5 Helpful Tips for Writing Meaningful Sympathy Cards

Sending sympathy cards is never one of those things we like to do. We want to acknowledge a person’s passing, but we don’t always know what to write. Often times we don’t know if we are making the recipient feel better or worse. It can be challenging to say the right thing, so I provided below 5 helpful tips for writing meaningful sympathy cards...

  1. Less is sometimes more. Try to keep the message brief especially if the greeting already expresses most of what you want to say. You might end with:
    • I am so sorry for your loss
    • We are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers
    • Sending prayers and hugs
    • Our sincere condolences
  2. Show appreciation. If you were familiar with the loved one, make it personal.
    • What a wonderful lady your Mom was. I am so fortunate to have had her in my life.
    • Celebrating the life of a great man and sharing in your mourning.
    • Remembering your Dad and all the funny stories he would tell.
  3. If you are in a position to do so, you may add a note offering help. Try to be specific and follow up on your offer.
    • Thinking of you at this difficult time. I’m here if you need a shoulder to lean on.
    • I know this is a difficult time. I am thinking of you and am here to help with walking the dog, babysitting and running errands. Please let me know.
    • I know things are hectic for you. I will call you to see what would be good night to drop off a meal.
  4. Close with a warm, graceful and respectful closing.
    • With sympathy
    • With warm thoughts and prayers
    • With prayer and sympathy
    • My heart goes out to you and your family
  5. What to avoid. Be sensitive and mindful.
    • I know how you feel
    • She is in a better place
    • He was so young
    • It was meant to be

If you are not sure what to say, it is best to keep it simple. Just sending a sympathy card will let the recipient know you care.

3 Reasons To Add Signatures To Your Greeting Cards

Signatures add that extra something to all of your greeting cards, but it can be difficult – not to mention overwhelming – to do. Not so with the aid of The Gallery Collection! They offer the ability to submit your signatures and print them exactly how you want them to appear inside your cards! Here are three reasons why you should add signatures to your greeting cards today!

1. By adding signatures, your cards will always look polished, professional, and exactly the way you want them – no matter the occasion! Additionally, ordering greeting cards with signatures with The Gallery Collection is easy and not time consuming at all. The process is simple. You could upload your signatures online, or if it isn’t handy, a template of your card will be sent for you to sign so you know exactly how the  placement of the signatures will appear in your card!

2. Personalizing your greeting cards with a signature will surely impress anyone -from potential new customers to co-workers to family members! The Gallery Collection even has other items, like invitations and calendars, that will really stand out with your John Hancock in any color foil.

3. Signatures add a personal touch to your greeting cards, without the hassle of wrangling the employees together for a signing party – which risks damaging the cards. If it’s many employees, it saves on time. If it’s only a few signatures your card needs, but those people are busy higher-ups, you won’t need to bother them with another request.

What’s the Purpose of Card Assortments?

People ask me all the time why I buy card assortments all the time for my office and even for my personal use. The answer is simple. I never have to worry about cards…ever! I always have one on hand.

Let’s take my personal favorite the birthday card assortments. It offers 25 birthday cards with a very big variety of cards. Imagine for every birthday, you always have a beautiful birthday card on hand waiting to be chosen by you. All you need to do after making your selection is write your personal message, seal it in the envelope, drop it in the mailbox, and done!

With such a wide selection of card assortments, you can purchase cards for all your needs and any occasion. You’ll likely see great value in purchasing one of the all-occasion card assortments which hold various cards for all different occasion. I’m sure you’ll have quite a lot of fun selecting from those boxes. Next time, be sure to purchase one of those assortment boxes to see how much simpler they will make your life. You’ll be happy you did!

Say Cheese! Send Photo Christmas Cards This Holiday Season

We’ve all done it. We open our mailbox and receive the customary Holiday cards from friends and family. They get opened and placed on a table amongst several other cards. Placed and forgotten until the Holiday season is over and it’s time to clean up. They are all then shuffled into a garbage bag, or stored in a box, only to never be seen again. We don’t mean to be so insensitive, but unless these cards stand out, they are destined to fall into the “abyss” of forgotten mail. It’s time to make your holiday cards stand out. What better way to do this than with Business Photo Cards this Holiday season. You are able to capture a moment, and share it with the people closest to you. Pictures can be special sentiments, which is why people are more prone to throw out a card versus a picture. Once the Holiday season is over, the picture portion can be cut out and framed. It is received as a card and gift in one!

Switching gears, businesses can also benefit from Photo Greeting Cards.  We’ve all heard the famous saying that states “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is with reason. Marketing firms have discovered that content with images receive 94% more views than content without relevant images. Don’t just tell your customers, show them. Bring them into your business with a picture that exemplifies your message.  Say “cheese” and send them your customized photo cards.

Card Assortment Boxes Make Things Easy

Have you ever been at a work Christmas party in the past and people you did not think would give you a Christmas card…end up giving you a Christmas card?  How dare those terrible people do something nice that you did not expect!  I have been in that situation before being a veteran of many, many Christmases over the years.  Let me tell you this; I do not have that issue anymore.  I purchased a Holiday Assortment Box  and now I no longer have to fear the niceties of people.

Do not just stop there.  You can get yourself a Birthday Assortment Box as well.  Perfect for the office.  You do not want to give the same card out to people as birthdays come along.  It looks impersonal to do that.  Get a box that has multiple choices so you can vary it up throughout the year.  People will smile and you will smile in the back of your mind knowing that you cared enough to get that person to smile.  There is this thing called karma and you want to be on the right side of it as much as you can.  All in all these are two simple ways to make people happy and to get rid of the extra frustration that could creep up if you do not have cards handy.

I forgot…but should I Still Send That Birthday Card?

These days time passes us by with the blink of an eye.  Being too busy with work, school, family, just life in general – it happens to the best of us.  In fact we get so caught up in day to day that we even forget special occasions, like a loved ones Birthday.  There’s usually an inner debate in your mind, wondering…should I still send a belated Birthday card?  The answer is absolutely send one out!

These days there are so many options for those who need to send out late Birthday wishes.  You can totally make a joke about it, if the recipient has a great sense of humor. You could also be completely sincere incase the person gets offended easily. Actually, I find the belated birthday cards usually are the funniest!  If you choose to take a serious, more apologetic approach for your temporary forgetfulness, you can always write a personal message that has some humor. The best of both worlds!

Regardless if you forgot a friend’s, coworker’s or a family member’s special day, you will definitely win some points back by sending out a belated Birthday card.  Just like the saying goes, “Better late than never!”

Anniversary Card Your Way to Great Employee Relations

Cards are a great morale booster for your employees. Imagine how productive people are when they are happy. Now imagine how successful sending Anniversary cards on the start date of employment to your company will be to boosting morale. A great investment in your company is to have a cheerful and productive employee base.

In this age, how refreshing would it be to present an atmosphere of interest in the comings and goings of your employees. They are not just a number in your organization but rather an important asset to hold onto in the ever changing world of business.

When you give anniversary cards at work that are signed by the President, manager, and supervisor, a feeling of belonging to a great organization will be the immediate result. One of the greatest morale boosters a company can have is caring for their employees. It tells a person that they are recognized in a personal way and valued as a member of the company. Follow up the anniversary card with a personal visit and a congratulations and you have just hit a home run. How fabulous to work for a company where you can feel appreciated.

Happy Anniversary to you and many more years of great employee relations!

Why Should I Use Die-Cut Christmas Cards?

Ordering holiday cards for your business seems like a fairly simple thing to do until it comes down to choosing a design. You need a holiday card design that stands for your business. Having your company name on the front of the card is a great way to showcase your company along with an eye-catching holiday design.

Die-cut Christmas cards are the perfect way to display your name on the front of the card without actually printing your name on the front of the card. Die-cut Christmas cards have an elegant window cut out of the front of the card so that you can print the business.

Pablo Neruda said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that is the case, then die-cut Christmas cards are the windows to high quality business names and joyous holiday seasons. Everything looks nicer with windows. Picture your house. Now picture your house without any windows. It wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful.

By using a die-cut card design, your business name will be the steady foundation that unites the inside and cover design of your holiday cards. Clients, friends, and family alike will be awed by the warmth and professionalism of the holiday cards that they receive and forever associate that with your business.

Why Branding Is Important To A Successful Business

As a small business, you may be competing against big brands with dedicated customers and limitless marketing budgets. That’s why you have to find ways to differentiate with a solid brand building process of your own.

We all know the Nike tagline: Just Do It. But do you know their mission statement? Nike’s mission is: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. You could see their mission everywhere. They focus on all types of athletes using Nike products to be try and help them be their best selves.

Do you remember Apple’s slogan back in 1997-2002? It was “Think Different”. This notion continues to exist, today. It is obviously not just another computer company. One of their key qualities is clean design, and a key benefit is ease of use. From unique packaging to their announcement events, Apple always reminds customers that its products can be used right out of the box.

Customers aren’t looking for another cookie-cutter company offering the same thing as everyone else. They are looking for an experience tailored to their needs, backed by sincere personal contact. Wouldn’t you want your company to be considered classy, professional and prepared?

This is what The Gallery Collection’s mission has been for many decades. The company strives to provide the best quality products that will leave a lasting impression on business partners, clients, or family; you name it. Whether it’s staying prepared for a business meeting with Presentation Folders or staying in touch by sending a Greeting Card, the Gallery Collection is there to help you achieve just that.

Tips For Appropriately Closing a Business Greeting Card

When it comes to greeting cards, the most challenging part has already been done for you. The greeting and illustration is complete, now all you need to do is sign the greeting card. This is where it gets tricky because this sends a message to the receiver of how you feel personally.

Its always challenging trying to figure out how to close a greeting card. You think of all the possible salutations you can choose and still you can’t decide which is best. Is it too casual or too personal or if it just doesn’t fit what the body of the letter gives off.

Since it’s a business greeting card, this is where it gets confusing. Your sending this to people you rarely see or interact with on daily basis. So what can you say? Keep it professional at all times but not too stiff like “Sincerely” might too formal.

I think “best wishes” is perfect and “all the best” works good also. Both are equally acceptable. If it’s a client you plan on speaking to soon, you could always go with “speak with you soon.” You could also use “looking forward” as an ending. Another way, is to end it with the type of card it is like “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Thanksgiving.” There are really so many options.