5 Reasons to Send Business Thanksgiving Cards to Clients | Strengthen and Build Relationships With Greeting Cards
It’s always good business to thank your customers and employees—it creates a connection, making them feel good and inspiring a sense of loyalty. Luckily, the perfect holiday to demonstrate your appreciation also happens to kick off the holiday season: Thanksgiving.
Already filled with thoughts of gratitude and holiday happiness, customers will be pleasantly surprised to receive an unexpected happy Thanksgiving message at the beginning of the holiday season that reminds them exactly how much they mean to you and your business. Sincere words of appreciation inside a Thanksgiving note to clients will delight recipients, and your thoughtful nature will keep you top of mind long after the holidays have passed.
Zig ZiglarYou never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.
It’s especially important to express your gratitude for the important role customers play in the everyday success of your company, and a warm Thanksgiving greeting is the perfect way to connect at the holidays. Greeting cards are a simple, yet extremely effective, way to show customers that you recognize their importance throughout the year. You can even select high-quality Thanksgiving post cards for business that will make an impact in every mailbox.
Whether you decide to reach out to customers with a traditional greeting, an upscale card filled with lots of added shine or a heartfelt card with simple words of gratitude, Thanksgiving is a great time to send a card—before the heavy volumes of holiday mail begin to fill their mailboxes.
It's essential for businesses to continuously work on strengthening customer relationships, and one of the easiest (and most cost-effective!) ways to create a pattern of outreach and care is to send a Thanksgiving holiday message to clients to show your gratitude for their business.
Here are 5 reasons why businesses just like yours have added Thanksgiving cards and messages into their holiday marketing strategy.
5 Reasons for Businesses to Send Thanksgiving Cards to Customers
1. You enter the family zone.
Hallmark greeting cards are something that grandmas, aunts and uncles and dear, close friends send. There’s something special about discovering that familiar greeting card-sized envelope in the mailbox, and it’s likely to be the first thing that’s opened over any other mail. Recipients will take time to really read the message, noting the sender and relating it to very personal relationships.
75% of card recipients report feeling more connected to a business that sends Hallmark cards.
A Thanksgiving note to customers can help you tell them how thankful you are for their loyalty, and with a personalized, authentic message from you inside, the card you decide to send will truly be memorable and impactful.
If writing isn’t your thing, however, it can be hard to find the right words to include in a greeting card for customers. Not only does Hallmark help with pre-written messages for the inside of your cards, but our writers put together tips for what to say in the handwritten portion of each card (which you can also do during your order and have it printed with our handwriting fonts): What to Write in a Thanksgiving Card to Customers.
And, don’t forget, we also have cards available in Spanish for your bilingual customers. Spanish-language greetings are a great way to reach out all year long to show customers how much you care.
2. Thanksgiving cards generate repeat business.
Messages with personality resonate with the reader, creating stronger connections and deeper brand loyalty. Taking the time to send a thoughtful Thanksgiving card builds lasting relationships and continued business. When you show loyalty to your customers, you are more likely to get loyalty back.
Sending appreciation cards at a holiday with a theme of thankfulness is the perfect way to remind customers how much they mean to your business every day. When you send a Hallmark card, you’ll show up in their mailbox in a meaningful and unique way—and, with a brightly colored envelope and seal, you’ll stand out among piles of holiday ads and bills.
When you acknowledge how important customers are and deliver memorable personalized experiences, you’ll keep your business top of mind and increase customer loyalty for the long term.
3. You beat the holiday rush with Thanksgiving greeting cards.
Be the first in your customers’ mailboxes this holiday season by sending Thanksgiving cards. When most businesses focus on sending holiday cards mid-December, an authentic “thanks for your business” or “thanks for your partnership” Hallmark card is a great way to get your message out before your competitors do.
64% of people say greeting cards make them feel special (vs. 15% for emails and 5% for texts).
Everyone remembers a Hallmark Thanksgiving card. That’s why this format and timing work so well for such industries as financial advisors, health systems, veterinarians, real estate and insurance agencies.
And once you’ve planned your messages of gratitude this Thanksgiving, don’t stop there! There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year to remind your customers how important they are to you. For example, have you thought of sending Valentine’s Day cards to show a little love to customers, too? That’s right, the holiday of love doesn’t have to be all about romance; in fact, it’s a great time to show customers how much you appreciate their business. Hallmark Business Connections has a variety of Valentine’s Day cards to help you show customers the love and let them know exactly how much they mean to your business.
Once you’ve gotten started, keep going! Think of occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Anniversaries and take the opportunity to make genuine connections by sending customer greeting cards. They’re memorable and they’ll be appreciated!
4. Surprise your recipients with gratitude—and you make your business unforgettable.
Which feels like a better experience: an email blast that promotes a sale or discount to thousands of customers at the same time, in the same way … OR receiving a warm, well-timed Hallmark Thanksgiving card from a company you do business with?
The difference is clear. Getting a genuine card in the mail just feels better.
Engage 91% of your audience with a Hallmark card versus 1% you reach with email.
Beyond thanking your current customers, it’s an excellent way to create a memorable moment with potential clients. A simple Thanksgiving greeting could motivate someone to stick with your business for the long haul or give your business a try for the first time.
And if you have business connections that need a little something extra, it’s easy to reach out with the help of Hallmark Business Connections. Our Mail to One service allows you to select a single card and personalize it online with your own message; then we’ll stamp and mail it to your recipient. This is a great option for client birthdays, notes of congratulations, individual words of appreciation and more.
You’re sure to stand out with corporate gifts that WOW, so remember, you can also send memorable gifts of gratitude like a fresh cut Hallmark floral bouquet or a box of delicious gourmet chocolates from Christopher Elbow to celebrate special customers.
5. Make it a year-long habit—the results will be worth it.
Spoken and emailed thank-yous are great ways to communicate, but also have a lower perceived value than a greeting card. Should you stop writing thank-you notes and saying ‘thank you’? Absolutely not, but when an organization takes the time to sit down and write a note of thanks, it is highly valued by customers and appreciated in a personal way that email isn’t.
And even better, sending a real message of thanks can increase marketing ROI, boost direct mail response rates and improve customer and employee satisfaction.
Since gratitude and appreciation cards work so well, don’t limit yourself to just a Thanksgiving message to customers. Instead, use opportunities throughout the year to demonstrate gratitude. Birthdays, anniversaries, official and unique holidays (such as Military Appreciation, Nurse Appreciation, Teacher Appreciation and more) all offer reasons to send or give a card to your customers. And with each card, there’s an opportunity to express your appreciation for them!
Is it time you shift your holiday messaging strategy to one that delivers authentic gratitude? Learn how greeting cards can help you make a huge impression amid today’s busy digital landscape by reading Powerfully Persuasive in a High-Tech World. And be sure to read Lead Nurturing Best Practices to help you connect with more customers and earn even more business.
Connect with us today to learn more about a Hallmark Business Connections Thanksgiving card campaign for your business.