Design Crafters

Sending Thanksgiving cards has always been a good idea but
has taken a long time to catch on as to why they are a great choice when it
comes to sending holiday cards. Thanksgiving is a time of reflection - a time
of showing appreciation and thankfulness for various blessings. It’s a great
time to let clients and customers know how much you appreciate their patronage,
friendship etc.

Two things stand out as to why Thanksgiving cards are such a great choice.
First of all, if you are concerned about such things, they cross all cultural
barriers. If you are concerned at all about offending someone because of
religious differences and consequently their beliefs and celebrations it just
won’t happen with Thanksgiving cards which are as generic as they come. On the
other hand, if you want to put a spiritual type message inside you can do that
just as easily as selecting a generic message, so they consequently can be used
either way.

Another important point in the selecting and sending Thanksgiving cards is that
they get to the recipient before all the other cards that will be coming closer
to Christmas. The receiver is more apt to take more time reading and digesting
the message and your name will stand out more because it isn’t lost in the
crowd. Think about sending a Thanksgiving card today while there’s stil plenty of time.

1. Start
   out by buying premium quality Christmas cards to send to your clients and
   customers. Sending less that that either indicates that either business
   has not been good and you cannot afford better, or that they don’t rate
   well enough for you to invest a little in a  nice card.
2. Update your mailing list to have the correct address for all your
   recipients. This not such a chore if you have been updating it throughout
   the year with any changes or additions. You don’t want to be sending to
   the wrong address.

   3. Even if you have had your Christmas cards professionally personalized (which you
   should - even including a logo if you have one) you should take the time
   to hand sign them and even add a simple one line message.

   4. Hand address the envelopes, or preferably delegate that to someone
   else, but addresses should be handwritten. Don’t use labels as that is too
   impersonal and looks too much like a mass mailing. Using labels will save
   you some time and money, but you could lose a client in the process.

   5. If you know a business owner personally and know his home address, you
   can really make this personal by sending your Business Christmas card to
   his/her home and include the spouses address.

   6. When addressing your Christmas card envelopes, use titles (Mr., Mrs.,
   Dr.) but not professional designations like Ph.D. or M.D.

   7. Be sensitive to the cultural traditions of your client. Do they
   celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa? If you are not sure or there is a
   mix, you might want to send something generic or you are always safe
   sending a Thanksgiving card.

   8. Avoid the Christmas rush. Order your Christmas cards early and even
   address them over a period of time, then as you have time during the month
   or two before Christmas, you can start signing them and writing your
   personal messages. Just try to do a few a day. That way it won’t be so
   overwhelming.