TikTok takes over

We’re about to make a radical recommendation about your company’s annual holiday card: Print it! You probably do it already, which means a staffer runs out at the last minute and buys boxes of cards or purchases them from a printer. There’s nothing technically wrong with this per sei, but it screams generic.

Do people still send greeting cards?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes! And guess who sends them, GenZ and Millennials, and of course, Baby Boomers, who have engaged in the practice for decades. Hallmark estimates that $1.3 billion is spent annually on Christmas Cards. So yes, printed cards are welcome.

Says Lindsay Roy, CMO of Hallmark, “Our research tells us that paper cards continue to break through.” And isn’t breaking through what marketing is all about?

The marketing angle

Why, you ask, can’t I blast out holiday greetings with an email? Here are a few reasons:

  1. Custom cards are more tactile and personal.
  2. The good stuff is posted on the break room fridge or the mantle at home. It’s all about eyeballs.
  3. It keeps your company name top of mind on days when you wouldn’t hawk a two-for-one sale.
  4. The holiday card, without sounding salesy, can speak loads about your brand. Do you have a sense of humor, a high-tech image, or is your brand more Norman Rockwellish? Show it off with a custom card.

Timing is everything

Time your holiday card to arrive during the first week of December. You’ll get maximum exposure and get on the fridge before your competitors. Your artwork deadline should be in the first week of November.

The major holidays

Hanukkah, December 18 through December 26
Festivus, December 23
Christmas, December 25
Kwanzaa, December 26 through January 1
New Year’s Eve, December 31
New Year’s Day, January 1, 2023

Happy Holidays. Let us know how we can help you get your custom card out the door.

Send comments to Bill Abramovitz