5 Reasons Why You Need to Send Holiday Postcards This Season

3 Reasons to send holiday postcards to customers.

The year is about to end and the holiday season is underway. A lot of businesses, small and big companies alike, are all systems go on their holiday promotional plans. I’m sure that you too have your own set of holiday marketing campaigns ready to take advantage of the merrymaking. But the thing is, your promotions might need a lot more marketing oomph.

What better way to get customers into that holiday spirit than by sending postcards to them?

"Let it snow" christmas card

The holiday season has always provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with those people who have made a difference in your life throughout the year, giving you a chance to let them know how thankful you are for the positive effects they’ve had on your life. With several holidays coming up—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and the business “holidays” Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday—the opportunities are plentiful. You only have to choose which and how to promote them through holiday postcards.

Here are some reasons why you need to send holiday postcards this season.

1. Holiday postcards are cost-effective.

I know that one of the considerations for any marketing campaign is the cost that comes with it. Fortunately, holiday postcards made with top-quality cardstock will not cost you a lot since they start as low as $0.05 apiece. The higher the quantity of your order, the lower the cost per unit, which translates to higher savings. Postage will also be much cheaper since postcards are thin and lightweight. You also won’t need an envelope which will be a saved cost. This is also a great advantage since your recipient will see your message immediately, faster than compared to opening it from an envelope.

"Tis the season to be jolly" christmas card

Aside from being economical, postcards can be a great last-minute holiday campaign. Printing technology has enabled us to print at a faster turnaround time, and with postcards, it can be much quicker. Just have your design ready when you order and you can start mailing your postcards to your customers as soon as the next day.

2. Custom holiday postcards are personal.

You can customize Christmas cards and holiday photo cards to include a custom photo or design and a personal message. This is where these postcards get their appeal. They can be the avenue to show your appreciation to your customers. Sincere messages addressing the recipient by their name and thanking them for doing business with you can go a long way.

Postcard mailing services let you communicate with a specific audience. With the help of a mailing list, you can craft custom messages or greetings and send them to a particular group or demographic. There are plenty of ways to manage your mailing list, especially if you have a lot of customers. For example, you can send a specific message to customers who bought a certain item, or from a specific department, over the course of the year. This is easy to do with variable data printing. It allows you to change elements such as text, graphics, and images from one printed piece to the next.

Do take note that postcards are smaller and have less room for text, which actually works to your advantage. The holiday season is a busy time so your customers will appreciate a short but heartfelt message.

"Happy holidays" christmas photo card

3. Christmas postcards put your campaign directly on your customer’s hands.

Holiday postcards are great branding and promotional tools. On its own, a postcard can be a unique way to stay in touch with your target customers during the holiday season. Coupled with your existing marketing campaign, however, it becomes a powerhouse marketing tool. After all, a lot of small businesses are now following their larger counterparts by creating an integrated marketing campaign. Postcards can augment your holiday campaign by putting them directly in your recipient’s hands. With postcards integrated to your digital campaign, you are connecting to your customers through the channels they frequent.

It’s the season for gift-giving so feel free to include a discount coupon or a freebie at the back of your holiday cards. In addition, you can even set up a landing page on your website specifically for your postcard recipients. Write a longer version of your short message and give an exclusive, limited-time offer for those who visit it.

4. Holiday postcards are a great way to reconnect.

Customer loyalty is crucial to the success of a business. It’s important to keep existing customers satisfied because according to the Harvard Business Review, “acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” Metrics aside, happy customers also are more likely to recommend your business to their peers.

Sending holiday cards is a great way to keep customers happy. It shows that you value their business and you’re thankful for their support. It might seem like such a simple thing, but the gesture goes a long way. According to the New York Post, “61%of Americans revealed they’d keep a greeting card for over six months after receiving it, no matter the occasion. In fact, the average American has 17 greeting cards from over the years.” In the same article, it was also revealed that “75% of those surveyed get genuinely excited about receiving a greeting card.”

You can also create a custom holiday campaign geared towards regaining lost customers. You can create a mailing list and use postcard mailing services to reach specific customers you want to win back. You can wish them happy holidays together with a coupon they can use on their next purchase. This gives your retention strategy a more personal touch as opposed to an automated e-mail.

5. Nothing beats the joy of print.

Sending holiday e-cards just doesn’t cut it. It lacks warmth and the personalized touch an actual printed card inherently has. The feeling and excitement of receiving a holiday card in the mail is irreplaceable. And besides, what’s your mail situation looking like right now? If it’s anything like ours, it’s just bills, bills, bills. This isn’t a good way to get into a festive mood so sending holiday postcards help get people in the right state of mind.

The proof is in the numbers as well. According to a Grid/Harris poll, 7 out 10 of those who are sending out holiday cards this year will do so via snail mail. Sending holiday cards isn’t as antiquated as it may seem, too. According to the same poll, 63% of Gen Z who sent a holiday card did so through the mail, compared with 47% last year. Going back to the survey done by the New York Post, they found that “Americans love to be loved, which is why 68% like getting a greeting card. But that’s not all — in today’s digital age, 44% of the Americans studied admit they like greeting cards because they can save them as a keepsake and 36% simply like receiving something in the mail.”

Forego that forwarded e-mail. For the holidays, go the extra mile and send a printed card.

Ready to start your postcard marketing? Start with these premium postcards:

About the Author

PrintRunner
PrintRunner offers online printing service based in Van Nuys, California. They specialize in supplying discerning clients with superior print stickers, business cards, posters, postcards, and other products at affordable rates. Get a FREE copy of their sample kit now and see for yourself.

3 Comments on "5 Reasons Why You Need to Send Holiday Postcards This Season"

  1. I like sending postcards to my clients, thanking them for their continued business during the holidays.

  2. PrintRunner Team | October 1, 2010 at 11:32 am |

    Great idea Justin!

  3. Certainly wasn’t thinking on this at the time I started browsing for tips. Your ideas were totally simple to get. thanks. keep informative blogs coming 🙂

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