Tag: business greeting cards

Why Purchase Foil Greeting Cards?

The variation of greeting cards available today is truly staggering, hours spent in stationary stores browsing card shelves can yield unsatisfactory results or none at all! Browse the better way on The Gallery Collection, a search field and category links lets you see only the cards that pertain to your needs and the option to filter card types makes it even easier to find what your looking for. Greeting cards run quite a range in price but all are of the highest quality. A bit of foil accents along with embossed areas gives an otherwise passing design a noticeable pop that people will notice.

The tactile sensation that embossed cards give is a joy for anyone running their hands over the card and feeling the images they see in 3 dimensions make for a card that will surely secure a place on the recipients respective mantle. I’m a big fan of the foil greeting cards as it provides them with a bit of glitz and glamour, the different foils you can find in The Gallery Collection is impressive. Ranging from gold to silver and many different colors the foils can also be textured or faceted, filled with glitter of shiny. People feel special receiving cards with foiling as they harken back to a royal feeling of rich metals and gilding, subconsciously these cards seem extra valuable and will catch the light in beautiful ways in any household.

Take a moment to check out the available option in The Gallery Collection and you wont be sorry you did. Once you find a card you love you are given the chance to customize the interior sentiment that is also printed in foil of your choice as is the custom greeting you type and pick a font for. In my opinion, the range of options and customization available is paramount and makes for a superior card to any you’d find on a rack or shelf plus you get to build it from the comfort of your own home, save on gas and time!

Business Greeting Cards 101

As the holiday season quickly approaches, it’s not only time to start gift shopping for friends and family on your list, but it’s also time to start thinking about the holiday greeting cards you will be sending to your clients and colleagues. One of the joys of the holiday season is the arrival of holiday cards. Opening these greetings of all sizes, colors and shapes brightens any business day, and it’s the perfect way to say “thank you” for your business for the year, or give a personal greeting that helps solidify a business relationship.

If you’re like many, you’ve left your corporate greeting card order to the 11th hour before and have experienced the mad scramble to ensure your cards reach their destination before the holidays. I am here to assure you there is no reason to fret and to provide some guidelines on how to maximize this truly special time of year. With that being said, I encourage you to begin the process early to ensure a stress-free holiday season. Here are five tips for writing corporate greeting cards that may be useful to you as you get started:

  1. Order Early – You are already ahead of the curve by thinking about your holiday greeting cards now. In fact, right now is the perfect time to order your cards, especially if you plan to include customization, company logos or special designs. Use the next week or two to select and design your cards, and get your order in by the end of the month to ensure you have them in-hand on time. In addition, it provides the opportunity to take advantage of the notable discounts various companies offer this time of year, sure to keep your finance office happy.
  2. Be Unique – You can, of course, just select a standard design from the card catalog, but why not try a different approach? You can create a very unique and memorable card that doesn’t have to break your budget. Some ideas include using the typically family-oriented photo card format to show a picture of your team, designing an opulent, foil embossed greeting card that exudes luxury, formatting an industry specific card that highlights your company’s specialization or selecting a humorous card to evoke laughter.
  3. Make It Personal – Your greeting card is a reflection of how much you care about and value your clients and colleagues, so be sure to send the very best. Never substitute email or social media for a card you sign and mail. It’s convenient but not as personal or heartfelt as addressing, stamping and mailing a physical card…or as fun to receive. Also, take this time to thank your clients for their continued business and support. Holiday cards present the prime opportunity to highlight the important part your clients have played in your company’s progress this year. Another elegant accent is the use of signatures by your corporate governance which adds additional flair and a unique personal touch.
  4. Remain Neutral – Be sensitive to other people’s religious beliefs and cultural practices. For business greeting cards, choose a design that is secular, subdued and tasteful. Save the cards that express your personality or beliefs for your personal list. Be sensitive to the message as well. If you’re not sure if your audience celebrates Christmas, choose a more generic greeting, such as “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings.”
  5. Don’t Forget Other Holidays – Who says a holiday greeting card only has to be for the traditional holidays? Greeting Cards sent at any time outside the Christmas season stand out. Differentiate your business considering sending a Thanksgiving card or a New Year’s card to separate yours from the masses that only hit the mailbox every December. Your goal is to catch the attention of your recipients, and sending cards at unique times of year will do just that.

Don’t Forget to Send a Greeting Card

Greeting cards are a thoughtful and personal way to show someone that you care. They are a small gesture that can make a big difference, especially in today’s digital world.

Here are some reasons why you should send a greeting card:

  • To show someone you care. A greeting card is a tangible reminder that you are thinking of someone and that you care about them. It is a personal touch that can make someone feel special.
  • To celebrate a special occasion. Greeting cards are a great way to celebrate special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries. They are a thoughtful way to show someone that you are happy for them and that you are celebrating with them.
  • To offer your support. If someone is going through a difficult time, a sympathy card can offer them support and encouragement. It is a way to let them know that you are thinking of them and that you are there for them.
  • To express your gratitude. A thank you card is a great way to express your gratitude to someone who has done something nice for you. It is a thoughtful way to show them that you appreciate their kindness.
  • To simply say hello. Even if there is no special occasion, a greeting card is a great way to simply say hello to someone you care about. It is a way to let them know that you are thinking of them and that you want to stay in touch.

So, next time the holidays roll around or an anniversary comes up, consider sending a greeting card. It is a small gesture that can make a big difference.

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.

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.

Should I Send a Get Well or Thinking of You Card?

I think the rule of thumb when deciding to send a Get Well Card or Thinking of You Card is the level of illness of the recipient. So, if the patient is sure to recover I would send a Get Well Card followed up with a Thinking of You card later. If the patient is terminal, sending a Get Well Card is thoughtless and cruel so I would send a Thinking of You Card.

Let’s say you don’t know the degree of the patient’s condition but you want to send a card to let them know you care and you want to boost their spirits. Sending a Thinking of You Card or a Get Well Cards with subtle message like “Wishing you the Best” are options. Also, if the card has a preprinted greeting-read it!-if the sentiment offers prayers during a difficult time and the patient has a broken finger, may be overkill.

It is difficult to know the right words to write in a Get Well or Thinking of You card, here are some suggestions:

  • I am so sorry to hear you’ve been ill.
  • I’m wishing you the very best during your recovery
  • I hope you’re doing well and are on the road to recovery.
  • And my favorite, You are in my thoughts/prayers.

What not to do is also important as:

  • Don’t compare illnesses – not a great idea
  • Do not tell stories you heard about the hospital, doctor or your Aunt Jane who had sort of the same thing…

Showing someone compassion is a virtue which should be admired.

Millennials and Greeting Cards on the Rise

Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years.

Millennials are choosing to buy more paper greeting cards over social media and texts. They have learned to appreciate a more personal connection and creative side. Greeting cards today offer digital wizardry if you can’t draw a stick figure and give you the opportunity to choose from pre-made templates and add digital photos.

It’s an old fashioned callback to a more intimate experience. Standing in the drugstore and choosing that particular wording that expresses how you feel. Pops of color and even pop-ups jump from the card to give you a big hug. It’s a keepsake, but it’s also an expression of whatever sentiment you’re trying to convey.

Facts about greeting cards…

  • Annual retail sales of greeting cards are estimated between $7 and $8 billion. Americans purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year.
  • The most popular Seasonal Cards are Christmas Cards, with some 1.6 billion units purchased (included boxed cards). This is followed by cards for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day.
  • Seven out of Ten card buyers surveyed consider greeting cards “absolutely” or “almost essential to them. Eight out of Ten of these buyers expect their purchases to remain the same going forward. Of the balance, twice as many card buyers say they will “increase” their purchasing as say they will “decrease” their purchasing in the coming year.
  • Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards. Women spend more time choosing a card than men, and are more likely to buy several cards at once.
  • Younger card buyers and those who are more technology savvy are currently the ones most engaged in buying paper greeting cards online.
  • Most people now acknowledge many more birthdays than ever before because of Facebook, but they aren’t necessarily sending fewer cards as a result.
  • The tradition of giving greeting cards as a meaningful expression of personal affection for another person is still being deeply ingrained in today’s youth, and this tradition will likely continue as they become adults and become responsible for managing their own important relationships.

Adding Your Brand to Greeting Cards

The main purpose of sending greeting cards is the act of showing a friend, colleague, client, customer, etc. that they matter to you.  Receiving a greeting card is always a welcome event.  A side benefit of sending greeting cards is the opportunity they provide for businesses to promote their brands.  Greeting cards can function as relationship building items and soft marketing materials.  When attempting to use a greeting card in this manner, there are some points of decorum and restraint to keep in mind.  There is the danger of over-promoting your brand in your cards to the point that your recipients could only view your card as a marketing vessel and thus ignore any of your true genuine good wishes.

Here are some general guidelines for your branding to keep your greeting cards off the proverbial wall of shame.

  1. Keep it Simple in Sympathy Cards and Get Well Cards – While it is certainly acceptable to include a company’s or organization’s name or even their logo in a sympathy card or get well card, please be wary of how you do so.  It’s best to keep font sizes and styles on the smaller side for your firm’s name in these greeting cards.  You don’t want to call too much attention to your company.  Also, if you opt to include a logo, it should be kept on the smaller side as well and preferably printed in a neutral color.  If your logo is bright, multi-colored, and cheerful, it would be wise to consider printing it in just a plain black or green ink.
  2. Avoid Redundancy – You may wish to include your company’s name and your logo in your greeting cards, which is great, unless your logo includes your company name in it.  Cards with a printed company name right above a logo that also includes the company name can sometimes look redundant.
  3. Watch for Overexposure – It may be tempting to plaster your brand all over the greeting card putting your logo or name on the front and inside of the greeting cards.  Keep in mind that you don’t want your card to scream marketing material, nor should it.  A good rule of thumb is to look at the card you’ve created before ordering and ask yourself, “If I received this card, would I feel that the sender actually cared about me?”  If the answer is no, tone down some of the branding on the greeting card.

Assortment Boxes: An Office Staple!

If you work in a busy office setting, you absolutely need to purchase The Gallery Collection’s Greeting Card Assortment Boxes. It is imperative to have at least one of these premium quality card assortments on hand!

While it is amazing that The Gallery Collection offers so many opportunities for customization, it is nice that these Greeting Card Assortment Boxes cannot be altered. This cuts out just one more decision you would have to make, and is somewhat unnecessary for inter-office distribution—like birthday cards or anniversary cards. There are plenty of different boxes to choose from, all containing 35 cards and 38 seal-fast envelopes. These greeting cards range in cover design, greeting inside, and printing color. All exact contents can be viewed online.

Each Assortment Box is delivered in its own labeled, sturdy box as to keep your cards looking neat and untouched. This is also particularly helpful in terms of organization. Never dig around the office to scrounge up a good enough card. Never dash to the store and hope for the best. Get yourself an Assortment Box from The Gallery Collection.

Many offices choose to have multiple types of Assortment Boxes on hand, as they are a huge time-saver without sparing at all on the quality. Never let a birthday sneak up on you or a job well done go unthanked again. Earn the respect of coworkers with the timelessly thoughtful gesture of a prompt greeting card.