Greeting Card Design Tips

Greeting cards are not just for the holidays. They are successful marketing tools year-round, because in an age of e-mail, text messages and Twitter updates, a handwritten note can really make an impression on a client. Printing custom company greeting cards is a great investment because, when you mail out greeting cards to clients, you're sending a carefully branded communication, which shows that you've spent time thinking about a client and that you value your relationship with them. Below is a quick checklist to consider when designing a greeting card for your business: 1. Decide on your message First, think about the milestones and events you will use to send out your cards. For example, the message of a card sent after a client meeting might be "Thank You," in that you're thanking the client for their time, ideas, business, etc. Some other messages to consider printing are happy holidays, birthday wishes (if you have client's birthdays on file) and congratulations cards. If you'd like to keep it simple and adaptable, try printing your initials, the name of the company, or a open-ended image or design on the front of the card so it can be used for any occasion. 2. Consider card specs Next think about the greeting cards' technical specs, or how you'd like the format, colors, printing and text to look. A vertical orientation is always a bit unexpected and can give your greeting card a creative edge. Also consider using a larger 5-inch by 7-inch size and a thick, 14-point gloss paper stock when possible, because a big card on thick paper stock will look more impressive to clients. You will also need to decide if a general printed message will work on the inside of the card, or if you'd prefer to leave the inside blank for handwritten messages only. Whether you print a message or leave the card blank, when you fill out greeting cards, always strive to make them as personalized as possible for each client. 3. Don't forget your brand Although greeting cards are vehicles for personal correspondence, you are still getting a few minutes of face-time with a customer, so be sure to integrate your brand into the card design. You can slip a tiny bit of branding and marketing into company greeting cards simply by including a logo, URL and tagline along the bottom edge of the inside of the card. Or you can include any company information you want to, in a blurb on the back of the card. One great tactic is to use a humorous or thought-provoking image on the front of the card (Be sure the image relates to the message of the card or to your business). Then include a blurb explaining the image, where it came from, how it relates to your business, on the reverse side. You can slip some company information, or even a call-to-action into that blurb. Most folks will automatically flip the card over to find out about the image and in doing so, read about your company's mission or offerings included in the blurb.