Holiday Business Greetings: Tips from Hallmark Business Relationship Experts

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In recent years, a struggling economy has seen companies moving away from high-dollar client gifts and holiday parties and toward the less-expensive yet personally meaningful gesture of upscale greeting cards. According to Hallmark Business Connections, the business-to-business subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., the right card with the right message can have a lot of positive relationship-building impact for large and small businesses across the industry spectrum.

“We’ve learned from consumer purchasing trends that premium papers and added-value such as foils and other special design processes are more and more in demand. At Hallmark Business Connections, we’ve seen a correlating uptick in the demand for that kind of card among businesses.”

Helen Fahler, Senior Art Director at Hallmark Business Connections, says that a desire of businesses to make authentic personal connections is evident in the way their choices are mirroring consumer tastes, “We’ve learned from consumer purchasing trends that premium papers and added-value such as foils and other special design processes are more and more in demand. At Hallmark Business Connections, we’ve seen a correlating uptick in the demand for that kind of card among businesses.”

Acting on that increased interest, Fahler and her partners in the Hallmark Business Connections creative studio have increased the use of premium papers in their Hallmark.BusinessGreetings.com selection of cards, and provided options for personalized messages that enable businesses to make authentic connections with people at the holidays.

In addition to providing an excellent selection of holiday cards, the Hallmark Business Connections team also offers these five ideas for businesses to consider this year:

Send at Thanksgiving or the New Year – Think about trying something different by sending cards at less busy times for the mail stream. Thanksgiving is a ready-made opportunity for a sincere expression of customer appreciation, and New Year offers a fabulous opportunity for letting people know your business is ready and waiting to help throughout the coming year. BusinessGreetings.com offers an excellent range of message options for tailoring your card to your audience.
Celebrate life, not just the occasion – Celebrating the concepts of family, friends, home, and authentic personal values demonstrates to people that your greeting is about them, not just about your business relationship. Hallmark Business Connections has made that possible with designs that celebrate traditional core values and beliefs while maintaining a business appropriate tone for your message.
Customize and Personalize – Have some fun with a customized cover featuring your company’s name worked into the design as if you had a card created specifically for your business. You can also personalize the sentiment inside to make it reflect your company’s personality and stand out from other cards your customers receive.
Creating a calming effect – You know your audience better than anybody. What kind of card might strike a chord? For instance, you might consider sending a card that provides some escape from the hectic and demanding nature of everyday life. BusinessGreetings.com offers a number of designs featuring quiet and serene nature imagery.
Energize Your Image – For your business, the right card with the right message might mean something upbeat and contemporary that highlights the fact that your business understands today’s marketplace, and today’s customer.

Another great way to make your greeting relevant for your recipients is to share a little fun; That’s why the creative team at Hallmark Business Connections made a point or increasing their offering of lighthearted card options this holiday season. Visit Hallmark.BusinessGreetings.com for cards featuring the characters of Peanuts® and Hallmark’s own hoops&yoyo.™ Some of the jokes in the hoops&yoyo™ line talk about life in the workplace, giving you the opportunity to share a laugh with colleagues and employees.

According to Hallmark’s Helen Fahler, “Companies don’t have to send a serious card just because they’re recognizing business relationships. Whatever the state of the economy—whether it’s trending positive, negative, or stagnant—people are always looking for reasons to smile. The holidays are a great time to enjoy expressing gratitude to all the people who make their business successful.”

The 2012 collection of Hallmark Business Connections holiday cards is available online at www.hallmark.businessgreetings.com. Open an online account and enjoy free shipping of your order.

About Hallmark Business Connections

Hallmark Business Connections, the business-relationships unit of Hallmark Cards, Inc., leverages more than 100 years of Hallmark heritage, creativity and innovation in the business arena to provide meaningful, memorable and measurable solutions that strengthen business relationships with employees and customers. Serving a wide variety of businesses from small to medium sized companies up to the Fortune 50 to 500, Hallmark Business Connections provides innovative and customizable solutions to recognize and reward employees; attract, retain and re-engage customers; deliver turnkey, custom sales programs; and, create incentives for corporate health and wellness programs. Hallmark Business Connections is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., with locations in Kansas City, Mo. and Duluth, Minn. For more information, visit http://www.HallmarkBusinessConnections.com.