The holiday season is upon us again, and ‘tis the season for making decisions on holiday cards that delight, excite, and showcase your playful side. Business holiday cards are a fun way to go beyond sales and business transactions; they are an opportunity to reach out in the season of festivities and celebrate together. If you can be creative and intentional while also reminding clients what you’re all about, the cards will be all the merrier. Get festive with these tips and ideas for the best way to say, “Happy Holidays!”
What Makes a Memorable Holiday Card?
Be Festive: This may sound obvious, but agency holiday cards without festive energy may blend in with other assets and risk being ignored. If it’s a holiday card, it should look and sound like one.
Spark Joy: Don’t forget about the core purpose of any holiday card. It should make you feel happy when you get one. Of course the other principles are important, but first and foremost, holiday cards should feel lighthearted and incite excitement for the season ahead.
Be True to Your Brand: Business holiday cards are an opportunity to remind clients what you’re passionate about. If environmental causes are at the core of your values, this is the time to use that environmentally friendly paper or feature advocates that align with your causes. Whatever you decide to send, keep your company values and culture in mind.
Have Personality: Trade in the stock images for customized designs that give your holiday cards some character. Add a fresh take to classic holiday imagery by playing with different materials and textures, creating your own flavor to the candy canes and string lights we all know and love.
Be on Brand (But Throw in Some Glitter!): The tone and visuals should resemble that of your branding, but you can (and should) infuse some holiday spirit. It’s okay to deviate a little from your traditional color palette and celebrate the occasion; just make sure it still sounds and looks like you.
What Should You Avoid?
Sales Pitches: While holiday cards might add value to your brand and eventually lead to more sales, the primary focus of business holiday cards is not to sell. Instead, let loose and offer a warm greeting.
Specifying Religions: Unless your business is founded upon a common belief system, it is unwise to specify religions on agency holiday cards. Acknowledging only one holiday in the month of numerous holidays risks excluding clients and prospective clients.
Using Swag Exclusively as Logo Carriers: Desirable swag requires plenty of thought and top-notch execution. Flimsy, clunky, or disposable products with oversized logos will likely become junk that is tossed.
RELATED: 30+ Business Swag Ideas That Make Awesome Holiday Gifts
Business Holiday Cards We Love
‘Twas Twenty Twenty: Colle McVoy provided a moment of reflection for the eventful year that was 2020 by tucking facts and news about the year into a hidden picture game. Players walked through fun facts by clicking on hidden items in whimsical illustrations. Some relatable facts about the year of quarantine (“Animal shelters across the country saw a 90% increase in foster pet applications.”), and some heartwarming facts from some dark times (“1 million people found laughter during isolation by posting pics of costume-themed garbage bin outings”) made for a cozy gift.
Just Curious: Curiosity invited folks to celebrate the season by way of dialogue. With a brand philosophy centered around the idea of asking questions, this question-based game not only provided a way to reconnect with others but it also served as a clever nod to their brand messaging.
Window Gift Guide: In this season of giving, Empower put their windows where their mouth was, using their windows as panels of a gift guide of products from local businesses. Empower’s windows put their support for local businesses on display, communicating their brand values and providing an interactive way for clients and passersby to reflect on their lists.
Fight the Boredom: This gift of anti-boredom provided respite from the endless days of quarantine in 2020, complete with recipes, card games, quizzes, and a physical deck of cards. Pound & Grain sent greetings that were thoughtful and timely.
Celebrity Advent Calendar: Primacy sent celebrity videos via Cameo for an online advent calendar, each celebrity sharing snippets of their year. Recipients were able to feel a sense of connection with familiar celebrities each day, and the company was able to feature celebrities of their choice, opening the door to select those with beliefs or causes that align with their own.
Gift Box: Bindery sent out cupfuls of cozy by way of holiday cocktail and mocktail kits, including branded spoons, marshmallows, mugs, and more. Rather than ill-fitting clothes with large logos that end up at the back of your closet, Bindery incorporated their logo tastefully in polished bottles and packages.
Nog Pong: A brand messaging of imagination, creativity, and energy were fully embraced by Saatchi & Saatchi LA in creating Nog Pong, a variation of beer pong using egg nog. Players made shots via a robot, and watched live online as they made shots. Shot-based donations were made toward a dog rescue foundation, shrewdly displaying their easy-going work culture and their brand values simultaneously.
Written in the Stars: AKQA created a beautiful way to send a greeting to loved ones by carving them out in stars. This card allowed users to project 3D messages into the virtual “sky,” boasting their skill in design and allowing for users to connect with one another.
The Great Excheeriment: Agency holiday cards were sent from Bozell to clients for their personal use. In a practical move, the cards showed off their design chops while also providing opportunities for brand recognition when those letters were sent out. Also, who wouldn’t be happy to have some extra cards for that long list of friends and family members?
The holiday season brings with it a wealth of possibilities in the realm of business holiday cards. Taking the opportunity to show some heart and creativity will surely reach your clients with sincerity. Add in the bonus of showing off who you are as a company, and you’ve got all the ingredients of a business holiday card that will be remembered all year round.
Anastasia Salazar Ltd. is an independent design studio for tailored branding and digital designs. Reach out to learn how we can help you fuel growth and maximize your brand’s impact.