The Art of Congratulations: How to Choose the Right Format?
During major holidays, companies often face the question of how to congratulate their clients and partners — personally or with a general message for everyone?
The choice between a personal greeting and a general post depends on your audience, the scale of your company, and your goals.
Let’s consider both options.
Personal Greeting
Pros:
• Personal approach: Creates a sense of importance for the client or partner.
• Increases loyalty: Especially important for key clients and partners.
• Effectiveness: Personal messages are more likely to be read.
Cons:
• Time-consuming: Personalizing each greeting takes a lot of time, especially if you have a large client or partner base.
• Risk of mistakes: Errors in names, company titles, or inaccurate information can spoil the impression and cause negative emotions.
• Future expectations: If you start personally congratulating everyone, clients may expect the same level of attention for every holiday, which can be difficult to maintain.
• High costs: Including physical cards or gifts in your greetings can be expensive, especially for larger client bases.
• Inappropriateness: Personal greetings may be perceived as intrusive if individual preferences of clients or partners are not considered.
• Scaling difficulty: This approach may work for small companies, but for larger organizations, it becomes logistically challenging.
• Bad timing: If the greeting is sent too late or doesn’t align with cultural norms, it may seem inappropriate or overly formal.
• Risk of being ignored: Personal letters or cards may be overlooked or lost, especially during the holiday season when people receive a lot of similar messages.
How to do it:
• Phone calls: Ideal for key clients and partners. It creates personal contact and provides an opportunity to discuss current matters in a relaxed atmosphere.
• Gifts: Corporate gifts, branded souvenirs, individual or digital presents are always appreciated and help highlight the client’s importance while serving as subtle advertising and a reminder of your company.
• Visits: Personally visiting a partner’s or client’s office with congratulations and a gift is a more formal yet impactful approach, suitable for key relationships.
• Video greetings: Personalized video messages featuring the company’s leadership or team congratulating the client are unique and memorable.
• Email: A formal option that allows for personalization by including the recipient’s name and mentioning details of the partnership.
• Printed materials: Personalized cards or calendars with tailored messages convey care and attention.
• Creative approach: A poem or individual wish crafted specifically for the client, such as engraved or personalized gifts (e.g., with the client’s name or a special date).
• Messengers: Suitable for less formal audiences, allowing quick greetings. Personal messages via LinkedIn, Instagram, or other platforms can include congratulations and perhaps an exclusive offer.
• Automated mailing: For large-scale greetings, use email or CRM marketing tools. Add the client’s name in the template (e.g., “Dear [First Name Last Name]!”).
Greeting on the Website or Social Media
Pros:
• Scalability: Allows you to reach a large audience at once.
• Time efficiency: Doesn’t require personalization for each client.
• Increased visibility: Attracts the attention of those who don’t interact with you directly.
How to do it:
• Social media posts: Create festive visuals (banners or short videos). Write a warm message thanking clients and partners for their cooperation. Add interactivity, such as inviting them to share their plans or wishes.
• Website publication: Place a banner on the homepage with a festive message. Add a blog post or article highlighting your achievements over the year and expressing gratitude to clients.
Sample text:
Dear friends [clients, partners]! 🎉
We wish you a joyful [holiday]! May this day bring happiness and inspiration. Thank you for being with us this year! We value your support and look forward to more successful collaborations. 💫
Yours, [Your Company Name].
Cons:
• General nature: These greetings feel less personalized, which can reduce their value for clients and partners, especially key ones.
• Risk of being overlooked: Social media users may miss your post amidst the flood of holiday content.
• Lack of interactivity: If the greeting doesn’t encourage engagement (e.g., contests or promotions), it might not attract enough attention.
• Limited relevance: A holiday post on your website may not resonate with those who have ended their business relationship with you or rarely visit your site.
• Loss of personal touch: A post or article doesn’t allow for individual contact, which is crucial for strengthening relationships with clients.
• Risk of negative reactions: If the greeting seems too formal, promotional, or generic, it might attract criticism or leave a negative impression.
• Audience limitations: Website or social media greetings may not reach clients or partners who are inactive on these platforms.
• Difficulty reaching the target audience: Without promotion, your greeting might go unnoticed or only be seen by existing followers.
What to choose?
• Personal greeting: Ideal for key clients, partners, and VIP audiences.
• General post: Best for a mass audience when brand recognition is the main goal.
• Combined approach: Use both options. Personally congratulate important partners and publish a general post for a broader audience.
It’s important to weigh the pros and cons and adapt your congratulatory strategy to make it as effective as possible while meeting audience expectations.
For the best results, complement social media or website greetings with other communication methods to cater to the needs and preferences of all client and partner categories.
This approach allows you to show attention to everyone without overloading your resources.