Marketing with Holiday Cards

Over the weekend we received a Christmas card from our plumber.  It was a lovely card encased in a silver-lined envelope and beautifully embossed with a holiday message and the name of the plumbing company.  The customer inside of me said, "Oh, that's nice." and I immediately threw it away.  The marketer inside me said, "What a sad waste of a card and postage.  They didn't send me a call to action."

What do you hope to accomplish by sending out holiday cards to your customers?  Do more than send out a pretty greeting. Don't create a situation like my plumber did where the only thing I did with the card is put it immediately into the trash.  Make sending holiday cards worth your time, energy, and money and worthwhile for the customer to open by including a call to action.  Here are some examples:

1.  enclose a coupon for 15% off the next call or order
2.  create a tell-a-friend campaign by enclosing business cards or new customer coupons that the customer can pass along to family and friends
3.  offer to do a complimentary inspection
4.  send your customer a link to a free report on your website that will help him/her improve something

Get the idea here?  What call to action can you take in your holiday card campaign so that your card is saved from the circular bin?