The Gift Basket Exchange Blog

If you’ve never sent business holiday cards, or don’t make a point of sending them out every year, here are five reasons why you should start:

1. Meet Expectations. Although the adage, “It’s better to give than to receive,” is a sentimental favorite, those with whom you do business expect to be remembered during the holidays. Holiday greeting cards help smooth your business relationships during the rest of the year by meeting expectations during the Christmas season.

2. Improve Customer Relations. Whether you have a business-to-business enterprise, provide a professional service, or own a retail store, chances are that your success is built upon maintaining relationships with your customers and clients. Christmas cards show your customers and clients that you appreciate their business, and that you want to share the spirit of the season.

3. Cost Effective. Perhaps you already buy holiday gifts and remembrances for your best customers or clients, but business holiday cards allow you to reach many more people for relatively little money. You can purchase personalized business holiday cards for as little as $1.40 each, including options to select among many different styles and verses, several colors of ink, and imprinted envelopes. This is an excellent investment in your business.

4. Excellent Return on Investment. Chances are, you and your company receive business Christmas cards from your vendors and suppliers. So, you understand the warm feelings that arise when you read their holiday cards, and you probably experience a “carryover” positive impression when you do your purchasing in the New Year. If you doubt that business holiday cards generate an excellent return on investment, ask yourself this: All other things being equal, which company would you choose to do business with – the company that sent you a holiday card every year or the company that only contacted you when it was time to reorder or collect payment?

5. Limitless Choices. With the rise of Internet and ecommerce, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to select business Christmas cards that reflect their company’s image and values. The best online sources for business holiday cards have a wide variety of high quality card designs. In addition, the best online greeting card companies offer a free choice of verse, free coordinated foil-lined envelopes, free samples of Christmas cards, and a multitude of choices for personalization.

In today’s business world, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to differentiate your company from your competition. Sending business Christmas cards is a small gesture than can mean improved customer relationships and an excellent return on investment. You really can’t afford not to send holiday cards to your customers, clients, and associates.

We all know it and dread it: those people who procrastinate and call desperately on Christmas eve (well, some call a few days ahead of time, but still not giving you enough time).

With the economy so unstable at this time, many have probably decided to skip holiday gifts this year (sad, but very true). But as the holidays approach, they may change their mind and/or realize that it was a mistake, and pick up the phone at the last minute.

You can prepare for these last minute shoppers if you start now. Here are  three ways you can get ready:

1. Make sure you have holiday ribbon and stand alone gifts: these are the easiest to deal with at the last minute. Any gift can be spruced up with some ribbon and made perfect for Holiday gifts.
2. Sign up with a drop shipping company, and find out what they can offer at the last minute. Most drop shippers have the resources to fill in orders up to the last minute.
3. Create some gift certificates that can be printed from email for those that wait so late nothing else can be done. If you have an email list you can actually promote this the week before the holidays, and get some more sales in.

Above all, don’t forget to take time off and enjoy family and friends during  the holidays: you work hard all year long, and deserve a break. I wish you lots of timely sales, and a happy holiday season!

Do you ever wonder how to get more traffic to your gift basket website? There are less than 4 months until the end of the year, and that means you need to get started promoting your site really soon.

Stomping the Search Engines 2 form the guys at Stompernet is a great step-by-step action plan that will help you break through to the top of the search engines.

Do you want to rank well for the key phrase “gift baskets”? It’s not only very hard, but it’s also not the best key phrase to put your efforts into. StSE2 will show you through video how to research for the right keywords, those that people with a credit card in their hands are searching for.

You’ll also learn how to tweak your site’s design, and even the description of your gift baskets, in order to outrank your competitors.

There is a lot more to learn form this complete video set coming out in only a few days. If you are serious about your business, make sure you check out Stomping the Search Engines 2 when it comes out on wednesday.

There is also talk about a printed magazine, called The Net Effect Journal that will give you continued knowledge about getting and staying at the top of the search engines. I personally have a press copy of this new journal, and did a review on my busy moms blog. Go see my review and feel free to ask any questions: i’d love to see you at the top of your search engines.