Business Birthday Cards: Celebrate Special Occasions with Customers and Clients

Do you remember the last time a business sent you a birthday card?

Your customers, clients and other business contacts experience life?s milestones all the time. Taking advantage of these special occasions to reach out with a personalized birthday card can help show how much they matter to your business. Starting a birthday card program is simple, and the outcomes can be positive for your business.

Want to make the most of a birthday card blitz? Here are some tips to ensure each card is a welcome birthday surprise to its recipient.

1. Get the data - Start by collecting birth dates from those contacts most important to your business. Consider customers, clients and vendors, and don?t forget employees. You can collect birthdates from customers at a point-of-sale, for example, or simply ask contacts when you see them.

2. Make a master plan - Organize all the birthdates so your monthly mailings are simple. Create a calendar or set email reminders for each birth date. The most important part of sending a birthday card is sending it on time, so find a way that works for you.

3. Send the cards - To make birthday-card sending an easy task, choose a day each month to gather business-appropriate cards, stamps and addresses. Take the time to hand-address each card and write a personal message on the inside. You might send all the cards at the beginning of the month, or put a week?s worth of cards in the mail each Monday. Allow each card at least three days for delivery.

4. Keep it professional - Though birthday celebrations are a personal event, remember this is a business relationship you?re managing. Your card and message should reflect that. Use the appropriate level of formality - only use first names when you are 100 percent confident the recipient will be comfortable with it. When in doubt, use Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., etc. Always double-check that you?ve spelled the recipient?s name correctly.

5. Make an offer - When sending birthday cards to customers, consider including an offer or special incentive from your business. Hallmark Business Expressions research showed that receiving a birthday card from a business makes many consumers more likely to do business with the sender. But when combined with an offer, such as a discount on a purchase during their birthday month, a birthday card becomes an invaluable tool to help garner repeat business.

Birthday card programs are simple to implement, a welcome surprise to business contacts, and a great way to help turn one-time customers into loyal ones.

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