We all like to receive, so, sending something that you know people will look at is the optimum and the Xmas Card is one of those times when people will look and read.
If this is the case it should be used as a moment when you work on strengthening that relationship or increasing the engagement you have with your customer.
We spend large sums of money on marketing in general, but many forget the Christmas Card is part of your PR and marketing. Maximising its use is a logical step, so here are some ideas on how you can optimise the use of your Christmas Card send.
Maintain traditional approach and using a standard card with a simple happy Christmas message inside, wasn’t included in the list. Doing this at least shows you are thinking of your customers and helps brand awareness, but it doesn’t do anymore and will have a limited memorability factor.
8 Different Ideas of Expanding the use of Christmas Cards
1. If you only have a small number of clients, having everyone (assuming you’re a small team) sign each card shows a more personalised approach especially if personalised messages are used which mean something to the readers.
2. If you have many Xmas cards to send, then get everyone to sign a card which you scan and have the signatures printed, either after you’ve purchased the cards if they are ‘off the self’ or have them printed as part of the card.
3. Put an image on the front of the card that relates to your business, but still portrays Xmas. This could be a picture of the team with party hats on, with the words Happy Christmas / Happy New Year. This can be quite easily faked with today’s photoshop software by cutting people out and placing them on a different background. Doing this and making it obvious that it’s been done can add a little humour – Christmas is the time for corny or cheesy humour!
4. Humour is generally a safe bet (If you were sending to a religious organisation or an organisation with a specific purpose such as a charity, you’d need to know them well enough to know this wouldn’t offend). There’s a great selection of cards, from Santa getting up to no good to drunk cats walking through the snow – and we all know how much everyone loves cats!
5. Blatantly promotional – this could be as simple as showing your logo on the front and inside the card, with the main image being traditionally standard or you can go the whole hog and do something like a cartoon style picture of your offices with Elves or Santa in front or on top of the building. Adding an element of humour wouldn’t go amiss either. The benefit of this, is it self-promotes all the time in it’s in view.
6. Interactive – cross people from the real world to your online world and really bring Christmas alive, with a video. For instance, “Elfyourself” is an app by Office Depot in the USA where you can create humorous videos. You can add your faces or if you know your customer well enough and know they have won’t be offended you can take their faces and add them to the video.It would work by sending a Christmas Card and telling them how to access their video either by scanning the card or by providing them a special link that takes them to the webpage. You could also send them to a landing page where you provide a Christmas message.Whatever you send them to, remember the Christmas Card is key because most people will open and read and anyone who then looks online is better engaged with your brand.
7. Consider the message inside – Happy Xmas, Happy holiday’s or similar is not going to be remembered, but adding something personal or sincere, can make all the difference.A poem or quote can also add an element interest which helps set your card apart and therefore helps with brand awareness. Again, humour works, here a couple amusing quotes to get you thinking.
8. Retail and e-commerce can use it as an opportunity to send offers that can only be used on a specific day or a series of vouchers that can be used in the run up too Christmas. If you also have emails, tell them to watch out in their email for a series of one-day offers.Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I’ll just use email”, because that’s exactly what everyone else is doing, hence the relatively low open rates, whereas a physical card says more about who you are as a company and cam illicit increased engagement and improved repeat sales.
Physical Print Christmas Cards
Christmas is the one time when people will open and read anything that looks like a Christmas Card, so it shouldn’t be missed as an opportunity to strengthen you customer relations as well as improve engagement both on and offline.
Miss this opportunity and you’ll have to wait another year before you have another opportunity as good as this
Leave A Comment