Greeting cards aren’t just for birthdays and holidays! In fact, for small businesses, adding them to their direct mail strategy reaps great rewards.
The Value of Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are personal, thoughtful, and brighten the receiver’s day. They are a sign of relationship. Holiday cards tell the recipient they are being thought of. Birthday cards celebrate their special day. Cards break the mold of traditional direct mail campaigns because rather than focusing on the business sending the mail, they are focused on the person opening the card.
When a greeting card is sent to a customer, they feel appreciated, and this fosters goodwill and loyalty with your company. It builds brand recognition and often drives immediate sales, especially if done well.
The question then is: how does a small business use greeting cards to build customer satisfaction and loyalty?
How Does a Small Business Create a Greeting Card Direct Mail Campaign?
- Choose the Right Cards for Your Business
- Customize & Personalize Your Cards
- Focus Your Strategy
Choose the Right Cards for Your Business
If you are sending birthday cards to existing customers, you may have a different look and feel than if you are sending congratulatory cards to new parents who have never interacted with your brand.
Making the right impression includes colors, fonts, and paper thickness. The cards should reflect your brand’s personality, such as playful and bright, or comforting and secure.
Customize & Personalize Your Cards
Who is your target audience? Who do you want to reach, and why? What are the demographics of your audience?
Understanding your target audience helps to design the appropriate message, feelings, and interests. For example, if your audience loves pets, images that feature animals or people engaged with pets are a great place to start.
Focus on your audience, but, as always, include a strong call to action. For greeting cards, an invitation to receive a free birthday gift or special reward for taking action work well.
Focus Your Strategy
What occasion, season, or celebration do you want to focus on? Consider your budget and when you want to stand out. For example, sending at the end of the year may cause your card to be lost in the shuffle, or may come right on time for last minute sales.
Let your goals lead the strategy. Use technology to track your campaign to make sure it is lining up with your expectations and outcomes. If not, tweak it. Direct mail campaigns should deliver consistent, predictable results.
The Benefits of Using Greeting Cards in Business
No other form of marketing can touch the recipient the way greeting cards can.
Greeting cards have become a staple of everyday life, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, graduations, new homes, new babies and more. With technology, lists can be created to reach your target audience with a personalized message dropped into their hands.
Types of Campaigns
A variety of campaign types can be used to be creative in reaching your audience. Consider how these companies have used them:
- A birthday card campaign used by a restaurant to offer a free birthday dessert.
- A congratulations card to new parents used by a retailer of infant goods.
- A “welcome to the neighborhood” card used by a medical or dental facility to introduce themselves to new residents in their service area.
- A celebration card used by an electrician or plumber, sent to a new homeowner.
- A thank you greeting card sent by a realtor after a home sale.
- A happy anniversary card sent by a travel agent to a newlywed couple.
As you can see, greeting cards offer a versatile, effective marketing campaign that can help a variety of businesses build high quality relationships with customers. It can promote your business, delight your customers and prospects, and generate new sales.
Showing you care about special occasions that matter to your clients builds your “know, like, and trust” factor. This is especially true when the greeting card campaign uses personalized, customized messages. When people receive a greeting card, they are happy and appreciative, and it bolsters their loyalty to your business.
Variety of Styles
And, speaking of variety, consider:
- Custom folding options for more engagement and interest.
- Matte or gloss finishes to change the “mood” of the card as seasons or messages change.
- Original artwork or custom design elements like a picture of their home, a map from their home to the business, their name “written” in the sand on a beach. The options are diverse and fun.
- Ink and paper types that add texture and depth.
Rather than sending the same type and style of card to every client, add the personalized touch to increase your conversion rate.
Get Seasonal
Seasonal campaigns are one of the top ways businesses use greeting cards within their direct mail programs. Focusing on different parts of the year that coordinate with limited-time offers and/or popular seasonal periods or happenings, raises brand awareness and sets you apart from the competition.
Ready to Grow?
Ready to begin using greeting cards in your customer attraction and retention strategy? Ready to build goodwill and customer loyalty by celebrating with your customers and prospects?
Plumb Marketing is here to help you grow! Contact us today to discuss options, ideas and strategies.
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