5 Surprising Ways Businesses Use Hallmark Cards to Reach Their Goals

Small business owners, real estate agents, financial advisors, lawyers, marketing professionals. No matter what line of work you’re in, we’re all looking for the same thing—finding the best way to connect with our customers and clients. And we aren’t just looking to check a box, are we? We want a real, authentic, meaningful way to create connections with our customers. And in turn, we hope that these connections help grow our business and inch us closer to our goals. So, we try the same things:

• We reach out to customers on social media…but sometimes, it just doesn’t feel “real”.

• We send email newsletters and email offers…but it doesn’t help us create a connection.

• We pick up the phone (time and time again) …and we get a voicemail.

But stop spinning your wheels, there’s a better way to build relationships with your customers and clients. And it all starts with a Hallmark card. We invite you to discover the five surprising things a Hallmark card can do for your business:

1. Hallmark cards perform better than other marketing tactics.

Marketers love using Hallmark cards because they not only help their company connect with their client base, but they help boost sales. One retailer utilized Hallmark cards as a marketing format and saw a 9% increase in sales (client-reported results). Explore a few of our favorite cards to utilize for marketing:

PRO TIP: These business Hallmark cards can be digitally personalized with your own message. Add an exclusive offer inside of your Hallmark card to entice people to buy or contact you.

2. Hallmark cards create an amazing customer experience.

Whether you want to send customer appreciation, welcome a new customer or apologize for a mistake, Hallmark cards are a great way to enhance your customer experience. In fact, according to USPS mail data, 64% of customers say that greeting cards make them feel special (vs. 15% for emails and 5% for texts). Explore a few of our favorite cards to enhance your customer experience:

PRO TIP: Stock up on cards with an all occasions assortment pack so you always have the right one on hand to amplify your customer experience.

3. Hallmark cards help you connect with digitally native populations (believe it or not).

So many businesses and brands are moving all customer outreach to the digital space and focusing solely on sending emails, connecting on social media and even scheduling meetings through apps and digital calendar invites. While all of this improves efficiency, it’s important to add a human element into your customer contact—even with digitally native populations. Looking to build a relationship with a younger generation? Millennials love greeting cards. As a matter of fact, they’re twice as likely to feel notice when they receive a greeting card. Hallmark research also shows that eight out of 10 Millennials and Gen Xers save the greeting cards they receive. When’s the last time someone saved a business email? Here are a few greeting cards your Millennial customers and clients will love:

4. Hallmark cards are better than corporate-designed cards.

Maybe you already send greeting cards to your clients and customers—and we applaud you! But if you send greeting cards or business stationery that’s overly branded, we want to send a message of caution. According to our Consumer Direct Marketing Communications Study, 72% of consumers prefer Hallmark cards over non-Hallmark cards. So next time you reach for your branded business stationery, we challenge you to stop yourself and consider sending a Hallmark card instead. Worried that the card you send won’t “feel” like you or your company? Don’t! There are customizable Hallmark cards (and business note cards!) that will help put you and your business front and center. Here’s some of our favorites:

5. Hallmark cards are great for employee appreciation, too.

A company is only as great as its employees—so stocking up on Hallmark cards for employee appreciation and recognition can help grow your business, too. Happy companies are built by happy employees. The result? Happy clients and customers. Check out some of our favorite employee appreciation cards:

PRO TIP: Purchase an employee appreciation assortment pack so you’re always prepared for on-the-spot recognition. Business owners, real estate agents, financial advisors, attorneys, banks (and hundreds of others!) use Hallmark cards as a part of their business strategy—not just because it feels good, but because it works. How will you use a Hallmark card this year? Give it a shot and see what a card can do.