The holidays aren't the only time of year for your business to send cheerful online greetings. So many occasions are worth remembering, and greeting ecards are a thoughtful, spontaneous and often-delightful way of spreading good cheer throughout the year. Many ecard categories are available which can help you find just the right greeting for the customer, prospect, colleague or employee you'd like to impress.

Ecards specifically targeted to business occasions (promotions, teamwork, customer appreciation, etc.) work well in expressing your company's sentiments. More general ecard categories, such as birthday ecards, anniversary ecards and thank-you ecards, also lend themselves well to business applications. Some ecard types you might consider using to promote your business are the following:

1. Animated ecards
2. Musical ecards
3. Traditional-style ecards
4. Humorous ecards
5. E-postcards
6. Multimedia ecards
7. Do-it-yourself ecards
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Send corporate ecards that spread good cheer and express your appreciation

Many websites offer a variety of free ecards that will make your customers, clients, and associates remember you fondly.

I recommend: Hi! Greetings offers thank-you ecards and epostcards you can use to express your appreciation to colleagues, clients or employees for their business, loyalty and support. The site also provides free birthday ecards for co-workers to help you celebrate your staff's special days. Ecard Universe provides a variety of free ecards from such categories as Leadership, New Job, Well-Done and Retirement, which can help you create improved business relationships.

Consider professional ecards for business associates, clients and prospects

Everyone on your list will enjoy receiving a classy static or animated ecard from a website that knows how to create an impressive egreeting for businesspeople.

I recommend: GreetingsnEcards.com offers a wide variety of ecards for business giving. From appointment-confirmation cards to corporate anniversary wishes, and from encouragement for midweek crises to pre-vacation wishes, you'll find something here for virtually any conceivable corporate occasion. Free ecards from the extensive corporateEgreetings.com multi-category collection also create a memorable, professional impression.

Look for websites that offer something extra in ecards for business giving

Many companies go the extra mile for their customers by providing extra features when you choose their ecards.

I recommend: CorpNote offers the added convenience of sending your animated ecard to any number of recipients, from one to 1,000, in a single online mailing, letting you decide whether to send your ecards immediately or on a future date which you specify. The site also offers the option of customizing your ecard with your company logo and/or turning it into an interactive survey or invitation. In addition to its regular ecard line, e-Expressions offers ecampaigns to simplify your marketing efforts, and emessages, which it describes as a way to "bring your offer to life and make your sales soar!" B2b Interactive Marketing offers its biz ecard CDs, which you can use to deliver multimedia content for use as business cards, training presentations and more.

Create your own ecards by uploading photos or artwork or using online images If you're artistic

Designing your own business ecards will not only put your creativity to work; it will help you target your card's message and design, showing your recipients how much you value them.

I recommend: In addition to providing ready-to-go ecard designs, including ecards in several business-related categories, CorpNote offers a design-it-yourself ecard option, which allows you to give your free ecards the personal touch. Along with its own line of ready-made business ecards, 1001 Postcards also features a do-it-yourself ecard option that lets you create your own ecards using any image on the Internet. E-Card Lite, a downloadable Windows-based program offered by filetransit, lets you create totally self-contained business ecards and other multimedia content for your customers and associates.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Free ecards can save your company money. So give them a fair trial before deciding that they aren't for you. Instead of abandoning traditional greeting cards entirely; if you're partial to them, consider using animated ecards only for certain occasions.