Just because it’s too early for most of us to stock up on candy canes and tinsel, that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start planning your corporate season greetings.
Starting early gives you a chance to come up with a unique and interesting concept.
Greeting cards don’t have to be a tedious hassle you rush to send out. With a little time and thought, you can turn those generic green Christmas trees on white backgrounds into something different – something that will make this part of the holiday enjoyable, let you connect to your clients, and even offer a boost to your brand.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while planning your company’s season greeting:
Make it Fun
The holidays are a time for us all to relax – or, at least, to switch our worries from business to what toys we’ll be giving (or receiving). While you still want to keep things professional, you can switch from suits and ties to business casual. Crack a few jokes, toss around a few snowballs—the winter sky is the limit.
Make it Personal
Holiday cards are a way to connect outside the workplace. A good way to make your card memorable is to add that personal touch, something to let them know that there’s a face behind the amazing work you do. Whether it’s including your favorite pie recipe or adding messages from your team, the little touch you include will make a big impression.
Relate it to Your Brand
Don’t just stick your company logo on the back off the card and call it good. Think about the message you want to send out, and incorporate that into the greeting. Use your company colors for the lights on the Christmas tree, or relate the concept to the type of media you excel in. These cards are a great way to reinforce the company image you are trying to promote, so make sure to use them. And remember – don’t wait until the last minute!
Looking for some more inspiration? Here are a few ideas we found online and from our portfolio:
A few years back we put together a greeting card for our friends at seOverflow. With a few new employees and many clients out of state that have never met the team in person, they wanted to find a way to send out a picture of the staff without the generic group photo.
Our “Seasons Tweetings” concept gave the team a chance to share a little bit about themselves and what they were doing over the holidays— all in Twitter’s convenient 140 character format.
Every year we send out a simple card, but include a recipe from Kandra’s holiday cookbook. Everyone knows we close the studio for an extended break around the holidays just so Kandra can cook for a few weeks, and this gives us the chance to share some homemade goodies with all of our clients. It has become a tradition that many of our clients look forward to each year. (Don’t worry, it’s almost time again… you can stop drooling now.)
Shephard Fairey, known for his Obey sticker campaign, has a unique artistic style and brand that are easily recognizable to anyone who has seen them before. This holiday card he sent out a few years ago provides an interesting combination of holiday sentiments and his trademark style. You can even see the face of his Giant hiding in the palm of the hand. You can view more of his work on Artsy’s Shepard Fairey page
If you have a larger budget, instead of sending out a card, consider sending out a cleverly wrapped gift. Last year One Trick Pony sent clients bottles of tequila packaged, in a hollowed out wooden log. The bottles include instructions for logging into their mobile site for further holiday cheer.
Good holiday greetings are all about sending out warm, friendly, and unique messages to your network.
Have fun, be creative, and remember – get started soon!