How to Send Season’s Greetings in a Pandemic
Reaching out to customers, partners, and employees on special occasions can have a huge impact on your business relationships. It shows you are invested in and value them as individuals. And at no time is this kind of gesture more highly anticipated and appreciated than during the holidays.
But this year, celebrating the spirit of the season will likely mean different things to different people. Everyone’s 2020 has been incredibly difficult and disruptive—even “generation-defining” according to McKinsey—including changing what people value most. It’s not all about the trimmings and trappings this time around. It’s human connection. A sense of community. Sincere season’s greetings that spread cheer (and hope) and show support for one another.
For 2020, holiday communications that go beyond the expected will be especially treasured and welcome. So, even if you’ve never ventured beyond the pre-printed corporate Christmas card or generic business gift imprinted with your logo, this year demands extra effort to inspire, uplift, and show how “human” your company can be.
Consider adding some original new ways to celebrate, or just use creativity to adapt your usual festive traditions to fit the times. As long as your message is heartfelt, you can be as elaborate or simple as your budget and bandwidth allow.
We’ve come up with a few ideas we can still help you pull off in time:
Spruce up your image
Update the elements of your digital presence with a unique holiday design that captures the spirit of the season as well as inspires. Where can you make this design shine?
- Emails: header, footer, signature
- Social platforms: profiles, images
- Website: Home page, popups, banners
Show your spirit
Create a short holiday-themed video or two, featuring encouraging words and images or footage of you and your staff delivering personal greetings. Post the videos on social. Send them via email. Add them to your website.
Send some joy
Forgo those preprinted sentiments by creating a custom holiday greeting card that feels special and uniquely caring when it matters most. When possible, add a handwritten note. Or create and send a delightful e-card with some uplifting animation or audio effects—extra points for making it personalized!
Another option is delivering a creative direct mail piece expressing your gratitude or offering an engaging “experience” that beautifully captures the feel of the holidays. Linking to a festive landing page can help strengthen personal connections—even if this year holiday parties and face-to-face encounters are off the table.
Share your values
It almost goes without saying the holidays are ideal for engaging in and encouraging creative acts of generosity. The events of 2020 make charitable giving and volunteerism even more meaningful. And people are likely to remember and admire companies or brands that have been particularly responsive and compassionate during the COVID-19 crisis. So, use your holiday outreach to share how you have supported the community through the pandemic.
Say thank you
The holidays also provide a perfect opportunity to express gratitude to the people who have supported your business and contributed to its success—or survival—throughout the pandemic. You can create a beautiful “thank you” email or personalize a printed thank-you card to send directly to clients you love working with and employees who work hard on your behalf. It’s a great way to show empathy and appreciation.
And there are tangible ways to express your thanks that more directly relate to your business and brand. Consider offering free downloadable content with intrinsic value, such as specific practices, tools, or strategies that can help them meet their own challenges. Or create a thoughtful, useful gift that reflects your brand in a subtle, yet festive way. One idea: custom wrapping paper featuring a pattern cleverly incorporating your logo, product, or brand colors within a holiday scenario.
Street Level Studio can help
There’s no question this year the holidays will be different. Or that they are fast approaching. But there’s still time to make your 2020 seasonal communications as special and meaningful as they ought to be. These ideas are just a starting point. How can we help you reach out creatively and compassionately during this historically unique holiday season?
