Marketing For Power Packed Business Growth: Business Christmas Cards? Bah. Humbug!

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Business Christmas Cards? Bah. Humbug!

Christmas! It's that time of year when a businessman's fancy turns to the customers and prospects he's seen over the last few years.

He waits in eager anticipation for the sound of the postman's laboured breathing. That postal struggle signals another sack chock full of cheery festive business greetings from every business he's ever dealt with.

And in return the businessman sends out his own sackful of business greeting cards with the Jolly Santa joke, the serious Christmas message or the politically correct card "for use in any celebrational situation."

Like you I've had them all. Have you had cards with messages like these?

it was good to do business with you. Let's do more in the New Year
Let's make this New Year our best ever
Just to wish you a Happy Christmas
From our winning team to yours

And even those without a message or signature.

Maybe the cards were signed by the MD, the "whole team", the MD's secretary or the office junior. Or perhaps the signature was pre-printed with the message on the card.

Why Send Cards That Are Meaningless?

Why do we send cards that mean nothing? It's not going to get us any more business. The perception is that cards are just a chore almost every business does around this time every year.

And yet when you communicate at Christmas time it’s that period of peace and goodwill to all men. People are looking forward to Christmas and often people are more relaxed and better disposed to others.

So are we right to send all those Christmas cards out?

I'll be looking at that answer in part two of this post series and then going onto to giving some steps to a better way of talking to your customers at Christmas. Or any other holiday for that matter!