About a week ago, I started receiving those tell-tale messages by phone, email, text, and social media post – you know the ones I mean. It's what I like to call the old "address double check."

You can count on it at least twice a year. Every birthday and every Christmas friends and business associates check your name off of the proverbial mailing list. It's a sure sign that corporate greeting card season is upon us.

As the first generic-looking season’s greetings circulars started to show up in my mailbox, it got me thinking, isn't there a way to spruce up (no pun intended, seriously it's not) this oh-so-familiar public relations holiday activity? It seems to me that this Plastic Printers template of the week installment is the perfect place to find out.

The Naughty List of Corporate Card Design

Most of us are aware that corporate greeting cards are a "forget-me-not" marketing campaign, but even so, there are ways that you can make the goal of the exercise more successful and less obvious. The first thing to do is take note of what not to do.

The number one rule of corporate card design-greeting card or otherwise-is to stay away from offensive content. This includes all things political and any off-color humor.

Keep in mind; if your audience reads something the wrong way, it makes them defensive. Once they are defensive, you've lost any chance at achieving your goal. Believe me, even if it's meant in jest, a joke will fall flat when received by a defensive audience. It's best to avoid this possibility at all costs.

However, that doesn't mean that your card should steer clear of the personal. Research indicates that recipients actually respond better to a corporate mailing if it has a few well-placed personal touches. The trick is to know what they are and when to apply them.

Make a List, Check it Twice

Everyone wants to be remembered during the holiday season. This includes: business associates, clients, customers, and employees. The thing about being remembered is you know when it took that little bit of extra, genuine effort. That effort is what your corporate card recipients are looking for when they receive your holiday greeting.

Here are a few ways to make sure that effort pays off in the New Year:

Tip #1: Use high-quality paper or plastic. Yes, this is essentially a marketing campaign, but don't make the mistake of allowing it to look like one. If you're going to invest in this campaign, really invest in it.

Cutting corners with cheap paper and materials makes your company look cheap and the recipient feel unappreciated. This is the antithesis of the message you should be sending. Invest in things like: holders for plastic gift cards, unique card designs, features that make it memorable, and at the very least high-quality paper. Anything that makes your card design stick in a customer's mind.

Also, take the time to use individual postage stamps, not a metered machine. If you order your cards in advance, you have enough time to add these personal touches so that recipients begin to anticipate and look forward to your mailings each year.

Tip #2: Address with care. This needs to be about more than just checking a company or client off of your mailing list.

For instance, if you have more than one contact at a particular business, send each contact an individual card. Include your company name and their title on the inside of the card, so they have a reference for the business that sent it, just in case they don't recognize the name of the individual sender.

Track all of the returned corporate holiday cards so that you can update your records throughout the year and make your intention of doing so less obvious.

Tip #3: Be subtle, but don't forget a nod to your brand identity. Corporate card design, whether it's for business or observance, should always include something that speaks to the convictions and/or personality of your business. This usually comes across in the card design that businesses pick. It could be hand-designed or done in a particular genre or theme.

Whatever you do, warm the card up so it does not come across as a generic marketing ploy.

Tip #4: Handwritten cards count. Your sales staff will likely send out greeting cards to some of their most valued clients. These cards should include a personalized message and handwritten signature. Make sure the message relates to something personal about each client. The same rule goes for business-to-customer greeting cards and any cards you send to staff members. You value them so show it.

Scratching your head about where a Plastic Printers template fits into all of this? Well, it's never a bad idea to include something a little extra with your corporate greeting cards.

It could be an updated corporate business card so that your valued clients know how to get a hold of you in the New Year. Also, for the premier, most valued, or staff recipients you can include a plastic gift card as a holiday bonus.

You'll find both options available in the template designs on our website www.plasticprinters.com. There's still time to add these extra trimmings to your corporate greeting card campaign for 2013, but if you'd rather hold off on the redesign process until the New Year, that's up to you.

Our staff will be here to help whenever you're ready. All you have to do is contact us and we can point you in the right direction.