If We Send Thanksgiving Cards, Can We Skip Christmas Cards?

Dear Ms. Cards Etiquette

You have recommended sending Thanksgiving or New Year’s cards as a way of helping a company’s mailings stand out from the crowd, and my company decided to take your advice and send Thanksgiving cards this year. Do we still need to send a Christmas mailing?

Frugal in Fargo

Most definitely, Frugal. Although some might advise otherwise, think of it this way: on a purely practical level, after your Thanksgiving cards go out, you’ll *really* have your customers’ attention (which is exactly what you want!). If you follow that up by skipping a Christmas card, you’re customers are likely to notice … and who knows what they’ll think! Odds are they won’t be thinking, “Ooh, what an innovative marketing move THAT was. I like it!”

On a more abstract level, the whole point of a card mailing campaign is relationship marketing. You’re supposed to be developing a relationship with your clients that makes them think of your business in a favorable, friendly way when it’s time for them to shop around for your products and/or services. Now, in your normal daily life I’m betting anyone who gets a Thanksgiving card from you (if you even send Thanksgiving cards to your friends and relatives) is almost definitely getting a Christmas card as well (unless they celebrate another holiday … but you are sending non-denominational cards for your business anyhow, aren’t you?).

Use the same basic rules for your clients as you would for non-business recipients: You can get away with only sending Thanksgiving cards to people you really want to keep in close contact with, but you can’t get away with sending a Thanksgiving card without following it up with a holiday card in December!

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