Building Your Corporate Greeting Card

 

Most people associate greeting cards with the Holidays. A business, wanting to reach out to associates and customers, will send out printed cards in the hopes that the recipients will remember the company fondly in the future.

But there is so much more to greeting cards. One of the best ways a company can maintain a positive relationship with its employees is to mark the special occasions in their lives. Birthdays are made a little more special with a birthday card from everyone in the office. Throw in a small token gift such as a scratch-off lottery card and it’s a great way to celebrate an employee’s special day. Similarly, sending an anniversary card to mark the anniversary of an employee joining the company sends the message that every employee is valued by the company.

The larger a business gets, however, the more difficult it can be to keep track of everyone’s special days. Add to that the hassle of getting a signature from the boss every time, and it’s not hard to understand why a company wouldn’t bother with it at all.

But there’s a solution for that.

Ordering birthday cards and anniversary cards printed with a few signatures and perhaps the company logo and keeping them on hand for when the moment arises is the perfect way to give employees that feeling of belonging to a company that is a family.

Step One: Find a greeting card (or cards) to match the tone of your office. There are cards for every corporate environment, with clean bold lines or whimsical designs.

Step Two: Choose a generic but sincere message that can be used for anyone in the office. If you want to create your own message, that can be an option too.

Step Three: Get the company logo and the signatures of the people in the office who always sign the cards. Send them to the The Gallery Collection and they’ll get printed on every card. No more chasing down the boss to sign a dozen cards at a time!

Step Four: Have your cards shipped to your office. Then they’re ready whenever you need them. A birthday/anniversary database kept up by an administrative assistant or the chairperson of a company “Sunshine Club” ensures that every card is delivered to every employee on time.

In this age of email and text messages, a value of a greeting card has risen exponentially.

The Purpose of Greeting Card Assortments

One of the best things I have come across since starting my new office assistant position is an order form for card assortment boxes. The purpose of greeting card assortments are to be on hand for different types of occasions. There are assortments available in many different categories. For example, Birthday, Anniversary, Sympathy, Get Well, Thank You, Congratulations and of course the little bit of everything All Occasion assortment. I have found that keeping a box of greeting cards in my desk is critical. I don’t always remember everyone’s everything. There is always an occasion coming up that a card is needed and everyone scrambles, who is going to go to the store? Who has time today? The usual suspects will come to me and may I add it is usually an immediately necessity. For my own sanity, I have decided to keep a 2 different boxes in my cabinet. I have an all occasion assortment box since it has 35 cards with 16 different types of cards. The most being Birthday cards – 12, Thank you – 6, Congratulations – 5, Sympathy – 4, and then 2 each of the Anniversary, Get Well, Thinking of you and finally 2 blank Note cards. And I also keep a box of all Birthday. Everyone gets a birthday cards! We all enjoy that – Don’t we?

Why Proper Grammar is Key in Letter Writing

There complementary desert is grater than hearse. Their complimentary dessert is greater than hers. The first sentence states that there exists a matching area of arid land that functions as an implement that grates in some unidentifiable relation to a vehicle that transports those who have passed away. The second sentence states that someone’s free cake tastes better than someone else’s cake. I believe these two sentences clearly illustrate the undeniable and unquestionable importance of grammar.

Perhaps you are not convinced. All grammatical errors are not as blatant as the above, and you may feel it is perfectly fine to ignore some rules of grammar once in a while. You might want to have your complimentary cake and eat it, too. Resist that temptation. Grammar is not meant to be a tedious set of rules. Its function is to assist in the accurate and coherent expression of thoughts and ideas. Certain forms of communication rely more heavily on grammar than others. In particular, proper grammar is key in letter writing. This is the case for many reasons, two of which are listed below.

Perceived Intelligence – Whether it is fair or not, most people judge the intelligence of others based upon the quality of their writing. An individual may be ignored or dismissed despite their intelligence simply because of poor grammar.

Meaningful Communication – Ideas, beliefs, and thoughts only exist outside oneself if they can be properly communicated. Faulty grammar hinders true expression as it can serve to frustrate or confuse the letter reader who may, in turn, abandon the letter without ever grasping its inherent value.

Types of Customizations for Your Greeting Cards

Sending greeting cards are a great way for a company to show appreciation to its customers and business acquaintances. They are also a great marketing tools, so why not customize your cards and make the most of the opportunity.

From the simple to the complex, there are many ways to customize the inside of your greeting cards. Like the simple way? Select a standard greeting and upload your logo. Your logo can be imprinted below the greeting and adds that personal pop to the card. Another option is to go with your own greeting. Instead of choosing one of the standards, add your own flair by writing something specific to your company in the greeting. This will certainly make your card more memorable. Something a little more complex in the way of customizing would be to add signatures to your cards. You simply pick a card, upload your signatures, arrange them on the inside of your card, and place the order for print. It is a great way to add the personal touch to your greeting cards.

Another opportunity to customize your cards is to do front customizations. You can upload an image to the front of your card. I have seen people use pictures of their employees or of the outside of their offices. You can also take a look at digital cards where you have the ability to add your company name to the front of the card in distinct colors and fonts.
Use your greeting cards not only as a way to show appreciation but as a marketing tool using personal customizations.

4 Reasons We Love Birthday Cards

  • They’re personal – There are thousands upon thousands of different card designs to choose from. Do they adore teacup pigs? Do they have an obsession with motorcycles? Would they appreciate something funny, or something more serious? There is nothing better than picking up a card and knowing “This is the one, they’re going to love this!” Just like finding the perfect gift, finding the perfect card can be just as satisfying.
  • They’re thoughtful – If you are a business owner and you want to make your employees feel valued, a birthday card is an excellent way to do so. Taking the time to wish someone well on their special day shows that you care about your employees and their lives beyond work. Asking other employees to sign a birthday card is also a good way to foster better employee relations in the workplace.
  • They’re Sentimental –How often do you let people know what they really mean to you? Birthday cards are an excellent way to express how you really feel about someone. It is their special day, so there is no need to hold back – tell them about how much you appreciate them always being there for you, or how there is no one else you’d rather duo “Don’t Stop Believing” with at karaoke night. You can write something deep and heartfelt or include a couple of inside jokes while taking a stroll down memory lane.
  • They’re Lasting – Long after the confetti has settled and the gift cards have been spent, what will remain? The beloved birthday card! The same kind words that make someone feel special today will give that person the same feeling when they stumble upon the card years later. People never forget the way that you make them feel. Out of all of the gifts that you could choose to give someone, the birthday card is the one gift that will last forever.

5 Grammar Mistakes You Might Be Making On Your Business Christmas Cards

All companies want to put their best foot forward when sending Business Christmas Cards; the cards are chosen carefully, the best card stock, the best embossing and foil but if there are grammatical mistakes, all is ruined. Remember all of the times you receive an email or letter and the grammar is atrocious, your reaction is, “oh my, didn’t they read this before sending?” well proof reading also applies to Corporate Christmas Cards.
Here are five of the most common grammatical mistakes:

  • Season’s Greetings is correct not Seasons Greetings – use an apostrophe.
  • However, there is no apostrophe after a family’s last name for example, The Wards is correct The Ward’s is not.
  • Please write Happy New Year, not Happy New Year’s or Happy New Years, this even sounds wrong.
  • The word Christmas should always be capitalized, but the word merry should not be capitalized unless you are starting the line with the greeting “Merry Christmas.” If merry falls in the middle of a sentence, it should not be capitalized.
  • When writing a message in your Corporate Christmas Card please remember that it is correct to say “The Board of Directors and I wish you a…” not “The Board of Directors and me wish you a…”

Asking someone to proof read your Business Christmas Cards may seem silly but sending out the “wrong message” is even sillier.

Why Your Office Needs All-Occasion Assortment Boxes

The workplace can sometimes be a not-so-personal place. Do you know your co-workers’ last names, where they live, or even their birthdays? Last minute occasions seem to pop-up all too often in the office. Be sure to keep an all-occasion assortment box of greeting cards on hand. Here are a few instances that might happen spur of the moment in your office:
The last minute birthday: Discussing birthdays with your co-workers does not seem like a common conversation to have. Because of this, birthdays seem to pop up last minute all the time. On this instance, head over to the all-occasion assortment box and pick out an appropriate birthday card to have the office sign.
A sudden tragic event: There is no predicting when something tragic happens. A sympathy card can really help out in an instance like this one. Have the office send their condolences using a sympathy card from the assortment box.

A surprise anniversary: Just like birthdays, anniversaries are not something commonly known until the day of. Offer your congratulations through an anniversary card!
A case of the common cold: You have noticed that one of your co-workers has not shown up today, and later find out that they have come down with a cold. Send out a Get Well card or a Fine Note card where the office can write their own personal message.

With the all-occasion assortment box, your office will never miss any of the important occasions that pop up unannounced.

Business Made Easy, Keep in Touch

Some people make the mistake of thinking in business you only need to talk to your clients when there is something wrong or when they need something from you. That is the biggest mistake you can make. There are always reasons to keep your brand in the forefront of your client’s minds.

Send a greeting card for all the right occasions. If it is Thanksgiving send out a card, if it is Christmas send out a holiday card…never take these moments for granted. You get to show your clients that you appreciate their business and they will end up putting your cards on a desk or on a cubicle wall where your company name can live for a while.

There are other methods of communication that are a must in business. Sending emails to stay in touch is a good way to keep your brand out there. Also, make sure to send a personalized gift to your clients once in a while. Remember, you want to have your clients remember your name but also getting your brand out in front of more people can now happen if people can see your logo. If you follow these simple steps expect great things to come!

Birthday Wishes for Everyone

As a human resources manager I am always looking to make sure the morale of the company is at an all-time high. Any little thing can matter in that regard. We try to plan socials after work to make sure our employees interact with each other, there’s the good old company picnic, and the one that never fails; the Holiday party. However, you must do the little things along the way as well.

One of those little things is the employee birthday card. Sounds like such a given in today’s world that you would get a card for an employee’s birthday but believe me most companies miss this small step towards morale boost. People like to know that you are thinking about them. This is true in life and definitely true in business. So make sure to get online and order those cards for the year because a five minute order process will go leaps and bounds to bringing the morale up in your company this year. Also make sure to vary up the cards so everyone does not get the same one. That will show you went the extra mile for your employees and they will appreciate you for it.

Retirement Party Ideas For Coworkers

A retirement party is a way to celebrate your coworker’s past accomplishments and also to celebrate what the future will hold for them. Retirement is a big deal. It marks the start of another chapter in your coworker’s life.

Retirement evokes mixed emotions – you are happy for your coworker’s next chapter and then you are a bit sad at the thought of losing your daily time and interactions with this person.

So a memorable transition with the help of a retirement party celebration focusing on your coworker’s career will make their leaving a special event!
Here are some ideas for a retirement party – which could be anything that reflects your coworker’s wishes.

Plan a party

  • A luncheon – either in the office or out at a restaurant, with all their favorite foods and possibly a roast to them
  • After work drinks and appetizers
  • An event focused on their favorite hobby or people in their lives, like their spouses, children or grandchildren.

Prepare

  • A memory jar – with a collection of all the very best memories of their time on the job
  • Bucket List jar – to place ideas for the retiree to do with their new found freedom
  • A retirement card – signed by everyone in the office
  • A retirement gift – It can be gifts related to travel, or their favorite hobbies or a personalized gift

Whatever you end up preparing your coworker will know how much you care and how much you will miss them. Be sure to keep in touch with them through Facebook or by providing coworkers with their contact information, as one the hardest aspects of retirement is saying good bye to your work family.