Sending a holiday card to clients and colleagues is a nice touch, especially when the card is unique, memorable, and true to your brand. Before starting a holiday card project, you need to determine whether you are sending a print card or an e-card. Let’s explore the pros and cons of both.
Animated Holiday e-Cards
Pros:
- Simplified Sending. With so many of your employees and clients working remotely, the ease of coordinating sending an electronic card can be a huge benefit this year. Sending out the eCard via an email blasting platform (like Mailchimp, ConstantContact, etc.) will automatically merge/purge all your contact lists, so you don’t have to worry about a client getting the card more than once.
- Broader Reach. With more people spending time on social sites, sharing the eCard on the firm’s social media channels will be seen by more eyes. Encouraging individuals at the firm to share the eCard on their personal social media accounts can exponentially increase those views.
- Cost-Savings for Large Quantities. If your firm is sending out thousands of holiday cards, sending an eCard can be significantly less expensive than a printed card.
Cons:
- Email Overload. We all get so many emails every day. Recipients may not open your email or click through to watch the animation.
- Impersonal. It is very difficult and often impossible to add a personalized note to an eCard, especially if you use an email blasting application.
- Possible Delivery Issues. Email servers are more likely to block email that comes via blasting applications. So, there’s a chance your eCard may end up in a client’s spam folder.
Printed Holiday Cards
Pros:
- Personalization. Printed cards can offer a bit of human closeness with a simple handwritten note. (It is a huge missed opportunity if your firm sends printed cards without a note or at least a signature.)
- Get noticed. Fewer firms are sending printed cards, so you can stand out from the pack and be remembered by sending a real, tactile holiday card. Plus, it’s nice to get snail-mail 😉
- Thoughtful. A traditional paper card sends a more intimate, thoughtful message. It’s like a little present!
Cons:
- Time-Consuming. Hand-signing cards is a commitment. It will take a significant amount of time and coordination to sign and mail out the cards, especially if multiple people at your firm plan to sign the same card for a specific person. That may be a logistical nightmare if many people at your firm are working remotely.
- Difficult to Manage. Merging lists can be tricky, but it’s crucial to avoid sending multiple cards to the same client.
- Possible Delivery Issues. In addition to needing accurate mailing address information for everyone on the mailing list, people may no longer work from the office address you have on file. If you do not have home addresses, cards may be delivered to empty offices.
- Expensive. Printing costs and postage add up quickly.
In Summary
Whenever possible, we recommend sending both a printed card and an eCard to reach the widest audience. Send the animated card to your firm’s full contact list and personalized, printed cards to your top clients.
If that is not an option, weigh the pros and cons of printed cards and eCards carefully to determine what will be the best option for your firm.
- Does your firm already have a tradition of sending a printed card and/or an eCard? Are people open to trying something different?
- How many cards will the firm send out? What makes the most sense for your budget?
- Will people make time to hand sign printed cards?
- Will/can people come into the office to sign printed cards? Or, can batches be shipped to employees’ homes to sign, as needed?
- Do you have accurate contact information (email and/or mailing addresses)?
Need Help?
Contact us! We specialize in creating custom printed and animated cards in keeping with your firm’s brand standards.
Related Posts:
Our Custom 2023 Holiday Cards
Animated Holiday Cards: FAQs
How to Share an eCard
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