Corporate Christmas Cards – Help and Advice from the experts

If you’re planning to send cards this year, here are a few things to consider, courtesy of Jon Hart, Regional Account Manager at St Austell Printing Company.

First impressions count: Envelopes

As long as your recipient has been a good boy or girl, they’ll probably be receiving a few Christmas cards.So think about the envelope and how to make it stand out from the other post they’ll receive. Firstly, the colour is an easy way to catch someone’s attention. The brighter, the better. Maybe personalise it with your company logo or a graphic.Secondly, as this is a physical item in someone’s hands think about the paper stock. If something feels a little out of the ordinary, then it’s more likely to stand out from the bills and other boring post. 

Design that stands out

This card represents your company – so of course you want to make sure it looks as good as possible and matches your identity – but try and avoid being too corporate.Let your designer be creative. Maybe have a think about some of your main company messages and build a theme around that. For example, one of our core messages is around sustainability and the environment, so in the past have commissioned artists with briefs based on this.Chances are your card will end up on display in a reception or office surrounded by other cards – so by giving your designer creative freedom, you’re more likely to end up with something eye-catching.

Content

Keep your message simple, straight to the point – and whatever you do, don’t turn it into a sales pitch.The act of sending the card should appear selfless, but don’t forget that this is still a piece of marketing and of course the ultimate aim of these cards is nurture a relationship with your client. Just do it in a softly-softly way.If your team is small enough, make it feel really personal and consider printing all their signatures inside too.

Timing matters

Timing is very important for making sure your card gets the maximum impact. Do it in early-to-mid November and you’ll be adding fuel to the inevitable “Eugh, Christmas.” fire.But don’t leave it too late either. You want it to be on display and relevant for as long as possible. Also bear in mind it’s not unusual for the big bosses (the people you really want to impress!) to knock-off early for the festive break.In my experience, late November to early December is a good time for your cards to hit doormats. Planning ahead also means you can save money on postage, sending second class instead of first or mail-sort if the quantities are large enough – allowing even bigger savings on your postage.

Different messages for different recipients.

In a perfect world, you’d sit there and hand-write every single card with a personal message for every single client. But of course finding the time when you’re running a business can be hard.So think about a handful of different messages for different recipients.For example, you could get 100 cards printed designed for regular clients. Then another 100 cards for clients who haven’t used you for a while.This means the message they read is much more relevant to them.At St Austell Printing Company we have a dedicated team of print experts who can not only help you print your cards, but even prepare and mail them for you too – all under one roof and at a very competitive price.If you’d like to find out more about how we can help, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 01726 624900 or visit https://sapc.co.uk/christmas-cards-without-stress/