To wish or not to wish?

Every year, the question comes back to us at the agency, like an eternal boomerang. You hesitate... a little, a lot, totally. In 2022, should you still be sending out greetings? Good question. Thinkad has the answer!

Yes, of course you have to say Happy New Year to your customers, your suppliers, your partners, your banker, your accountant... in short, to all those who contribute to the success of your business! As well as being traditional and good manners, it's the perfect opportunity to (re)connect with your network, to remind yourself of customers who've left you in the lurch or who you've lost touch with, and to reach out to your prospects... sometimes it can even trigger an order!

So don't ask yourself any more questions - just send your wishes! The right question is ...

What form(s) should your wishes take?

This is where things get tricky. Because there are more and more distribution channels! So you're going to have to use common sense and choose the most effective ones, the ones your customers want, unless you have an unlimited budget to cover all the channels (in which case, above all, above all... call us!).

The sinews of war in B2B is the customer file... so start by compiling a file of contacts to whom you would like to say Happy New Year. Then ask yourself what media your contacts prefer. At the end of this preparation, you should have a much clearer idea of the ‘channel mix’ you need for your greetings campaign.

Signature of greetings email

Whatever you decide, when it comes to B2B, there's no getting away from the ‘special greetings’ email signature. Even if you get a categorical and non-negotiable ‘no’ from the CEO when you present the budget you're about to order from your favourite agency, you'll have done the vital minimum: end all your business emails with a nice little png, which you'll schedule from mid-December to the end of January. The average number of business emails sent every day in France is 50, so it would be a shame not to take advantage of this opportunity to wish your customers a happy new year.

Greetings card

Whether traditional or personalised, the ‘paper’ greetings card is still very popular, despite new technologies. Not only will the document reflect your company's unique image, but it will also allow you to write a handwritten message to your recipient, who is always delighted. Not to mention the fact that far fewer of you invest in postal mail and make the effort to write, so your customers display your greetings cards like trophies on their desks in January. Success guaranteed!

Greetings emailing

Emailing has been very popular over the last decade. Although much cheaper to send than their paper counterparts, these electronic missives explode our megabyte quotas in work email in January, to the point where we end up not opening them at all. It's a pity for companies who commission their communications agencies to produce hyper-creative emailings, bespoke motion designs or original films that are increasingly scripted, hoping to be spotted in the middle of 20 similar emailings, in the hope of triggering the much-hoped-for ‘reply’ from the client. So why don't we go back to making a pretty paper card?

Greetings on social networks

Of course, in 2022 there will be no New Year's campaign without a social media relay to pass on this thoughtful message to all your fans, followers and likers.
Keep it short, hyper-visual, and favour video. If you want to invest in the long term, complete your social strategy by setting up a special New Year's header from December to January.

Greetings by SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, Signal, Teams, …?

Your companies are increasingly working in project mode and with collective intelligence. This has led to the emergence of new communication practices involving small, closed committees. So post your greetings in your groups too... using visuals designed for social networks, the formats are perfectly compatible.

What do I do about greetings on my website?

Avoid using your news template, especially if you publish infrequently. Repeating this news item every 3 or 4 articles makes it all too clear that you haven't had anything interesting to say between 2 New Year's days! But why not put a special Christmas banner across the whole site, or create a landing page in December and January, like the shops that decorate their windows at Christmas? You can also go as far as customising the theme of your site in the textures or colours of the event.

When should you send your greetings?

That's easy! You can send your greetings from the beginning of December until the end of January. Before 1 January, just wish your stakeholders a happy festive season. Then, until the end of January, send them your New Year's greetings.

If you're a polyglot - and a businessman - adapt to the country, as customs vary from one territory to another. In Spain, for example, New Year's letters must be sent before 1 January. In the UK and Germany, it should be sent before 25 December. In Russia, the tradition is to write your wishes on a piece of paper, which is then burnt, diluted and drunk in champagne or vodka. It's a nice little Russian ritual, but rather complicated to carry out with all your contacts, not to mention the fact that you risk a rather severe... hangover!