information on it. Choose recycled paper for your cards and include an explanation about why this is important on the back of your cards. Will you be delaying service by a day or two around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day? Print your schedule as an insert and put it in the card. Are greeting cards acceptable material in your recycling program? Use your card to communicate that—just make sure your message does not turn into a sales pitch.

Warm your customers’ hearts—and stand out against the competition—by sending personalized holiday greeting cards to each home you service. Remind them that they are valued, and you consider them to be part of your family. If it is too late to send out holiday cards this year, incorporate this tactic into next year’s branding and communication strategy.

This article was written by Jessica Shrout for the October 2019 issue of Waste Advantage Magazine.