When 'Happy Holidays' Rings Hollow, Focus on Showing Gratitude

Recently, a growing number of companies discovered there's a bit of magic in sending holiday-themed cards and well wishes to customers and employees alike.

The uncertainty of the past few years sparked even more interest in expressing appreciation and gratitude, especially when it's time to celebrate the holiday season. Companies are compelled to send holiday cards to customers and employees to thank these very important people for keeping their businesses alive and thriving.

However, you shouldn’t rely on the same messaging as previous seasonal greetings. Your company’s holiday messaging should reflect the single most important thing you are likely feeling right now: an abundance of gratitude.

The last few years have been a bumpy ride, but we’ve all had people support us, care for and about us, and be there for us. Customers have also remained devoted through the hard times, sometimes going out of their way to buy from our businesses. And on the front lines, employees have been there for customers, remaining flexible and dependable when work environments changed. If not for the employees who were patient and kind to our customers — supporting other employees in ways both big and small — some organizations wouldn’t have made it.

Gratitude Is Trending. Here’s How to Show It.

“Mindfulness is now a well-established cultural trend; we see it in products and services all around us,” notes Daryl Person, Hallmark creative director. “As part of that, the practice of gratitude — the act of doing something intentional to express thanks — is another trend we’re seeing take hold.”

With this in mind, look to Christmas cards, executive holiday cards, thank-you cards, or Thanksgiving cards to express the gratitude your business feels toward your people and customers. These cards make it easy to show appreciation and care for the people most important to your business.

If you want to turn your 2022 holiday card message meaningful and convey deep appreciation, we have three tips to guide you:

1. Lean into your company culture. Mindfulness and gratitude continue to be a trend for the best reason possible: They require putting people first, no matter the situation. A good company culture already does this, so you can lean into it to express appreciation more effectively.

Celebrate employees for their contributions and be specific in what you appreciate about them personally. Assure them that those contributions aren’t going unnoticed, especially at a time when they make such a significant impact on the business and its customers. Likewise, reach out to customers with your gratitude for their continued business during such a challenging few years.

2. Choose your channel wisely. Telling people that they are valued only works if they receive the message. And because that’s an especially critical message, you need to break through the clutter by choosing the right channels. Businesses with strong omnichannel marketing will find it easier to use those channels most effectively. In fact, the ones with a stronger multichannel approach will also retain customers at an average rate of 89%. Compare that to only 33% of customers for those with weak omnichannel strategies.

For example, if a customer hasn’t engaged with your company’s emails in a while, she might prefer receiving a greeting card through the mail instead. In fact, Hallmark cards get opened, read, understood, and acted on better than other marketing mail. Most companies have physical mailing addresses for 100% of their customers but only 40% of those customers’ email addresses. And for those email addresses, they’re likely to engage only 1% due to spam filters and email fatigue.

Take some time to find out where your audience’s attention is and send your gratitude using the best medium.

3. Add a personalized touch. There’s something personal about a handwritten message that can’t be duplicated through email or social media posts.

Although it’s not the same as speaking face to face, handwriting conveys more emotion and personality than any other medium. And taking the time to write a personal message makes it one of the truest forms of gratitude and appreciation, especially from a business. Customers and employees will appreciate that your leaders took the time to write them a “thank you.” If this would be too time consuming during what is often a busy season, don’t fret: You can always opt to use a realistic handwriting font.

To further round out your holiday greetings, customize your cards with a photo, logo, or products. Hallmark offers a wide range of personalization services — each one will ensure that your greeting cards convey a genuine feeling from your company to your customers’ hearts. Another great option is a photo card that will put your brand and team front and center.

“Our newest card designs express gratitude not only on the inside message, but also front-and-center on the cover artwork.”

Remember that holiday cards are all about expressing appreciation for your customers and gratitude for your employees. Take this opportunity to send a message of peace and joy to make your recipients feel merry and bright.

An unexpected Hallmark card in the mail can be as surprising and delightful as a handwritten thank you itself, and it delivers your message in a more personal way than other channels. All our designs will help you express what matter most during the holidays: your sincere appreciation and gratitude.

To get started, browse our selection of Thanksgiving and holiday cards.