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Dear Doctor Dot-Connector,
I am the Executive Assistant to the President of a medium-sized consulting firm. One of my responsibilities involves sending out company Holiday cards to our clients and vendors. We usually send out paper cards via snail mail, but I was wondering if you have any recommendations about using electronic cards?
We were thinking that people might be more likely to read and respond to electronic cards, not to mention that they’re less expensive and less wasteful. I’d appreciate any feedback you can give.
Thank you very much,
Holly Holiday
Dear Holly Holiday,
You definitely have a point about electronic cards being both less expensive and less wasteful. The question you need to ask is, which option is more consistent with the experience you want people to have when they interact with your company?
In other words, what do you want people to see, hear, or take away when your firm interacts with them? For example, while electronic cards may represent certain advantages in cost and labor, they may not be the best choice for conveying quality workmanship, personalized service, or attention to detail.
This is because people are more likely to associate paper cards with quality and personalization, since they’re generally more expensive and take more time and energy to prepare. On the other hand, if your firm does consulting to reduce the environmental impact of business operations by reducing paper waste, electronic cards would probably be ideal, since mailing out hundreds of paper cards would be inconsistent with your company’s image and brand identity.
Try to stand in your customers’ shoes. What are the qualities that best characterize your firm’s relationships with its customers? What kind of card would not only serve as a nice gesture, but would also emphasize these qualities and contribute to a stronger and more consistent relationship with your customers and vendors?
Again, which option is more consistent with the experience you want people to have when they interact with your company?
Hope this is helpful! Happy Holidays,
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