How to stand out with online Christmas greetings

Corinna Essa

Spend time on your e-card so it doesn’t come across as a last-minute substitute for a real card.

With last minute digital Christmas greetings taking over from the more traditional card, it’s important to stand out with your e-card to have the most impact.

It’s crucial to be original with your social media and online Christmas greetings or they will have a negative impact.

Because more and more people are sending online Christmas greetings via social media and email, it’s less special when someone receives one unless it’s original. You have to be really creative with your greetings. In the last three to four years, the amount of online Christmas greetings have gone crazy on social media. Before, people would prepare cards for months in advance. Now, it’s become a last minute thing.

IBISWorld research has shown revenue in the greeting card industry has dropped 3.2% from 2011 to 2016  The $4.8 billion greeting card industry is expected to continue its decline, falling 3.8% annually from 2016 to 2021, the research revealed.

Here are a few tips for people who want to make a lasting impact with their online Christmas greetings this year:

·         Customise your e-cards. It can feel worse for the recipient thinking that the same message you sent was sent to many more people.

·         Spend time putting together an e-card so it doesn’t come across as a last-minute substitute for a real card.

·         Make them personal. Make them about you and the recipient to underline how that relationship is special. Don’t forget to state the recipient’s name in your e-card to make it more personal.

·         Send them at the beginning of December as many people close for business a few weeks prior to Christmas.

·         Remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas, so wishing someone a happy new year or happy holidays might be more appropriate.

·         Use sophisticated graphic design so it doesn’t come across as a cheaper, cost-cutting alternative to a real card.

·         Make the message trigger emotions (either make them laugh or move your recipient) to make it a memorable card that stands out from all the noise.

Corinna Essa, Founder, Social Media Worldwide, and author of “Speed Cash – The Fastest and Easiest Ways to Make Money Online” (working title – book to be published in January 2017)

Feature image photo for this article by Aldwyn Altuney, AA Xposé Media; www.aaxpose.com