Top 10 Reasons to Send a Business Holiday Card
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 11/08/2009
10) It’s cheaper than a catalog, discount offer or coupon
9) People hang up their holiday cards and others look at them, so the word spreads, making your cost per viewer is really lower than the already low cost of a card
8.) The season is ready-made for getting your company’s name out without seeming salesy or pushy
7) Making a holiday card list creates a good opportunity to update mailing lists and make sure all info is current
6) Businesses that send holiday card are perceived of as “friendlier” than those who do not
5) Employees who receive company holiday cards and other business greeting cards report higher levels of engagement and loyalty than those who do not
4) Sending a company holiday card can become a company tradition. And companies with observable traditions last longer then companies without them
3) Selecting a company Christmas card encourages management to think about the company image and message. According to Stephan Covey, companies with a clear picture of their image and message are far more successful overall.
2) Sending a card to employees that says “thank you” results in a more employee-focused company culture, which promotes productivity, lower absenteeism, and lower turnover.
And most importantly,
1) People genuinely like getting holiday cards, even from businesses, so sending them makes customers happy. And above all, you want happy customers.
Need more business? Send greeting cards!
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 10/12/2009
Keeping in touch with your clients is crucial for your business. It can help build up your relationship with the clients.
A good way to achieve this goal is to impress your clients by sending them individualized greeting cards. This can show your concern and attention to them. You will need a marketing strategy that works to secure an increase in return business. So do it right!
Repeat Business: Tell current clients that you are thankful for their support by sending them greeting cards. If you manage to make them feel respected and valued, this will encourage them to come back for more business. Customer
Loyalty: The loyalty of your clients can also be maintained by sending greeting cards. You can show your appreciation to the clients and let them know that they are precious to the company in the cards.
Referrals: Place some client case studies or testimonials inside your greeting cards. This kind of real life reference can make your clients believe that it is a right decision to choose your company. They will then suggest you to others.
Existing Customers: You would want your clients to think of you as more than just another marketing consultant who cares about nothing but business. Express sincere wishes through your greeting cards to make them feel that they are more than just a customer. This will keep business coming thru the door. Printed greeting cards helps you to impress your clients with their unique designs. Your clients will not miss a single message in the personalized cards. They are printed exclusively for them.
Sending greeting cards can only help you approach a group of target clients. If your target is to approach a wide variety of clients, you should make use of a card campaign which can gain attention from many people at one time with low cost.
For more information on how to implement a greeting card system into your follow up routine, please visit www.easy2sendcards.com
How to Reach Out to Past Clients
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 10/02/2009
Your clients are considered as valuable assets for your business, because they fuel your revenue. Aside from maintaining a good relationship with your existing and prospective clients, it would also be a good idea to communicate with clients you had in the past.
Staying in touch with your past clients is one good way of keeping competitors away. You can reach out to past clients by sending them greeting cards during holidays and special occasions.
Below are a few tips to keep in mind when creating greeting cards for your clients:
1. Inform them about new services or products. Updating past clients about your new products or services helps you stay in their radar. Making yourself “available” to your clients will make it easier for them to remember you in case an opportunity arises. Your new products or services may just be enough reasons for them to do business with you.
2. Ask them for feedback. Letting clients know that their feedback still matters to you makes them feel appreciated. Knowing what they think about your business helps you to address their concerns and improve your services. Their feedback will help you provide customer satisfaction not just for past clients, but for existing and prospective clients as well. Clients will find it difficult to switch to another brand if they know that you still value their business.
3. Give them an unbeatable offer. Persuade clients to buy your products or try your services by giving them an offer that they will find hard to resist. Offer clients big discounts or free items to elicit a positive response from them.
4. Mailing greeting cards to clients is a good way to remind them about your business. Send good wishes to clients with impressive greeting cards from a reputable company.
Using the Holiday Season to Promote your Business
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/30/2009
With the holiday season drawing near, now is the time to start thinking of promoting your business.
Thanksgiving is a major holiday and certainly not one that should be ignored when sending good wishes to your customers. Thanksgiving greeting cards are a great way to connect with your customers and promote your business at the same time.
Creating name or brand recognition is one of the most powerful methods of promoting any business, and one method of creating name recognition is by keeping your name in front of your customers. The more frequently a customer sees your name the more likely they will to remember it when they find themselves in need of your product or service. When you send your customers a Thanksgiving greeting card, you will be taking advantage of an opportunity to put your name out there. Creating name recognition helps you retain your current customers, and also create opportunities to bring in new business.
Another great reason to use the Thanksgiving cards for a business promotion opportunity is that it will not cost you a lot of money. Most small businesses simply do not have the resources to launch major advertising campaigns to create name recognition with their customers, but if you take advantage of other tools at your disposal, like Easy 2 Send Cards, you can get the same results at a fraction of the cost.
Throughout the year there are many opportunities to keep in touch with your customers and ensure that your name stays in front of them. Sending your customers information about promotions, or special birthday greetings are additional ways you can use greeting cards to promote your business name.
A number of companies send Christmas greeting cards during the holiday season, but many overlook a lot of the other holidays throughout the year. Sending happy Thanksgiving cards to your customers, suppliers and employees is a great opportunity for business promotion that you don’t want to overlook. Not only will this gesture help with name recognition for your company, but it will also create warm feelings in your customers for your company, and the next time they are in need of your product or service, your company’s name will be one of the first names that comes to their mind.
When shopping for Thanksgiving greeting cards for your company you will find that you have a couple of different choices. Most greeting card suppliers offer standard corporate greeting cards for various occasions, including Thanksgiving greeting cards, plus there is always the option of purchasing customized greeting cards. With a customized Thanksgiving card you can have your company’s name printed on the cards, as well as the envelopes, and in some cases you can even include your business logo too. Easy 2 Send Cards provides these customized cards at a fraction of what you would pay through a printer or card company. The other advantage of Easy 2 Send Cards is that you do not have to order cards in bulk. You can send 1 card, or 10 or 100, or even 500 whether it be the same card or different cards can be sent to different groups of people.
The holiday season is a great way to promote your business, but keep in mind that there are other holidays aside from Christmas. You can easily take advantage of sending greeting cards for Thanksgiving, New Years Day, birthdays, and many other occasions.
How To Write A Business Thank You Note and When To Send It (part 2 of 2)
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/19/2009
When should you send business thank you cards and notes?
Now that we’ve got the ‘how’ figured out, let’s talk about when you send business thank you notes.
I can’t cite every instance for which you should write business thank you notes, but I can give you examples that can guide you for future reference.
The long and short of it is that you should send thank you notes whenever you feel a person or company has done something to merit gratitude.
Here are some examples:
- For a client referral
- For new business
- For continued business
- For a favor
- For a gift
- For granting a request (conducting an interview, providing information, giving a tour, etc.)
- To an event host (business breakfast/lunch/dinner host, conference coordinator, association manager)
- To a guest speaker
- To a mentor
The impact of learning how to write business thank you cards is clear
When writing business thank you notes, you are setting yourself apart from your competition, making yourself memorable, and practicing good business etiquette. Learning how to write a business thank you with a solid understanding of business thank you note etiquette can give you the professional edge.
The Emily Post Institute says it best: “When you say “thank you,” you are showing appreciation and displaying confidence and maturity.”
How to Surpass 95% of your Competition with One Simple Gesture
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/14/2009
Do you want to stand out from the crowd? Then follow up.
The fact is, most people don’t follow up very well, if at all. Good follow-up alone elevates you above 95 percent of your peers. The follow-up is the hammer and nails of your networking tool kit.
In fact, FOLLOW-UP IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN ANY FIELD. Making sure a new acquaintance retains your name (and the favorable impression you’ve created) is a process you should set in motion right after you’ve met someone. Why go to all the trouble of meeting new people if you’re not going to work on making them a part of your life?
Give yourself between 12 and 24 hours after you meet someone to follow up. If you meet somebody on a plane, send them an e-mail or a card later that day. If you meet somebody over cocktails, send them an e-mail or a card the next morning.
Some tips for flawless follow-up:
1. Put the name and address of a new acquaintance in your database and program your calendar to remind you in a month’s time to drop the person another e-mail or card, just to keep in touch. Remember—and this is critical—your follow up shouldn’t remind them of what they can do for you. It’s about what you might be able to do for them. It’s about giving them a reason to want to follow up.
2. Always express your gratitude.
3. Be sure to include an item of interest from your meeting or conversation—a joke or a shared moment of humor.
4. Reaffirm whatever commitments you both made—going both ways. Be brief and to the point.
5. Always address the thank-you note to the person by name.
6. Use e-mail AND snail mail. The combination adds a personalized touch. Timeliness is key. Send them as soon as possible after the meeting or interview.
7. Many people wait until the holidays to say thank you or reach out. Why wait? Your follow-ups will be timelier, more appropriate, and certainly better remembered.
8. Don’t forget to follow up with those who have acted as the go between for you and someone else. Let the original referrer know how the conversation went, and express your appreciation for their help.
Make follow-up a habit. Make it automatic. When you do, the days of struggling to remember people’s names—and of other people struggling to remember yours—will be a thing of the past.
Info provided by keithferrazzi
How to Write a Business Thank You Note & When To Send It (part 1 of 2)
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/13/2009
Writing business thank you notes is the just the first step in mastering business thank you note etiquette.
They say that golf is essential to doing business. I don’t know about that, but I do know that etiquette is. Practicing proper business etiquette takes you (and your business) to the next level of professionalism in the eyes of your business partners, vendors and clients. That’s why learning how to write business thank you cards is so important.
Knowing how to write a business thank you gives you the leg up
Business thank you note etiquette ranks among the top skills all professionals should hone in their arsenal of business etiquette tactics. Writing business thank you notes is as important as paying your bills on time and knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Believe it or not, learning how to write business thank you cards gives you a competitive edge.
Why? Because not enough people do it. Writing business thank you notes, while imperative and considerate, is often overlooked as a mandatory business practice. And because it makes you memorable; people like to be thanked, so expressing your gratitude will distinguish you. So if you make it a practice to write business thank you notes, you will be one critical, and courteous, step ahead of your competition.
You say you don’t know how to write a business thank you note? It’s not too different from writing a personal thank you note; just keep in mind your intended audience. Here is a practical guide to business thank you note etiquette:
- First and foremost, do not send store-bought notes. Be sure to use either company letterhead or, even better, personalized notes and cards.
- Address your note to the particular person who provided you a service or helped you in some way; use the person’s formal name and title on the envelope.
- Use ‘Dear Mr. / Ms. X’ unless you have already established a relationship on a first-name basis. Only use a more informal greeting, like ‘Dear Bob,’ if you know the person well.
- Maintain professional language and tone throughout the business thank you note; you can be relaxed but not too informal (avoid slang and inappropriate language).
- Identify yourself and the purpose of the note, and reference the circumstance that prompted the business thank you note.
- Polonius said it best in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “…since brevity is the soul of wit…I will be brief.” You should, too. Without sacrificing friendliness or important information, keep your business thank you note concise.
- Close with ‘Sincerely,’ followed by your formal name and title in closing. Be sure to enclose your business card, especially if you don’t have a prior relationship with the recipient. If you are in job search mode and do not have a business card, you can order personalized calling cards that present your contact information in a professional manner.
- Address the envelope with the recipient’s formal name, title and company name, as well as mailing address. It is acceptable to handwrite the address, especially if you are sending a personalized note or card. Don’t forget proper postage!
- Mail your business thank you note promptly. If you are sending a thank you note after an interview or meeting, send it that afternoon or the next day. If you are thanking someone for speaking at an event, send it upon conclusion of the event. If you are expressing gratitude for a gift you received, follow the same business thank you note etiquette by sending it as soon as possible.
Part 2 will cover When to Send a Business Thank You Note.
Blog post provided by Heather Wachter
Top 6 Ways to Recycle Greeting Cards
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/04/2009
You get them on every major holiday, on your birthday, when you get married and even when you buy a new house. In fact, you get so many of them that you often find them in between magazine pages, inside boxes and under the couch when you’re not even looking for them!
They’re called greeting cards, and whether you get them from the card store, the gas station, or even Send Out Cards, they’re usually meant to brighten your day. The problem with greeting cards is that once you’ve read the sappy message inside and set it on your work desk for all to see, it gets old after about a week.
So what do you do? If you’re a packrat like me, you shove it into the infamous “black hole box” with the hundreds of other cards that have been collected since middle school. But if you’re not like me, which is a good thing, then you don’t pack it up or throw it away. You recycle it.
Here are 6 ways that you can recycle greeting cards into hip and artistic creations:
1. Coasters – Cut your greeting cards into circles or squares, cover them with self-adhesive laminating paper, and get ready to take your drink anywhere!
2. Bookmark – If your greeting card has a sentimental message in it, or a picture on the cover that you really like, then cut it into a 2″ x 5″ strip, laminate it and use it as a bookmark.
3. Framed Art – Whether you want to remember the amazing artwork on the outside or the sentimental message on the inside, all you need is a frame and your imagination.
4. Personalized Luggage Tags – You know that suitcase you always use on business trips or when you visit your parents? You can cut the greeting card to fit into the luggage tag and write your personal information on it.
5. Postcards – Old cards that have an amazing picture on the front of them are perfect for postcards. If nothing is written on the back of your greeting card cover, then you can cut off the front cover, write a message on the back of it, put on a stamp and send it in the mail.
6. St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Recycled Card Program – St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, an organization that rescues abused and neglected children, also has its own Recycled Card Program. You mail in your old cards, and then the children recycle them into new cards. The children are paid for their creative work and you feel good about your eco-friendly donation! If you’re interested in donating cards you can mail them to:
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
These are just a few of the ways that you can turn your old greeting cards into new green products.
Provided by: The Green Groove by Trish Smith
Follow Trish on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thegreengroove
Small Businesses Continue Holiday Tradition
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 09/01/2009
A recent national survey of small business owners has found that the majority plan to continue the annual tradition of sending holiday cards and corporate gifts to their clients, customers and business associates this holiday season.
Staying connected and building strong business relationships is key to survival in these uncertain times and sending greeting cards is a wise investment in those partnerships.
Findings from the survey confirmed that 45% of small businesses send holiday cards and/or gifts. Of those, 78% send holiday cards and 25% send gifts.
59% of small businesses report that their holiday spending will go unchanged this year while 41% say the economy will affect their holiday spending, but only 5% plan not to send anything out this year.
Small businesses have confirmed that the value and strengthened business relationships that the sending of holiday greeting cards brings to those they do business with, are well worth the minimal expenditure. This expense and time commitment that it takes to send out a slew of holiday cards, can be further minimized by utilizing a card sending service, like Easy 2 Send Cards.com.
So, before you consider striking holiday cards from your budget, think again! You could be decreasing your profits as well!
Send a card for FREE today and try before you buy. Because it really IS Easy 2 Send Cards!!
Survey Shows Moms Look to Each Other for Encouragement
Posted by: Barbara Duran on: 08/25/2009
The results of a recent national survey reveals moms say they need encouragement from other moms around the day-to-day challenges of motherhood. More than eight in 10 moms surveyed said they turn to each other for candid, empathetic, unapologetic support and reassurance that “we are all in this together.” Two-thirds of moms said they handle the imperfect moments of motherhood by sharing funny stories with other moms about their experiences.
In the survey, moms reveal that humor helps them manage the challenges and stress of child rearing. Eighty-four percent of moms said they believe that sharing funny stories about their child or children with other moms helps them manages day-to-day challenges and stress of motherhood. Sixty-eight percent said they share funny stories about their experiences with others as a way to handle day-to-day challenges of motherhood. The survey also revealed moms’ desires to encourage their kids more, particularly at the back-to-school timeframe. When asked about giving encouragement to their kids, more than three-fourths of moms said they are looking for new ways to boost their child’s confidence during back-to-school.
A great way to do this is by sending your child a back-to-school card or a motivational card that will give them the confidence they need to face that new set of challenges that will be there when they get into the classroom environment. There are specific cards for sports, kid or teen specific, motivational cards, congratulations cards and even cards for teachers or coaches.
Send a card for FREE on me…visit http://www.easy2sendcards.com
