The time has once again arrived to draft your business’ holiday greetings. If you’re struggling to choose the greeting “card” that will bring your customers cheer, we’ve compiled some helpful ideas.
Whether you want to send an old-fashioned print card or a high-tech holiday video, check out these online resources.
Minted: This online card design company is a great resource for traditional printed holiday cards. Minted offers personalized cards designed by independent artists with a variety of artwork that suits various styles. In just a few simple steps, you can select the design and paper settings, upload any images you want to include and add your recipient addresses. The process takes only as long is it takes you to make your decisions and upload files and info. They will actually mail the cards for you — and you can mark that one off the list. The website is easy to use for even the marginally tech savvy consumer.
Website: https://www.minted.com/
Renderforest: DIY videos have gained popularity over the last 10 years as the “new” way to send holiday greetings. Renderforest, an online video, logo and website maker, is a great resource. The video maker provides a simple means of creating short movies, music videos, slideshows or presentations. Users can choose a theme and characters to include. The best part is that the website walks you through each step, so even the not-so-tech-savvy professionals can formulate a company-worthy greeting. A free membership allows unlimited videos of three minutes or less. Paid options are also available with more features.
Website: https://www.renderforest.com/subscription
Moovly: The more tech-savvy professionals can put their skills to good use with Moovly, another video-making platform with more elaborate features. Some graphic design skills and knowledge of HTML might be necessary to make a good video, but it’s worth the extra time and effort if you want to impress your audience and show off your design and tech expertise. The free trial allows users to post the video in email, on social media or on Youtube to send a link. For less than $25 per month, your company might be interested in a membership to continue to use Moovly for future presentations or promotional videos. Otherwise, take advantage of the 30-day trial for free images, videos and sounds to make all of the holiday videos you want!
Website: https://www.moovly.com/
Postagram: There’s an app for everything now, and greeting cards are no exception. Postagram is perfect for businesses of all sizes. This app allows the user to select images, backgrounds, messages and fonts. No design skills are required. Anyone who can download an app to a smartphone can take advantage of the simplicity of this process and add contacts or addresses manually or import from phone contacts. The app is free, and the cost to send a postcard to each contact is just $2. A premium option (which includes an envelope and stamp for each card) is available for $4 each, and an additional rate of $1 is charged to mail outside of the U.S. If you prefer to order your cards in bulk, Postagram offers the option of card packs for a low rate plus cost for shipping.
Website: https://sincerely.com/postagram
Paperless Post: If you want to design and send electronic holiday greetings, Paperless Post is a great option. The process is simple: choose a background and message, then send to all of your contacts. Users of this platform use coins as currency. These can be purchased in groups of five, and a few designs are available free of charge. Most designs have a price of two to five coins, and the price increases with more customization. Very few tech skills are required aside from uploading photos. The time spent will depend on how quickly the user can make a decision about which design to use.
Website: paperlesspost.com
GRAMMAR GUIDE:
Whether you choose to send your greetings the old-fashioned way or opt for a more modern communication medium, your holiday cards should reflect the time, effort and money you put into drafting them. Here’s a simple guide to help you avoid common errors as you send season’s greetings.
When sending wishes from a family, NEVER use an apostrophe in your last name. An apostrophe denotes a possessive noun, not a plural noun.
If your last name ends in any letter other than s, x or z, simply add the letter s to make it plural. Example: Merry Christmas from the Smiths or Bradys (If you’d prefer, you can always use “The Brady Family.”)
If your last name ends in s, x, z, ch or sh, add –es to the end of your name to make it plural. Example: Happy Holidays from the Mosses, Hernandezes, Foxes, Bushes or Finches (Again, if you prefer, avoid the problem and go with “The Moss Family.”)
An exception to the last rule applies for those whose name ends in ch that makes a k sound. In this case, simply ad the letter s. Example: Season’s greetings from the Reinbachs