Holiday Cards, the good, the bad, the ugly
A past time tradition for individuals and businesses to send their gratitude, wishes and updates on the past year is with a holiday card. We know that your refrigerator will be packed to the edge with these updates from all over. But contrary to popular belief email may have gone the way of the dodo for sending season’s greetings says Morgan of LetMeBank.com, “It might seem outdated, but in a world of emails and text messages, sending a physical card can add a personal touch and endear you to whoever you’re sending them to.”
I, personally, can’t wait until my friend Brien sends his cards. They are quite original and usually have a quirky spin to them — whether it’s a six-foot-four grown man wearing a buddy the elf costume or an estranged lion hanging out in the corner. I relish the laugh and know that he may be all grown up, but he is still Brien.
Other businesses at this time of year consider cards a staple for them to communicate with their customers, “Personalisation is key in this business. We want our clients to know we value them, and that they are not just another name on an invoice,” Sean Clancy, SEO Director with EDGE Digital Marketing.
If you’re sending Christmas or Holiday cards in general, you’re probably take one of a couple of routes mass distribution via postcard, printing all of them with the same message and signing them yourself or going through the process of customizing every card for every person.
“First, we nail down the design with one of our professional internal designers. They collaborate with our Co-founders to figure out what the right feel and message is. Then we create a list of people to send them to. This includes past clients and leads we’re currently talking to at the moment. Once the list is established, we’ll get the cards ordered…each account manager writes a personal note (in addition to the company holiday message) to say thank you and happy holidays. We find it’s been a very successful initiative as it helps our clients feel appreciated and feels very personal.”
-Ciara Hautau, Lead Digital Marketing Strategist @ Fueled.com
Mass Distribution
This is probably the most common method for individuals and businesses to send out their mail. You’re creating a simple postcard that’s wrapped up in an envelope or freely visible and using the same message for all people. This is a simple method, but not very personable. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it won’t make a lasting impact.
Pros:
This is probably a cost effective solution that will “speedily” (USPS can be a wildcard) get your cards out.
Cons:
This process is going to cost you little time and personalization for your mailers.
DIY at Home
Doing it at home requires a couple more steps to send your mailers. First you’re going to have to design your cards and print that template off (if you have the design tools & printing capabilities). After they are printed, you’ll be signing each one. Lastly, you’ll need to pre-purchase stamps from the post office and add postage to every card or letter that you’re sending out. Lastly, deliver all of your cards to the post office.
Pros:
This method adds a little personalization to your holiday cards. You’re automating some of the creation of the cards.
Cons:
That’s going to cost you materials and time to sign, deliver and more importantly just get it done. This is the biggest hurdle that people face when getting their holiday cards made, finding the time to do it.
DIY at Home 2.0
A painstaking holiday card process is just that, a painful process. You’re doing a lot of work by hand, just as the DIY process, but more manual labor. This process follows the same steps above, but each letter you’re personally addressing and writing cards.
Pros:
Your cards are going to be authentic. They will be held longer, read longer and leave a lasting impact.
Cons:
This is going to take you a very long time to complete. Time, energy and resources that go into this project may end up eating a large portion of your time if you don’t have a team working on it.
An alternative
There are several methods to send your holiday cards with greetings and warm messages to your family or clients. But, there is an alternative way to get the biggest bang for your buck without losing time and make a lasting impact.
Leveraging The Big Mail Project can streamline the mailer process for you allowing you to customize mailers without getting arthritis. Using handwritten cards portion gives the authentic feel and help you communicate your message as easy as writing an email. The simple, intuitive, UI allows you to easily type in the interface and merge addresses so you’re not having to do it.
Simply create a free account and send your first card, on us. We’ll refund your mailer. Adversely, send us an email – [email protected] with your address and get a free sample.
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