Category: Corporate Greeting Cards

Birthday Cards in the Office Elevate Morale

Why give birthday cards to your coworkers? It’s fun and it makes them feel good. The question is what kind of card should I send? Well that’s part of the fun part. Do you really the people you spend one third of your life with? Give it a try now.

Is the person sitting next to you a happy person or do they appear down too often? They may need some cheering up so let’s get them something funny or cute. Do they like puppies or are they a foodie? There’s your start, get to know the people you work with better and when it is their birthday they will appreciate you taking the time to understand what they like.

Here are a few tips:

  • If the person seems like a grouch, they may have problems at home or have bad arthritis, so kill them with kindness and send a warm card on their birthday.
  • If the person is always joking, they will probably appreciate a funny card.
  • If the person is a gossip, don’t give them any fuel to feed the gossip mill, send them a card with a very neutral message.
  • If you really dislike the person, send a card anyway but don’t bother thinking about it too much.

The best approach is to have a ready supply of different designs available so you are always ready when birthdays come around. People appreciate you thinking about them and they will show it. The atmosphere of friendliness makes the morale so much better when you work in an office.

Dark vs. light Stock Greeting Cards

This has been an ongoing debate for years.  Do I go with the dark stock paper or the light stock paper for my greeting card?  Which is more elegant? Which makes more of a statement?

On the one side, the dark stock paper, whether it be black, blue, green or red, has a unique flair.  It is not something you see all the time.  When you add the gold or silver foil imprinting, the words just jump off the page.  The negative feedback to the dark paper is that it is a little down beat.  It doesn’t scream cheer as you would expect from a greeting card.

The other side of the debate is the light stock card.  Whether you are looking at a white or buff background card, it is the norm.  You will find cards printed on these two colors everywhere.  There is no distinction to these cards.  In this case, you have to rely on the front picture and the inside message to really make your point.  These cards do exude a brightness and perkiness to your sentiments.  You also have more options as far as imprint colors.  You can use blue, black, green or red ink besides the option of silver or gold foil. 

I feel it is all personal preference.  No matter what card stock, dark or light, that you choose to go with, it is the message you are sending that counts.

Why Everyone Still Appreciates Greeting Cards

In a world taken over by computers, technology and social media, it is refreshing to get a greeting card in the mail.  Sure it is nice (and important) to be able to send an email or text message in a matter of seconds, but there is still something to be said about the power of a greeting card.  I think the personal touch and extra effort is why everyone still appreciates greeting cards.

I send greeting cards often, both on a professional and personal level.  At work, during the holiday season, my department sends Gallery Collection Christmas cards to vendors that we’ve worked with throughout the year to express our gratitude and greetings.  The response we receive each year is so nice!  I also receive cards from vendors and it always feels great to feel remembered and appreciated. 

In my personal life, I send greeting cards to family and friends throughout the year, mainly for birthdays and Christmas.  I actually love taking the time to pick out the perfect cards and writing a personal message.  There are also unfortunate moments where I need to send a sympathy card.  I sometimes feel odd sending condolences through a text or Facebook, which is why I still choose to send a card.  I’ve also received such great response from the greeting cards I send out… I’ve even had people tell me they look forward to my card each year! 

I’m not against newer forms of communication, in fact I love it and use it daily.  But this doesn’t mean that you can no longer send greeting cards.  Based on my experiences, both professionally and personally, people still appreciate greeting cards.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop sending them!

Why Greeting Cards are Important in the Corporate World

For a variety of good reasons, businesses oftentimes send greeting cards to customers and clients. These cards can include holiday cards, thank you cards (for past business) invitations to upcoming company events or reminder cards for an upcoming appointment.

To make the most positive impression, the cards your company sends should be personalized to the recipient. For holiday cards, it would be ideal if the cards are signed by your company’s CEO or a high-ranking official. If this is not possible (due to a high quantity of clients), it would be best to at least have the cards sent to your largest accounts hand-signed.

When your card is received, it is likely to be shared with the management of the company and, sometimes, many employees. Those who receive your card are likely to think more fondly of you and more likely to conduct business with you in the future, especially when compared to a business that doesn’t bother to contact them.

The other type of corporate greeting cards are those that are sent to employees. Just as it is important to keep on the good side of customers and clients by sending cards, an employee birthday card or anniversary card is sure to keep your workers feeling valued and increased loyalty generally means increased productivity. As with other corporate greetings, a small investment can have a much larger positive impact!

Add a Personal Touch to Your Greeting Cards With Signatures

Sending greeting cards has been a time honored tradition for centuries. It is always such a delight to send and receive cards with good wishes for a special occasion or even just because. Now with all the modern day advancements in printing, you can take the personal touch to a whole new level.

Most businesses take advantage of the customization process by having a thought out greeting and their company name printed in their cards whether it be for the holidays, birthdays or anniversaries. Did you know you can also have your own signatures printed inside of your greeting cards? The signatures will give your greeting cards a much more personal touch.

After placing an order for 500 birthday cards, it can be a daunting project to have everyone in the office sign each card. Now you can place your order and request a signature layout. You will receive a mockup of the inside of your card including your greeting and your custom imprint. Everyone can sign this piece of paper just one time. You scan it then email it back. Your customization will be manufactured.

All of your greeting cards will then be imprinted with not just the greeting and customization but also with everyone’s signature. It is an easy way to put your personal touch on your greeting cards without the stress of having to physically sign each cards.

Sending Anniversary Cards to Employees

Sending anniversary cards to your employees send a message to them that their time with your company means something to you.

When I celebrated my one year anniversary, my boss stopped by my desk and dropped off a beautiful card and actually sang a quick song. (I know a little corny, right?) The card was signed by her, my immediate supervisor, the owner of the company, the CEO and the COO. It was wonderful. I have to say, all of this attention from my boss and supervisor made me feel like my work was valued.

The greeting inside the card not only said, “Happy Anniversary” but it stated that they “Appreciated my contributions and they realize I am part of their success.” What a fantastic thing to hear from the people you work for.

This type of inspiration motivates me to give all I can to my company. Sometimes all it takes is a small gesture to give an employee the encouragement they need to do everything in their power to make the company a priority. Sending anniversary cards to your employees will instill loyalty and promote a positive work environment. Inspiration and motivation stimulate effective employees. Take a little time to show appreciation with employee anniversary cards and your business will create and maintain a high-quality workforce.

Should I Purchase Embossed Foil Seals for our Greeting Cards?

There’s no doubt presentation plays a huge role in the process of mailing out greeting cards. Whether it be sending out cards during the Christmas season, cards celebrating the New Year, Thanksgiving cards, or even classic Birthday cards, you want to choose a design that stands out from all the rest. Leaving an impression usually occurs with the first thing someone sees. When receiving a greeting card in the mail, what is the first thing you see? Unless people suddenly start sending greeting cards with their postage stamp on the actual card, then the first thing you’ll see is the envelope.

If you order your greeting cards from The Gallery Collection, you have a few nice options when it comes to choosing the type of envelope you want to send your cards in. You can choose either white or buff color for your envelope, and the inside can be white, silver, gold, or pearl. The process of sealing your envelopes is where you can get creative. The general option offered is “moisture seal” style envelopes, where you can either lick the envelope or apply a liquid based substance then press down to seal them up. For a slight upgrade in price, you can also choose to select “seal-fast” envelopes, in which the hard work is pretty much done for you, all you have to do is remove the wrapper to reveal the adhesiveness and press down to seal.

My personal favorite option is the embossed foil seals. These elegant and eye-catching seals come in either gold or silver, to compliment the specific envelope beautifully. The 1 inch seals come in packs of 50. The small additional charge is surely worth it to get that extra oomph with your cards and stand out from the rest of card senders. Not only do the embossed foil seals look fancy and unique, they also provide an easier route to opening the envelope for the recipients. Instead of clawing through the envelope seal, they can simply open the 1 inch seal and get to see the beautiful card design you chose. Sounds like a win-win to me.

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.

Get Your Brand Name Out There

Some of the biggest mistakes in marketing are made by the smartest people. When you have a brand you need to make sure that brand is up front and center in everything you do. Sometimes this thought gets missed in the simplest of ways. For example think about the business Christmas cards you send out each year. The smallest little detail on this seemingly small bit of marketing material can make all the difference.

Did you know you can get a Christmas card that actually features your company name on the front of it? Of course, you did not or you would have just stopped reading this article. If your business has something to do with trucking get an industry specific trucking holiday card that has a nice truck on it and your company name on that truck. There is no excuse it is easy to do with today’s technology. If I am running a law firm there needs to be some sort of judicial card out there that I can get my name on the front.

The reason you make sure and do this is because most people do not throw Christmas cards out right away. They keep them on their desk or on a cubicle or in the company kitchen area. Maybe other perspective clients see that card with your name on it and maybe down the line when they need a trucking company or a law firm your name pops into their head for some reason. They will not know exactly why it popped into their head but we’ll know.

Which Type of Greeting Cards You Should Buy in Bulk

Greeting cards can be a great way of keeping your name in front of current and prospective clients. We’ve been discussing which type of Greeting Cards you should buy in bulk and have come up with several types that are a worthwhile investment.

We make it a point to always send an annual Holiday Card – sometimes at Thanksgiving and sometimes a bit later with “Season’s Greetings”. A few years we actually chose a Happy New Year’s card. I always go to The Gallery Collection first because you can count on having an extensive selection of beautiful designs to choose from and the quality is always excellent. It’s hard to go wrong.

With summer help from college kids, it’s easy to order early & have our holiday cards all done and ready to be mailed well before the fall. I make sure to order extra cards in case we want to add new contacts to our mailing later on. This way, we avoid the stress of having to rush to prepare and send out several hundred cards right at one of the busiest times of the year.

Since our holiday cards have proven to be such a hit for several years running, we decided three years ago to also start sending out Birthday cards to our clients too. Seeing the overwhelmingly positive response, we’ve decided that It’s well worth the money, time, and effort. There have been lots of calls, emails and notes from the people we really want to hear from – our clients.

Anniversary cards are also good to buy in bulk because you can keep them on hand and send them to anyone you want to, any time of the year. Again, it’s good public relations. You could always go with keeping an Anniversary Assortment Box on hand, but this year we wanted to go with a specific card with our own greeting printed inside. This way we customized our cards just the way we wanted and there was no extra cost for this option.

If you don’t already send your customers holiday cards, birthday cards, or anniversary cards consider adding them as a part of your normal business routine. It’s simply good public relations and the payoff could be great!