Already considering creating your professional holiday cards or messages for 2022? We don’t blame you. Thinking ahead of the game is a recipe for success, and preparing those holiday cards or messages earlier than required is always a wise choice. After all, the holiday season will soon be upon us.
Besides spreading holiday cheer, professional holiday messages are an essential brand marketing strategy for forming or maintaining lasting relationships and making loyal followers feel appreciated. This post shares things to keep in mind when creating your organization’s greeting cards to ensure they have positive messages about your brand and are not immediately chucked in the garbage the second they arrive.
Keep your holiday cards’ message short and sweet
Professional holiday cards aren’t full-sized letters. They are smaller in size, so you should compose your message’s length with this in mind. Even if you have a million things you’d like to share, it’s essential to avoid making your holiday card a novel. Remember: Less is more!
Instead, keep the holiday message short, sweet, and long enough to grab your recipient’s attention, offer your best holiday wishes, and make them feel appreciated for their support.
Keep it holiday-unspecific
Craft a holiday message that will most resonate with your followers, and keep the holiday greetings generic unless you know all your clients celebrate the same thing. This way, none of your recipients will be isolated. Generic greetings like “Warmest wishes,” “Happy holidays,” or “Wishing you a great holiday season” are your best bet.
Personalize the message
Rather than sending a generic holiday message with the same greeting to every recipient, personalize the message to make it more impactful, if possible. This can be as simple as including small gifts they would enjoy, addressing them by their names, or including a sincere message with a distinctive sign-off. Showing them that you remember individual interactions or listen to their preferences provides an additional touch of thoughtfulness.
Be authentic in your message
Your organization’s holiday card message must come across as real. Being real with your audience in your broader messaging across platforms is a must, especially with professional holiday cards. Your clients care about your organization and can easily see through the veil of faked empathy. Instead, let your message be sincere, as it can leave a good impression and make your audience feel valued as a friend, client, or supporter.
Your holiday card design is equally important
Besides crafting a clear and sincere holiday message, you should consider choosing a theme or design that would align with your organization’s work. Moreover, your holiday message (both text and graphic) should have an emotional undertone in line with your organization’s brand and messaging strategy. Listen to episode 14 of Messaging on a Mission, “Messaging through Graphic Design,” with Senior Art Director Kim Vanni, to gain more insight into the role of design in messaging.
Not sure what to include in your holiday message? Here are more suggestions to help:
- Focus on your end goal (forming or maintaining relationships).
- Decide who your audience is, personalize your message, and offer genuine greetings.
- Show appreciation for the relationship.
- Emote in a way that aligns with your brand.
- Reinforce your commitment to local communities as is appropriate.
- Keep everything short, simple, and sweet. Remember, less is more, and your holiday card design can help in this regard.
The best holiday cards make people feel valued and appreciated, remind them of their experience with your organization, and form connections that yield lifetime value. Get inspired this season with more personal and creative ways to show your clients and prospects you care.
