Comments on: Holiday Cards, PR and ROI

By: Shonali Burke

Shonali Burke — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:09:28 +0000

Great info, Beth – thanks so much for stopping by!

By: Shonali Burke

Shonali Burke — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:09:05 +0000

You had a great e-card, Chip, so I can see why people would forward it around. My e-card, even though it was very personal in nature, got great feedback as well in terms of comments, return cards (via Plaxo) and emails – so that, to me, is ROI enough.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I hope DCI Group has a great 2010.

By: Shonali Burke

Shonali Burke — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:07:56 +0000

Thanks, Robin. I think the Facebook point is an excellent one – I got fewer cards as well, and I think SM is a factor, as is budget. I did get some terrific e-cards, though, so it did seem like a lot of people were going online.

Thanks for stopping by!

By: Shonali Burke

Shonali Burke — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:06:35 +0000

Heh, you can’t get us away from our pets, can you? Thanks for the feedback, Lindsey!

By: Beth Legate

Beth Legate — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:15:53 +0000

Great article. We’ve gone with e-cards for the past 7 years, mostly because for us, the medium is the message. We’re in the video and interactive business, so what better way to share the love and demonstrate our skills in the process.

Concerning the R of ROI? Our audience is mostly current clients, with some past or prospective clients included. Our expectation of “return” is along the lines of most of our social media efforts today – building or maintaining awareness of our name and our work.

And concerning the I of ROI – it was produced by our staff, so that was a no brainer: our investment was man-hours, which isn’t “free,” but it also didn’t mean out of pocket for postage, printing, etc.

Completely agree about the relationship-building aspect. Our intent is for folks to get a warm chuckle from seeing the editor or graphic designer or AE they’ve worked with in the past year in the card. And for those that haven’t worked with us (yet), to see that we are a robust team of creative PEOPLE that make up this company called Image Base.

Happy Holidays from IB: http://www.image-base.com/holiday/

By: Chip Griffin

Chip Griffin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:51:31 +0000

At the public affairs firm where I work, we moved to an e-card this year. It was pretty creative, engaged a lot of our team, and has been tremendously well-received. It has been passed around quite a bit as well, so certainly has had high ROI. You can see it at DCIGroup.com

On the personal front, we stuck with mailed cards this year. Why? Inertia, frankly. Maybe next year we’ll come up with a creative approach to communicate online with family and friends at the holidays.

By: Robin F

Robin F — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:39:52 +0000

Interesting post. When Shonali first sent out her inquiry about ROI on holiday greetings, I had on my “business” hat and was thinking about past years when we’ve done various holiday cards — or e-greetings — and what we got out of them. I was also thinking about who sent me holiday greetings via my work address. And I had never considered holiday greetings in terms of ROI, but at the same time, we decided to take a pass on creating a spendy animated end-of-year e-nitiative this year b/c of $$$. (So maybe that is measuring ROI… if not scientifically.)

As to personal use? Well, it’s personal, and I don’t tend to think about ROI on personal relationships. Truthfully, the only reason cards didn’t go out this year was because “life events” got in the way. That said, I do always take notice of who sends me cards and who doesn’t. And sometimes, the ones I do get surprise me. I also think I got fewer this year because people are keeping in touch via Facebook.

By: Tweets that mention Holiday Cards, PR and ROI | Waxing UnLyrical -- Topsy.com

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:38:58 +0000

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By: Lindsey T.

Lindsey T. — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:37:43 +0000

This is funny because I just (snail) mailed my Christmas cards yesterday, and they feature our pets. It’s important to me to send snail mail cards for the holidays because it’s more personal, and I do think people enjoy getting holiday cards in the mail.

I do, however, send seasons greetings via e-mail to people that I may not be as close to or know as well.

Next year, I think we’re going to send New Year cards – via snail mail!