Hallmark Business Connections Reveals 2013 Holiday Business Greeting Card Trends and Best Sellers

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hallmark Business Connections, the business-to-business subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., shares its top five three best practices for businesses to create personalized opportunities to recognize valued customers over the holiday season. The art behind the product line is a balance between knowing what to keep and what to create: Hallmark Business Connections develops a certain percentage of overall product line as unique 2013 holiday card collections incorporating new themes, while remaining retaining cards incorporate whose successful designs and sentiment trends from were prior years' best sellers.  

Express gratitude at Thanksgiving

Helen Fahler, Hallmark Business Connections senior art director, says breadth and range in design enables businesses to reach a diverse audience between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Businesses can send Thanksgiving cards to get out in front of the holiday mail stream. Fahler says, "It's a perfect time to let clients or customers know how much you appreciate doing business with them." This is also an ideal time to communicate with your customer or client base if you are unsure which holidays they celebrate throughout the winter months. Quality examples include the cover messages "A Season of Thanks" and "A Message of Gratitude," two popular options over recent years.

Draw on popular icons of the season

Even within the business environment, many companies desire traditional holiday icons that resonate with specific clientele. Responding to this need, Hallmark Business Connections offers snowmen, stockings, ornaments and new to the line this year, a Santa design. Icons that evoke memories of Christmas past have been embraced as storytelling themes for those who send and receive holiday greetings. For 2013, Hallmark Business Connections added new designs as well as a premium tier options for Christmas-minded businesses.

Appeal to the masses

Many companies wish to be relevant to everyone on their mailing list. These companies may consider:

• On-trend color palettes that appeal to a wide recipient base at year's end, going beyond the traditional red and green.
• Captions such as "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" to reach a broad audience.
• Multi-lingual cover approaches, allowing businesses with a global presence to have meaningful connections with various customers around the world.
• Designs incorporating nature elements, which speak to a broad base of consumers.

Make a memorable connection

Personalization and customization are attributes businesses value when creating their annual corporate holiday card. For example, a card that allows a company to display its name or logo in a creative way stands out from others. It is often treasured by the company and highly memorable to recipients.

In addition to its customizable holiday card line, Hallmark Business Connections offers the ability to personalize cards with choice of sentiments and a personal message. Customers may choose a handwritten font for the message, signature and address on the outside envelope. The service addresses, stamps, and mails cards to customers on behalf of the businessperson or organization, saving time while ensuring thoughtful on-time delivery.

"We know from recent research that our proprietary digital handwriting is received very differently from traditional fonts and printing processes, making it a win for the business, in that it saves an enormous amount of time and is perceived as highly personal by recipients," said Rhonda Basler, Hallmark Business Connections director, customer engagement. "Holiday greeting cards are a great way to continue a long-standing tradition, but also offer many new ways for businesses to convey their appreciation to customers and employees."

Visit http://hallmark.businessgreetings.com/ to learn more and view the 2013 Hallmark Business Connections holiday card collection. Open an online account and enjoy free shipping

About Hallmark Business Connections

Hallmark Business Connections is the business-relationships unit of the iconic Hallmark Cards brand. We leverage more than 100 years of Hallmark heritage, creativity and innovation businesses build and strengthen the relationships that make them thrive. Turning customers into advocates, employees into champions, and companies into healthier environments, Hallmark Business Connections crafts innovative solutions that boost employee engagement and business growth. Hallmark Business Connections is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., with locations in Kansas City, Mo., and Duluth, Minn. For more information, visit http://www.HallmarkBusinessConnections.com.

Contact: Lisa Oster, 612-672-8611, [email protected]

SOURCE Hallmark Business Connections