Corporate greeting cards are a favorite amongst businesses for their ability to simultaneously advertise and help businesses show personalized interest in their prospects, clients and employees. You simply can't go wrong with greeting cards if you know how to use them.

But often, using them correctly doesn't necessarily mean that you're using them to their potential. When thinking about using greeting cards as part of your business, consider the following:

1. Buying many corporate greeting cards at once can save you money.
2. Personalizing business greeting cards can help your business stand out against others.
3. Greeting cards for businesses used creatively can increase your profits.
   

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

Buy corporate greeting cards in bulk

To make the most of your money, purchase greeting cards for businesses in large numbers. Even if the greeting cards are specialized by occasion, you can find many applications for them outside of their regular purpose. For example, corporate Christmas cards can be sent to prospects during the holiday season when they have more money to spend on your products or services and corporate birthday cards can be sent to established clients as to show that you care about your individual customers.

I recommend: CardsDirect has a nice selection of high-quality, bulk corporate greeting cards from which to choose, ranging from holiday season to birthday themes. Hammond Greetings & Promotions has an even wider selection of "all occasion" greeting cards and you can order them in quantities of thousands.

Customize your corporate greeting cards

If you buy blank greeting cards, you can easily turn them into corporate holiday cards or client greeting cards. You can modify them by hand, or having them professionally customized with your logo, the recipients' names and even a picture of your business or employees inside. The point is to have the recipients recognize that the cards are specifically for them and from your company and not another.

I recommend: Vista Print offers your standard customizable corporate greeting cards at low prices. Sound Expressions has an interesting take on the customized greeting card by providing customers the option to order a greeting card with sound. What's more, you can send in the sound clip that you want to use in MP3 or WAV format.

Send your business greeting cards to clients as a follow-up tool

While a business greeting card can be a great advertising and marketing tool to gain prospects, they can also be subtle business persuasions for potential clients who you've already had contact with. Send greeting cards to fence-sitters to persuade them to do business with you. Remember that greeting cards aren't just for people who 'deserve' them like employees and current customers.

I recommend: NISA Business Greeting Cards has off-beat follow-up greeting cards to use to help you attain more business. BigDates Solutions allows you to customize your follow up cards right on their website.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Think outside the box when you're working with corporate greeting cards. Many recipients, especially if they're prospects, are quick to toss them. Make them irresistible on the outside so that they're more likely to be opened.

An important aspect of your business is acknowledging your customers and developing loyalty relationships. Ironically, it's often something that gets overlooked. Corporate greeting cards are an effective way to thank customers, get your company's name out there and advertise.

But not all corporate greeting cards are created equal. When selecting your corporate greeting cards, keep the following in mind:

1. Holidays or special occasions are always appropriate for sending out corporate greeting cards, but make sure your cards are inclusive, not offensive.
2. The design should showcase your company in a flattering manner while sending an appropriate message to your customers.
3. Corporate greeting cards can be an effective, high-touch, low-cost way to advertise your company to current and prospective clients.

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

Decide when you want to send corporate greeting cards

Many options are available in corporate greeting cards. You can choose to send corporate Christmas cards, Thanksgiving cards, corporate birthday cards, congratulatory cards or customer appreciation cards. To make a lasting impression, send out cards more than once a year. When doing so, customer appreciation cards are a phenomenal way to let your clients know you value their relationship.

I recommend: Check out Cards Direct. It offers dozens of different corporate Christmas cards for ordering. Cards Direct also sells customer appreciation cards. They offer mostly general cards, varying in design, but they also sell business greeting cards geared toward architecture and construction businesses. If you buy corporate greeting cards through Cards Direct, you should receive the shipment in two to four days.

Determine the message you want to communicate with your business greeting cards

Did you know that it takes close to 10 client contacts before you make a sale? You don't want your corporate greeting cards to get thrown into a pile with the rest, so think outside the box. Being creative can get your company the sale, but be careful not to offend. So, for example, when sending holiday cards, look at your clientele and decide if you should choose general holiday cards or religious corporate Christmas cards.

I recommend: Nisa Business Cards has a great array of greeting cards for businesses. Choose from a selection of humorous cards designed to get your customers' attention.

Consider personalized greeting cards for your business

Instead of ordering generic greeting cards, customize your corporate greeting cards. Many companies will professionally print your business logo, name and message inside. You can also get your company's return address printed on the envelope.

I recommend: Vivid Greetings gives you complete control over how your business greeting cards look. You can integrate your company's colors and logo on the front, along with a special message, photos and signatures inside the cards. Hammond Greetings and Promotions offers two types of cards: those with a standard message and custom corporate greeting cards. Most designs allow you to select between the two. You may even add your logo to the front of card, such as in the middle of a snowflake.

Go for high-quality greeting cards

Quality is as important a factor in choosing business greeting cards as is the design. It doesn't say much for your company if you send cheap, thin, poorly-printed corporate birthday cards. It may make your clients wonder where else you cut corners. Look for greeting card companies that focus on quality. Lined envelopes, foils, thick-textured paper and embossing will make your greeting cards stand out from others your clients may be receiving.

I recommend: Best Holiday Cards.com focuses on high-quality cards that let your clients and prospective customers know they're in your thoughts during the holiday season. Choose from Christmas Cards, Holiday Cards and Thanksgiving Cards for the season.

Order the appropriate amount of corporate greeting cards

Make a list of your customers and clients before ordering business greeting cards, so you don't run out. Have someone else look it over, if possible, to make sure you remembered everyone. It's essential to order some extras because there are bound to be misprints or mistakes. Save money by buying in bulk, and use them for a couple of years.

I recommend: Check out Impact Design Group's website. The company offers a discount if you order more than 50 greeting cards.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're not the most creative person, seek help from an employee. You can also work with the greeting card companies to find the perfect greeting cards.
• •  Beat the rush. Send out your corporate Christmas cards early enough so they don't get held up in the mail.

When business owners think about highly visual pieces of direct mail and subdued advertisements, they often think "corporate greeting cards." Smart business owners perceive business greeting cards as more than just a way to preserve business relationships. They see them as an opportunity to propel their marketing campaign.

Greeting cards are a relatively cheap and popular way to stay in touch with recipients. They're also very effective at reminding recipients about what your business is, what it stands for and who it's owned by. When using corporate greeting cards in your business, consider the following:

1. Greeting cards for businesses can be customized to reflect any event or occasion during the year.
2. Corporate greeting cards don't have to stay within your business to have an impact on it.
3. Business greeting cards have an inherent ability to act as marketing and advertising tools.

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

Use corporate greeting cards for special occasions

The great thing about corporate greeting cards is that they can be customized to reflect almost any special occasion that may arise. You can order greeting cards that commemorate milestones in your business, important dates or holidays.

I recommend: The Gallery Collection sells premium corporate holiday cards that can be bought in bulk. Card Island guarantees low prices and offers a few "all occasion" greeting card choices.

Send your business greeting cards to people outside of your company

It's easy, and even expected, to keep your corporate Christmas cards or corporate birthday cards in your immediate business circle. But the better application is to send them out to your clients and prospects. Treat all your greeting cards like client greeting cards and you're sure to see some increase in your profits.

I recommend: Corporate Greeting Cards offers client greeting cards separated by card function and business type. You can also request a quote from the website. Nisa Business Greeting Cards provides specialized cards for prospecting and customer retention. They even have referral cards that your existing customers can pass along.

Buy corporate greeting cards with the intent to use them as more than just greeting cards

A corporate greeting card is more than just a greeting card--it's also a well-concealed marketing tool. At their best, greeting cards can help you keep current customers and get new ones. Send them out en masse when you're prospecting, advertising promotions and practicing a bit of customer retention in addition to just saying 'hello.'

I recommend: Custom Notes can take care of all your greeting card customization and delivery needs for you if you're busy or have a large roster of customers to manage. They also create and deliver cards with marketing in mind. Send Out Cards is another company that can manage your mailings and will work with you to customize your cards. You can send in your designs using their websites, get proofs and receive quotes.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't be fooled into thinking that it's unnecessary to send out corporate greeting cards to customers you already have. Spend money on your current customers like you would on prospects. In the end, keeping customers is much less expensive than finding new ones.