Sending greeting cards is a holiday tradition that small business owners can easily participate in. Personalized letters can help companies stand out as more establishments start to rely on digital channels like email. Tom Foti, manager of direct mail and periodicals with the United States Postal Service, recently acknowledged the wide gap that exists between the physical and electronic mail that consumers receive from companies.
“The average household receives only two pieces of direct mail a day compared with 157 emails,” Foti said in a statement.
Mailing promotional holiday cards can help you reach out to consumers and loyal clients. Below are some best practices you should implement so your greeting cards are well received and serve to effectively increase your business’ visibility.
Have an updated address list
If you plan on sending greeting cards to your regular customers, ensure that you have their current addresses. Your mailers won’t be effective if they’re sent to the wrong houses. To find new patrons, you can buy mailing lists based on different demographics.
Customize your cards for your recipients
Instead of generic greetings and wishes, you should consider writing special messages for each client. Consumers notice sincere gestures, and personalized Christmas cards may elicit a larger response than broad letters. For instance, you can personally sign every card or include coupons for a customer’s favorite products.
Be sensitive
As Hallmark notes, it’s important to be sensitive to everyone’s beliefs during the holiday season. Consumers celebrate different holidays throughout December and may feel left out if they receive greeting cards geared toward another festival.
“Happy Holidays” is a popular phrase because it’s all-inclusive. Additionally, you could opt to send cards with snowmen or other beloved, nondenominational seasonal decorations. These strategies can help you pick out the best cards for your customers without worrying that you’ll offend anyone.
Include giveaways
You can mail small gifts to your customers with your greeting cards. For example, promotional magnets can easily fit inside envelopes so you can send advertisements without increasing your shipping costs.
You can attach your cards to small packages as well. Consumers are used to quickly sorting their mail, so if you send boxes instead of letters, your mailers will stand out. This also allows you to include larger promotional items like branded water bottles or tote bags. Recipients keep giveaways and may hold onto them even longer if they’re given as gifts, so your marketing campaign will last beyond the holidays.