Are their rules and tools for your holiday communications with your clients and prospects? Of course, there are! We live at a time when there are tools and rules for absolutely everything. But there’s always room for discretionary decisions. And if you just play by the rules, your communications are apt to be … well … rather boring.

Rules (aka Best Practices)

One rule that it’s best not to ignore is the need to be politically correct (PC). And even PC can be politically controversial. But it’s still far better to err on the side of PC as opposed to being insensitive to an audience that likely includes folks who celebrate holidays other than Christmas. So if you’re sending out a holiday greeting, go with Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings. Or, avoid that quandary entirely and just send out a Happy New Year communication in January, which has the potential to stand out more since it will be delivered after the December deluge.

Imagery

The imagery you choose allows for much more discretion and more room for creative flair. You can choose a classic, corporate look for your cards, which is a safe bet, but admittedly rather boring. Or, go with an image that speaks to who is. For example, a client in Boston whose holiday image is ducks crossing the street, an allusion to the award-winning book Make Way for Ducklings, about a family of ducks trying to cross the street to get to the Boston Public Garden.

Another example is a Japanese company whose holiday card always features an origami figure, like a penguin or a reindeer. We actually look forward to those, wondering what figure they’re going to choose this year. So clearly these cards make an impression that a classic card does not.

Consider images that would speak volumes about who you are as a company.

Ecards versus Snail Mail

The next question to consider is ecards versus snail mail. It’s amazing that in the 21^st century we still receive far more snail mail holiday and gift cards than ecards. It would seem that people consider the snail mail versions to be more personal. But there’s a compelling case to be made for their electronic counterparts. From a practical perspective, they don’t need to be hand addressed (or labeled), stuffed, stamped, and mailed. There’s also the cost of physical cards to consider. And finally, ecards are far more convenient, not just for you as the sender, but for your recipients, too. And they have no impact on the environment (i.e. no trees were cut down to produce an ecard).

Consider your audience. Millennials would definitely prefer ecards. Your clients might be quite happy with ecards, too. While a prospect might consider a physical card to be more personal and appreciate the extra effort.

Tools

Whether you ultimately decide on email or snail mail, you’re going to need either an email list or a mailing list. This is where a robust CRM system comes into play. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing is Marketing Automation Software powered by the Microsoft Cloud. Using these tools, you will be able to segment your audience, decide who gets snail mail and who gets ecards and craft different messages for each group.

For example, you may want the message to your A-list clients to differ from that to the rest.  Or, you may want to include e-gift cards with certain segments of your list and not others. Or, different messages for the CEO than the CIO or the HR Director. You may even want to send a different second communication to anyone who did or did not open the first.

With Marketing Automation, the possibilities are endless.

About Us

Bond Consulting Services is a national consulting firm that empowers organizations across the United States to thrive in a digitally transformed world. We operate out of our Long Beach, California home, and it’s from there that our expert team assists clients with their ERP and CRM needs. Visit us at www.BondConsultingServices.com or just pick up the phone and call 562-988-3451.