Personal marketing cuts through B2B marketing noise

Being noticed in the crowded noise of B2B marketing is increasingly difficult these days.  There is the electronic noise that buyers are subject to on the Internet. There are reams of  marketing emails in their inbox begging for attention. Then there are ads on their mobile devices. Trade shows are a cacophony of distraction. And then there’s limited time to read trade magazines.  So what is a B2B marketer to do? Only one thing. Get ultra personal with business greeting cards. The customer’s experience in contacting your business, communicating with sales and service professionals and getting their concerns addressed is paramount in long-term business success.

Studies show that the declining volume of traditional 1st class mail – that some call snail mail – is a new opportunity.

First class mail sent via USPS dropped 40% in 2016 from a 90-year high in 2000 of approximately 100 trillion pieces . This mail volume has shrunk to levels not seen since 1980 when approximately 60 trillion pieces of 1st class mail (excludes parcels) was handled by the USPS. (See USPS data.)

Consider this: When was the last time you went through all your mail at home and ignored a personalized card? Never, right? We are always drawn to anything that has a personal feel in the mail flow. That’s because that way of communicating has fallen out of favor with the efficiency and convenience of electronic communication.

So at the office, a personalized card or letter is even rarer. And this is the magnificent opportunity for custom business greeting cards.

What is a custom business greeting card?

A custom corporate greeting card is not your grandma’s Hallmark card. It’s a highly crafted greeting in a traditional greeting card format, with a clever seasonally relevant message that is personalized for the recipient. And that often has subtle product, brand or company messaging concealed in its content.

The card is addressed to one or more targeted individuals (using a spreadsheet) and is signed electronically, but in a stylized handwriting font, from a person that has or wants to build a relationship with the recipient.

Here is an example of a card one our custom greeting card clients sent to its customers from its sales reps in January 2017:

Happy Lunar New Year – business greeting card

See more examples of custom business greeting cards.

Here are 10 great reasons to use custom business greeting cards

1. Technology automates personalization, yet preserves the personal feeling communicated by the card.
2. You can subtly communicate corporate, brand and campaign messaging in  a seasonal greeting, because the cards are created specifically for you and our company.
3. Cards cut through the traditional marketing noise in by evoking emotions in a poignant or humorous manner. They can be careful crafted by our card writers to deliver a message that is memorable and shareable.
4. It’s P2P marketing in a B2B world, leveraging human connection and relationships.
5. It’s an unmarketing strategy.
6. Diminishing traditional “snail mail” flow has created an opportunity for your message to get through.
7. Sending a card during periods when someone is not expecting a card (outside of the December greeting season) has huge impact.
8. Using on demand printing and targeted lists from personalized senders reduces wasted pre-printed greeting card inventory.
9. It’s significant more effective than bulk mail campaigns.
10. It’s more cost effective than spray and pray bulk mail campaigns and costs about the same on a per card basis than if you purchased greetings from a store that sells stationery and related supplies.

How to use a bespoke business thank you cards to build connections

Once upon a time, failing to send a card after meeting in person was considered almost rude. Today it is almost never done any more. A call-out on social media or a personal email is the replacement. But it is often missed, overlooked or met with indifference by the recipient.

However, receiving a “nice to meet you” greeting card in the mail, a few days after a meeting is always a really nice touch. The best sales people use these touchpoints that foster P2P deep relationships to stand apart from their marketplace competition.

The challenge is time. Busy executives and sales rarely have time to find an envelope, dig out a generic card – or buy one from a stationery store. The era of personal secretaries or assistant is long gone, and is an asset afforded only by the most senior executives these days.

Our solution is to provide on demand greeting cards customized explicitly for your company. To send one you simply  send an email to one of our agency reps, let them know which custom card design in your company’s inventory that you would like to use. And a screen grab or photo snap of the recipient’s business card. The card is prepared from you and printed that night and mailed via 1st class mail the next day.