Category: Greeting Cards

Thank You Cards: An Art To Be Encouraged

Why is it that the art of saying thank you seems to be in short supply? I was taught that if someone does something nice for you or gives you a present, you should say thank you. The best way was to write a note to the person with your sincere thoughts of thanks. Today it is easier, there are so many thank you cards available with a great variety of thank you sayings.

Thank you is such a basic part of my life and I find it sad to see that it is becoming less and less personal. Sending a text is okay but it can never replace the art or writing. When you take the time to choose a card, then write a note and address the envelope, you are showing that you were touched enough by that person to spend time selecting just the right card and saying.

Proper etiquette says that you should send a thank you within a month of receiving a gift or even having been invited to attend a dinner party. We should always remember that we are supposed to be practicing an elevated sense of propriety. Let me assure you if I am invited to your house, I will follow up my visit with a thank you card for the lovely evening spent with you.

Social Media Versus Greeting Cards

The world that we live in today consists of Facebook, Twitter, Texts, Emails and impersonal relationships. We are so consumed with our lives and how quick we can get to the next thing. In my opinion, it is alright to keep in touch with people that are not currently in our everyday life, but close family and friends deserve for us to slow down and become more human.

Take a moment to remember how it felt to receive a greeting card in the mail and appreciate the time someone took to sit down and write you a message. We need to keep relationships that are close to us, closer. Just know when it’s the appropriate time to text, email or simply send a greeting card.

I understand technology makes a lot of communication more available. We also now have the ability to create beautiful pictures on cards at the push of a button. Getting married? Send those invitations through the mail, not an online post. Wishing your mom a happy birthday should not be sent electronically. Think to yourself before you send that impersonal email. Can I take a moment to send a personal card instead?

Resources to Help Your Business

When you own your own business, it is important to use all the resources available to you to help increase and maintain your clientele.

Presentation Folders are a great way to do that. You can imprint your logo on the front and add other information in up to 3 other locations. Customizable Folders are helpful when putting together proposals or just giving out basic information about your company. People will remember the thoughtfulness and organization a folder provides. You can also get up to two business card slots on the inside of your presentation folder.

Speaking of business cards, these are another great tool to get your name out there and to have your name remembered. When talking to someone, it is always great if they have a take away even if it is just a business card. I have so much trouble remembering names so I find it extremely helpful when I walk away from a conversation with a business card.

Another great resource to help your business is greeting cards. Sending your employees and customers greeting cards to celebrate milestones such as birthdays and anniversary will make you stand out above the rest. I also think the idea of sending calendar cards at the end of every year is a great way to keep your name posted at your clients’ desk.

Be sure to use all the resources available to you to help your business prosper.

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.

Why should my Business send Holiday Cards?

Sending Holiday cards to your customer, vendors and employees is a necessary for any business.  The extra expense of these tokens of gratitude will prove worthwhile in the end.  It is an advertising method that has been around for years with proven success.

Your customers and clients will appreciate that you are thinking of them during the holidays.  It is a show of appreciate for their business and will inspire them to continue working with you in the future.  Holiday cards show to your customers that their business is valued. 

Vendors that you deal with daily or monthly basis will also see that they are on your mind when they receive their holiday cards.  This could result in better discounts on future orders or maybe other perks such as free samples.

As for your personnel, any employee acknowledgement always leads to a more successful company.  Happy employees make for a better bottom-line.  The holiday season is the perfect time to thank them for all their hard work and effort.  I suggest you mail these cards to their households.  Getting a sign of gratitude such a holiday card mailed to their home will truly make them feel special.

Holiday greeting cards will result in only positive feedback from all of your recipients.

The Benefits of Custom Greeting Cards

Custom greeting cards are perfect for every business. No matter what line of work you are in, you have at least 100 customers or clients that deserve a custom printed greeting card from you or your business. I have read some marketing facts that show it costs 10 times less to keep a current customer than it does to get a new one.  This is the benefit of custom greeting cards. It also shows your appreciation to your current customers or clients in a very inexpensive way and it preserves your ongoing business relationships.

By the way, custom greeting cards are wonderful for personal use as well. The greeting cards are excellent for birthdays, holidays, or any special life occurrences. Custom greeting cards really touch the hearts of the people you send them out to.  In our world of faceless electronic communication it has become very important that we reach our customers in a memorable way.

Whether I send out a single greeting card or a few, say for a holiday, I almost always receive emails and text messages thanking me for the greeting card I that sent.  When I receive this kind of feedback I become more aware of the impact I created. One positive is that I have made someone smile and be happy, so I feel good too!

Another positive is that my greeting card has physically been opened and read, I wonder about emails we all send, sometimes it is just easier to hit “delete all”.  There is no question in my mind that my card will be placed somewhere in their home or office, for quite a while.   

Are you in the Market for Greeting Cards?

How do you shop for greeting cards?  When I was in the market for our yearly supply of birthday cards, I wasn’t exactly sure where to start.  My predecessor would make trips to the local discount store to purchase greeting cards.  No offense to her as she was doing the best she could, but the cards were always so flimsy and looked cheap.  This was not how I thought our business should be represented.

The first thing I did was hit the internet.  I went to multiple sites and requested catalogs.  This was a great way to start.  Most companies not only sent me a catalog but a sample of their greeting cards and sometimes even their envelopes.  It was really helpful as I was able to compare the quality of greeting cards from each company.

Once I narrowed down my choice to The Gallery Collection, I hopped on their website to see their full line of greeting cards.  It was so difficult to select one from all the beautiful designs.  They were nice enough to send me samples of my 6 favorite.  I then passed them along to my colleagues in the Human Resources Department for a vote.  We have the perfect birthday cards that I am proud to send to our customers and staff.

Keeping Greeting Card Assortment Boxes on Hand

How many times has an occasion popped up unexpectedly and you didn’t have a greeting card on hand? Running to the store isn’t always an option. We are always busy and just don’t have the time to stop everything. It makes perfect sense to keep an assortment of greeting cards on hand for different occasions. The Gallery Collection has many different assortment boxes available.

While there is always the option of buying one card design, sometimes you just don’t want to give out the same card to everyone. An all occasion assortment box will give you an array of cards to choose from. Birthday Cards, Anniversary Cards, Get Well Cards, Sympathy Cards and Congratulation cards can be at your fingertips. Ready to send out at a moment’s notice.

You can purchase beautiful, high quality cards at a fraction of the cost that you would pay at a department or stationary store.

If you mainly send out birthday cards, there is a birthday card assortment only. There are three options to pick from. For other occasions, there are other card assortments available like sympathy assortment boxes, thank you assortment boxes, get well assortment boxes, or anniversary assortment boxes. This is just to name a few. If you like to write your own message, there is a Fine Art collection that are blank inside.

With all the options available, you will be ready to send out your well wishes whenever the occasion pops up!