Whenever the holiday season draws near, the subject of giving client holiday cards come up. If you’re working in the legal industry, you’re often bothered by this question: should you send legal Christmas cards to clients, former clients, and sources?
Holiday cards can be a great way for you to stay in touch with clients, potential clients and other people during this very important holiday. They also serve as a great way to remind people who you are not in regular contact with of your continued existence. But before you embark on this important task, consider what your main goal with regards to sending legal Christmas cards is.
Sending Legal Christmas Cards
If you’re planning on sending pre-made, auto-addressed legal Christmas cards, you may be accomplishing exactly the opposite of what you intend. If the only time you ever reach out to the people on your list is during this holiday period, then you need to put in more effort.
Some people might interpret this gesture as blatantly self-promotional, and can make clients (and recipients) feel that they are just another name you tick off on your list. In some (even worst) cases, clients and legal sources that don’t hear from you all year will be turned off or feel disappointed in you if you suddenly send them an impersonal holiday card out of nowhere. If you do this, you can be certain your card will just end up getting tossed into the bin.
What about sending an e-card? The idea of sending e legal Christmas e-card seems more convenient, but a good number of recipients probably won’t even open an e-card for fear of it containing malware. Others will think that you are simply being a cheapskate and can’t afford to send real, handwritten cards. If you think you’re being innovative by sending an e-card, then you’re wrong. Sending an e-card evokes an even stronger impersonal message compared to pre-printed, mass produced cards. Why? Because it takes absolutely no effort to send them—just pick a card online, and send them to the recipient’s email. A recipient would normally assume that you’ve mass e-mailed everyone in your contact list with the same card.
Legal Christmas Cards as A Form Of Reaching Out
Instead of giving your clients that “warm, fuzzy” feeling whenever they receive legal Christmas cards, you end up giving them the impression that you’re just reaching out to remind them that you’re out there and want their business. This is not how you build good relationships with your clients.
If you’re going to send legal Christmas cards, do it to thank clients and referral sources for their business. You can also do it to genuinely wish them season’s greetings in a personalized way. You can send them a handwritten note (highly recommended) or a customized typed message along with a real signature.
On the other hand, if you’re only just out for business, why not be transparent about it? Rather than hiding your original intention, be honest and clients will appreciate you for that. Send clients, potential clients, and referral sources something that they can use, and let them know you would like to do business with them and that you can offer them legal assistance.
Besides the Christmas holidays, you can also show your clients your gratitude on other holidays such as Velentine’s, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, or business anniversaries. You can also send them legal greeting cards during important milestones in their business. If you want to celebrate the festive season by reaching out to your client, make your legal Christmas cards stand out by making them creative and memorable! Perhaps you can add humor to them or make them unique like a plantable card.
Of course you also have the option to send clients (and potential clients) more than just a greeting card. But if you’re sending a “corporate gift” during the holiday season, try to reconsider sending something with your company’s logo on it. If you want to include a logo on your “gift”, it might not be a good idea to send it over the holidays. After all, who wants to have stuff with someone else’s logo hanging around their home? Who wants something that’s blatantly self-promoting around their home during the holidays? No one.
Make Clients Happy With Unique Legal Christmas Cards
Let your clients (and potential clients) know that you think of them and that their support of your firm is important to you. Sending them unique legal Christmas cards shows that you appreciate the business they’ve made with you in the past years. Wish them a merry Christmas with unique and personalized Christmas cards for the legal industry.
As a legal professional, it is necessary to cultivate the relationships and connections you have with your clients. Sending Christmas cards is a wonderful way to build that attorney-client relationship.
Legal Christmas cards focus on ideas that matter to everyone –peace, love, joy, and justice. But this doesn’t mean that legal greeting cards are all boring and serious—there are a lot of cards that have a lot of humor in them too! After all, they say that the most serious professions often have the best sense of humor. As a matter of fact, there is a whole niche market for funny law-related greeting cards out there. The holiday season is just around the corner and if you’re looking to impress (or simply reach out) to clients or colleagues in the legal industry, you might want to consider checking out legal Christmas cards.
The Takeaway
The holiday season is all about the celebration of love and family and friends. But this doesn’t mean you can leave your clients (and colleagues) out of it! In fact it’s the best time for you to let them know that you remember and care for them! So send out your legal Christmas cards this year with confidence! Don’t forget to add a bit of a personal touch to it to show the recipient that you care! Have fun!
