Christmas Card Marketing

By David Tonen • December 15th, 2008

We are closing in on Christmas quickly – somehow, that is next week already!  In the past couple of weeks I have started receiving Christmas cards.  Cards from friends, cards from businesses, and cards from ministries that I have connected with over the past year.  Christmas cards are still a tradition..and a nice one!  I open every card.

Have you ever received a Christmas card from a friend and when you opened it (with anticipation), you discovered all they did was sign their name?  No personal salutation, no comments, insights, well wishes…just their name?  This doesn’t happen often but it does happen (or maybe just to me).  The few times this has happened, I wondered why the person even bothered to send the card at all?  It just seems so impersonal – like they were going through the motions and that it was a chore or task that they had to “check off their list”.  They felt they had to send me a card.  It left me feeling empty.  Is it just me, or can you relate?

Impersonal Contact

So, now think about the Christmas cards you receive from businesses or ministries you associate with.  If your experience is like mine, most of the ones you receive have signatures, names, or even just a single name signed on it.  No personal salutation, no comments, insights, well wishes or thank yous…just a name.  How does it make you feel?  It makes me feel like mine was just a task someone had to complete and check off their to-do list.

Now, look at your own business or ministry.  Did you send out Christmas cards to your favorite clients, donors, or associates?  What did you do?  Just the names, right?

Christmas Card Re-Think

I think it is time to re-evaluate the “marketing” behind the sending of Christmas cards.  What are you trying to accomplish when you send them to your contacts?  Usually, you send them to people you value – either for their business over the past year or because you hope to transition them into a paying client in the coming year.  Your business contact with these people is meant to be personal.  The Christmas card is intended to appreciate, value, and nurture that relationship.  Then why do most companies (maybe even yours too) make this process so impersonal?  Why is it a task or chore that you just have to “check off your list”?

Invest

I know that to do more than sign a name takes creativity, thought, time, and care.  However, if you really want to nurture that client or associate relationship, taking a little extra time to personalize it can pay off with major dividends down the road.  For one thing, you will stand out (by miles) from your competitors or any other business for that matter because of your personalization effort.  This time of year, people will always open Christmas cards – you have their undivided attention for that brief moment.  No other marketing you can do at any other time of the year will get the across-the-board, undivided attention of your customer in the same way as a Christmas card.  You instantly have a chance to make a big impression.  You are not selling them at this point, you are simply thanking them, appreciating them, and building good-will.  By personalizing the card you will stand out in their mind and appeal to their human emotion – they will connect with you.

It may be a little late for this year if you have already sent your cards out.  If you have not, I want to challenge you to take a little extra time.  Invest in your cards as a personalized marketing campaign.  This is not a task, it is a golden opportunity.  Please make the most of it and win in the relationship building, marketing side of customer relations…it will show your customers that you really do care, that you are a real person (not just in it for the business), and that you are making an effort to connect with them one-on-one!

What do you think?  What have been your experiences wiht Christmas cards?  Please join in the dialogue through the comments below so we can all learn from each other.  I would love to hear some success stories too!

Comments(12) Blogging, Branding, Church Marketing, Marketing, Ministry, Small Business
  • http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com Ryan

    I think sending fewer cards with more time invested is a good idea, but even getting one christmas card from a business is enough to have me keeping their business in mind. Sadly, interruption marketing still works for plain old consumer me — UNLESS:

    everyone does it. That’s the tragedy of this sort of thing. If everyone sends out the Christmas cards shotgun then we’ll be likely to ignore everyone. Even with a personal note it would be hard to stand out.

    Here’s an idea that might be a bit of a mixture of the two. Many businesses provide charitable donations around this time of year. Why not add something about the cause(s) you supported and how they relate to the products/services that your customers love so much?

    It’s an easy way to show you are a community player and its a good reminder to customers that you are thinking what Christmas is really all about, not to mention letting customers know that their support for your business does put something back into the community as well. (It helps the charities too, because customers might go along with your donations).

  • http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com Ryan

    I think sending fewer cards with more time invested is a good idea, but even getting one christmas card from a business is enough to have me keeping their business in mind. Sadly, interruption marketing still works for plain old consumer me — UNLESS:

    everyone does it. That’s the tragedy of this sort of thing. If everyone sends out the Christmas cards shotgun then we’ll be likely to ignore everyone. Even with a personal note it would be hard to stand out.

    Here’s an idea that might be a bit of a mixture of the two. Many businesses provide charitable donations around this time of year. Why not add something about the cause(s) you supported and how they relate to the products/services that your customers love so much?

    It’s an easy way to show you are a community player and its a good reminder to customers that you are thinking what Christmas is really all about, not to mention letting customers know that their support for your business does put something back into the community as well. (It helps the charities too, because customers might go along with your donations).

  • http://www.MarketingTwins.com MarketingTwins-Randy

    Good thoughts David – I don’t mind it if the cards have some personalization in them. I am still a fan of the news letters where people tell things going on with their families. I read most of them. I prefer if they entertain or tell unique things, not just typical “he went to school” “she graduated” “he got promoted” and “we went to Disneyworld”- I like the surprises or interesting tidbits.

    For business, seems like an effort could be made to be equally personal. Time to talk about the impact of the economy on your business, some of the charitable things you have done (local sports teams you sponsored and how they did), and maybe an excitement about a new product or service (but not talking so much about the product or service….leave ‘em wanting more).

    So the $5 it takes to “personalize” a box of Christmas cards with your company name on them does seem outdated and lame. Where’s the creativity?

    Our marketing firm is not doing mass mailouts to every one we have made contact with. We are picking the clients who we have had the most significant time/money involvement this year. And we are picking out personalized unique gifts that fit each client’s personality. We’re dropping a few cards to some clients but will include a hand written note.

    Merry Christmas Marketing Integrity!

    -Randy

  • http://www.MarketingTwins.com MarketingTwins-Randy

    Good thoughts David – I don’t mind it if the cards have some personalization in them. I am still a fan of the news letters where people tell things going on with their families. I read most of them. I prefer if they entertain or tell unique things, not just typical “he went to school” “she graduated” “he got promoted” and “we went to Disneyworld”- I like the surprises or interesting tidbits.

    For business, seems like an effort could be made to be equally personal. Time to talk about the impact of the economy on your business, some of the charitable things you have done (local sports teams you sponsored and how they did), and maybe an excitement about a new product or service (but not talking so much about the product or service….leave ‘em wanting more).

    So the $5 it takes to “personalize” a box of Christmas cards with your company name on them does seem outdated and lame. Where’s the creativity?

    Our marketing firm is not doing mass mailouts to every one we have made contact with. We are picking the clients who we have had the most significant time/money involvement this year. And we are picking out personalized unique gifts that fit each client’s personality. We’re dropping a few cards to some clients but will include a hand written note.

    Merry Christmas Marketing Integrity!

    -Randy

  • http://www.myofficezilla.com Sundi D. Hayes

    I may be over the top but I’m a crafty person so I can’t help it! I take all this one step farther and send out handmade cards. I’m a papercrafter and a small biz owner so it makes sense that I do this and in the past I’ve been known to make cards for my clients to send to their clients too.

    For cards that come to me I’m a “Christmas” person, not a “Holiday” person. Cards from people who have taken the time to note I would prefer a Christmas card mean more to me than the general Holiday ones. On the flip side it isn’t surprising for some clients to receive Hanukah cards from me. If I’m not sure which is appropriate I send New Years cards!

    Another perfect example of how taking it one step farther could make all the difference!

  • http://www.myofficezilla.com Sundi D. Hayes

    I may be over the top but I’m a crafty person so I can’t help it! I take all this one step farther and send out handmade cards. I’m a papercrafter and a small biz owner so it makes sense that I do this and in the past I’ve been known to make cards for my clients to send to their clients too.

    For cards that come to me I’m a “Christmas” person, not a “Holiday” person. Cards from people who have taken the time to note I would prefer a Christmas card mean more to me than the general Holiday ones. On the flip side it isn’t surprising for some clients to receive Hanukah cards from me. If I’m not sure which is appropriate I send New Years cards!

    Another perfect example of how taking it one step farther could make all the difference!

  • http://www.MarketingTwins.com MarketingTwins-Randy

    #2 – how ’bout differentiating yourself as a business and skipping the holiday cards – when they do tend to get lumped in with others. Is there another holiday of the year that is better suited to your business? Maybe you are patriotic and love July 4th (that’s for us USAers) – so send cards to clients/customers with thoughts of freedom and independence. Or if Easter is an important holiday because of the resurrection connection (is that a new phrase I’ve just coined?), perhaps you could really touch the heart of your client if you send them something at Easter. I had a colleague who would celebrate National Pig Day on March 1 – she loved pigs and created a self-promotion around that holiday. She sent out funny pig cards and had an open house where she invited clients to stop by and celebrate with her. This came at a “down time” in the holiday schedule (here in the U.S.) and it was a point of differentiation for her. I’d never do it, but worked for her.

    -RV

  • http://www.MarketingTwins.com MarketingTwins-Randy

    #2 – how ’bout differentiating yourself as a business and skipping the holiday cards – when they do tend to get lumped in with others. Is there another holiday of the year that is better suited to your business? Maybe you are patriotic and love July 4th (that’s for us USAers) – so send cards to clients/customers with thoughts of freedom and independence. Or if Easter is an important holiday because of the resurrection connection (is that a new phrase I’ve just coined?), perhaps you could really touch the heart of your client if you send them something at Easter. I had a colleague who would celebrate National Pig Day on March 1 – she loved pigs and created a self-promotion around that holiday. She sent out funny pig cards and had an open house where she invited clients to stop by and celebrate with her. This came at a “down time” in the holiday schedule (here in the U.S.) and it was a point of differentiation for her. I’d never do it, but worked for her.

    -RV

  • http://www.bizcoachdeb.com/blog Deb Kolaras

    Nice read and great sentiment. The written word still has a lot of power and in the day of electronic messages, it’s always a nice surprise. Thanks for the reminder :)
    @bizcoachdeb

  • http://www.bizcoachdeb.com/blog Deb Kolaras

    Nice read and great sentiment. The written word still has a lot of power and in the day of electronic messages, it’s always a nice surprise. Thanks for the reminder :)
    @bizcoachdeb

  • http://navigateyourmarketing.com/ David

    Thanks everyone for these excellent reflections and insights. I love the collaborative thoughts!

    Ryan – I agree that being strategic and doing fewer more personalized and targeted cards is more manageable and likely to make a greater impact. I love the idea of bringing in a community focused initiative. This is a good corporate responsibility strategy!

    Randy – I see this topic has you thinking! Your idea of including a value-based newsletter about community involvement is great. That would really show the diversity and character of your organization. You would indeed stand out even more if you sent a specialized card on a different holiday when your competitors are asleep at the switch. Thanks for educating us on National Pig Day…who knew?!

    Sundi – you are a creative machine!Your method is very unique and will make an impression far deeper than anything store-bought. Trust me, my clients don’t want me to follow your lead. I think my nephew could do better than anything I could come up with!

    Deb – you are right. It is hard to believe but the simple act of receiving physical, personalized mail really cuts through all the noise and makes for unique contact now that we are so inundated with e-mail!

    Thanks everyone, this has been a blast for me to read your insights. It is making us all better marketers. I welcome anyone else to join it as well…Merry Christmas everyone!

  • http://navigateyourmarketing.com/ David

    Thanks everyone for these excellent reflections and insights. I love the collaborative thoughts!

    Ryan – I agree that being strategic and doing fewer more personalized and targeted cards is more manageable and likely to make a greater impact. I love the idea of bringing in a community focused initiative. This is a good corporate responsibility strategy!

    Randy – I see this topic has you thinking! Your idea of including a value-based newsletter about community involvement is great. That would really show the diversity and character of your organization. You would indeed stand out even more if you sent a specialized card on a different holiday when your competitors are asleep at the switch. Thanks for educating us on National Pig Day…who knew?!

    Sundi – you are a creative machine!Your method is very unique and will make an impression far deeper than anything store-bought. Trust me, my clients don’t want me to follow your lead. I think my nephew could do better than anything I could come up with!

    Deb – you are right. It is hard to believe but the simple act of receiving physical, personalized mail really cuts through all the noise and makes for unique contact now that we are so inundated with e-mail!

    Thanks everyone, this has been a blast for me to read your insights. It is making us all better marketers. I welcome anyone else to join it as well…Merry Christmas everyone!

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