Holiday Cards and Thank-You Mail Clients Actually Keep

Every December, clients get a stack of holiday mail from businesses. Most of it gets a glance and goes in the recycling. A few cards stay on the desk, get pinned to a board or end up taped to the fridge.

The difference is rarely the budget. It is whether the card feels like it was sent to a person or to a mailing list. Here is how to land in the pile people keep.

Make It About Them, Not You

A holiday card is not an ad. If the inside reads like a sales flyer, with services, a discount code and a "call us today," people feel it right away and toss it.

Use the card to say thank you. Mention something specific when you can: the project you worked on together, the event they invited you to or the referral they sent. One honest sentence beats a paragraph of seasonal filler.

Write It by Hand

A printed signature is fine for a big list. A handwritten note is what people remember. If you cannot write a full message on every card, split your list:

• Top clients and partners: a short handwritten note and a real signature.
• Everyone else: a printed message with a handwritten signature, or at least a handwritten first name.

Even a few hand-written words change how the whole card feels.

Design Something Worth Keeping

People keep cards that are good to look at. That usually means:

• Art first, logo second. Let the front be an illustration, a photo or a pattern. Put your logo small on the back.
• Inclusive greetings. "Happy Holidays," "Season's Greetings" or "Thank you for a great year" work for almost everyone on your list.
• A local touch. A Cleveland skyline, a neighborhood landmark or a nod to the lake makes a card feel personal to people here.
• Good paper. A card with some weight feels like a gift. A flimsy one feels like junk mail.

Note Card or Postcard?

Both work. They just do different jobs.

Note cards ($29.99) with matching envelopes ($75.99) feel personal and private. They are the right choice for handwritten thank-yous and your most important relationships. A printed return address on the envelope makes the whole package look finished.

16pt UV postcards ($44) are faster to send and easier on a large list. The front can carry a bold seasonal design, and the back has room for a short message. They are a good fit for customers, members or a neighborhood list.

Thank-You Mail Works All Year

December is crowded. A thank-you note in a quiet month gets more attention than one in a stack of twenty holiday cards.

Keep a box of branded note cards at your desk all year. Send one when a project wraps, when someone refers a friend or when a client hits a milestone. If the holiday rush gets away from you, a "Happy New Year" card in January is still a warm gesture, and it arrives when the mailbox is quieter.

Clean Up the List First

Nothing undercuts a nice card like a wrong name or an old address. Before you print:

• Check names, titles and spelling against your latest records.
• Remove people who have moved on or asked not to be contacted.
• Add the new clients and partners from this year.
• Order a few extra cards for the people you forget until the last minute.

Need Help With the Design?

If you want a custom holiday card that looks like your brand without looking like an ad, our design services can handle it from concept to print-ready file. Every print order also includes a free artwork review, so your file is checked before it goes to press.

Nov 30 to Dec 6: 10% Off Holiday Mail

From Monday, November 30 through Sunday, December 6, note cards, envelopes and 16pt postcards are 10% off. The discount applies automatically at checkout, and the code HOLIDAY10 also works. You will find all three in our business essentials section.

Want to talk through your card before you order? Start a project brief and tell us who is on your list. We will help you send something worth keeping.

— Alan