snowy wreathOne of the great things about being a journalist is all the stuff I get to learn. I joke that I'm great for about 5 minutes on a whole bunch of topics thanks to all the interviews I do. Makes me great at cocktail parties and wedding receptions.

I recently interviewed a group of super-talented marketing and design pros and a few smart small business owners for a series of articles on business holiday cards that's currently running on the Staples Business Hub. Here are 5 quick take-aways:

  1. It's never too early to start planning your holiday card.
  2. Print versus digital depends on your business and your customers. Choose the format that best reflects what your company's about and what your clientele prefers.
  3. There's nothing wrong with taking a non-traditional approach and avoiding holiday themes and colors--so long as that's what your business is about.
  4. You can inadvertently offend, so share preliminary concepts and designs with a group of trusted folks who'll tell you the truth.
  5. Get professional help if you don't have the talent internally. Your card should stand out for a good reason, not because it's the best "worst" card of the season.

Get more details--and actionable tips--from the articles: