Some interesting info on the Greeting Card Industry

7 Billion $ industry

6.5 Billion Cards purchased each year

1.5 Billion are Christmas Cards

According to the US Post office 3.5 billion greeting cards are printed each year but never get purchased by end user (Thrown out or shredded). When you buy a greeting card in a store you are paying for all the cards that don’t get sent and that is why they are so expensive. 

Hallmark and American Greetings – 80% of Market (Monopoly) 

9/10 households buy greeting cards every year

Boomers buy more cards than Millenials but Millenials spend more

GenX do not buy cards but the Millenials do (known for killing shopping malls, banks, 9-5 jobs, suits, movie theatres etc) Born between 1981 and 1996. They are reviving the greeting card industry. They want differentiation of their cards. Will pay up to $8 per card. 

DO YOU SEE WHY OUR CARDS ARE 1/5 THE PRICE? BECAUSE IN THE TRADITIONAL GREETING CARD INDUSTRY THE CUSTOMERS WHO BUY ARE PAYING FOR THE MILLIONS OF CARDS THAT NEVER GET PURCHASED. This makes my little Send Out Cards thing very affordable.

SOURCE: Freakonomics Podcast

p.s I added a few riddles and a story to the Brain Teasers page.

Random reasons to send a greeting card…

Letter in the mail

Who says you need a reason to send someone a card? I send cards with brain teasers because it’s fun.

Here are 12 reasons to send someone a card in February to have some fun and cheer someone up and who knows… it might make you feel better too.

  • February 2: National Tater Tot Day
  • February 3: National Carrot Cake Day
  • February 4: National Homemade Soup Day
  • February 5: National Shower with a Friend Day
  • February 7: National Fettuccine Alfredo Day
  • February 9: National No One Eats Alone Day
  • February 10: National Umbrella Day
  • February 11: National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
  • February 15: Singles Awareness Day
  • February 17: National Random Acts of Kindness Day
  • February 22: National Cook a Sweet Potato Day
  • February 28: National Public Sleeping Day

The Latest Batch of Brain-Teasers are on their way…

I just finished mailing the latest batch of brain-teaser cards. It was a great way to take a break from the seriousness of the workday and the latest Covid updates.

Letter in the mail

I have fun doing it because I get to be creative and help people have some.

Have you signed up yet?

Why not?

  • It’s fun
  • It’s free
  • It makes you think
  • There is no obligation

Want to sign up?

Go here…Brain-Teasers

Oh no… more brain-teasers!

What do you call a haunted chicken?
Poultry-geist

Hey, I thought I would do a quick update. I just sent some more brain-teaser cards in the mail.

Before you ask…YES Real cards that go in a real mailbox!

I’m tired of the usual mail I get and thought I would create something fun for people to get in the mail.

I’ve realized I’m a little old fashioned because of some things that I have experienced over the last year or so. I get messages and chats with videos in them and I don’t always open them or finish them. I like reading more than watching because it gives me time to think about the message.

I would rather read a book than watch television.

I would rather read an email or posting than watch a video.

An interesting thing about email I’ve noticed is that if it doesn’t capture my attention by telling me a story it goes to the bottom of the pile.

Something else I’ve noticed is that at work my boss and I communicate by email several times a day. They are very short email.

Well I went a little off topic there…

If want some brain-teasers delivered to your physical mailbox let me know.

danwrites.ca/brain-teasers/

Brain Teasers!

I like word games, brain teasers, riddles etc. They make me think and let me have fun at the same time. When you add the fact that I like reading and writing you will understand why I have added a new page to my website.

My question for you is if you could receive a card in the mail with a couple of brain teasers in it would you like it? I would so I’m setting up a page for that purpose.

Please note there is no cost or obligation to subscribe to this fun and mentally stimulating service. I’m doing it for the fun of it.

You can learn the details here… Brain Teasers

Mark your calendars with these dates…

Hey, I hope all is well. Here it is July 3rd already. As many of you know I love greeting cards. I missed getting the June dates out and apologize for that. Here are a number of reasons to send a greeting card in July.

Standard reasons to send a greeting card in July:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Weddings
New house
New baby
Condolences
To stay in touch

But let’s kick it up a notch and send cards for the following days:

July 2019 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:

Reasons to Send Cards All July long
Dog Days of Summer – July 3 – August 11
National Blueberry Month
National Anti-Boredom Month
Unlucky Month for weddings
National Cell Phone Courtesy Month
 National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Picnic Month
Weekly Reasons:
Week 2 – Nude Recreation Week
 Week 3 – Capture the Sunset Week
Date July 2019 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days:
1 Canada Day / Dominion Day
1 Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day
1  International Chicken Wing Day
1 International Joke Day
2 I Forgot Day
2 World UFO Day
3 Compliment Your Mirror Day
3 Disobedience Day
3 Eat Beans Day
3 Stay  out of the Sun Day
4 ndependence Day (U.S.)
4 National Country Music Day
4 Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
5 National Apple Turnover Day
5 National Bikini Day
5 Work-a-holics Day  International Kissing Day
6 International Kissing Day
6 International Cherry Pit Spitting Day
6 National Fried Chicken Day
7 Build A Scarecrow Day
7 Chocolate Day
7 National Strawberry Sundae Day
8 Body Painting Day
8 National Blueberry Day
8 Video Games Day
9 National Sugar Cookie Day
10 Pick Blueberries Day
10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day
11 Cheer up the Lonely Day
11 National Blueberry Muffins Day
11 World Population Day
12 Different Colored Eyes Day
12  Pecan Pie Day
13 Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
13 Embrace Your Geekness Day
13 Fool’s Paradise Day
13 riday the 13th
13 National French Fries Day
14 Bastille Day
14 Pandemonium Day
14 14 National Nude Day 
14 Shark Awareness Day
15 Be a Dork Day
15 Cow Appreciation Day
15 Global Hug Your Kids Day
15 Tapioca Pudding Day
16 Fresh Spinach Day
16 World Snake Day
17 National Hot Dog Day
17 Peach Ice Cream Day
17 World Emoji Day
17 Yellow Pig Day
18 National Caviar Day
19 National Daiquiri Day
19 National Raspberry Cake Day
20 National Ice Cream Soda Day
20 National Lollipop Day
20 Moon Day
20 Ugly Truck Day
21 National Ice Cream Day
21 National Junk Food Day
22 Hammock Day
22 Ratcatcher’s Day
23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day
24 Amelia Earhart Day
24 Cousins Day
24 National Tequila Day
24 Tell an Old Joke Day
25 Culinarians Day
25 Threading the Needle Day
26 All or Nothing Day
26 Aunt and Uncle Day
26 System Administrator Appreciation Day
27 National Day of the Cowboy
27 Take Your Houseplants for a Walk
27 Take Your Pants for a Walk Day
28 National Milk Chocolate Day
28 Parent’s Day
29 Interntional Tiger Day
29 National Chicken Wing Day
29 National Lasagna Day
30 National Cheesecake Day
30 Father-in-Law Day
30 International Day of Friendship
31 Mutt’s Day

1 Canada Day / Dominion Day

  1. Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day 1 International Chicken Wing Day 1 International Joke Day
  2. I Forgot Day

3 Eat Beans Day

13 Fool’s Paradise Day 13 Friday the 13th

  1. National French Fries Day 14 Bastille Day
  2. Pandemonium Day 14 National Nude Day 14 Shark Awareness Day 15 Be a Dork Day
  3. Cow Appreciation Day– Go out and give a cow a hug
  4. Global Hug Your Kids Day – third Monday of the month 15 Tapioca Pudding Day
  5. Fresh Spinach Day
  1. World Snake Day
  1. National Hot Dog Day – third Wednesday in July 17 Peach Ice Cream Day
  2. World Emoji Day 17 Yellow Pig Day
  3. National Caviar Day– something’s fishy here 19 National Daiquiri Day
  4. National Raspberry Cake Day 20 National Ice Cream Soda Day 20 National Lollipop Day
  5. Moon Day
  6. Ugly Truck Day- it’s a “guy” thing

30 International Day of Friendship 31 Mutt’s Day

10 Letters to Success…

10 Letters to Success…

I like direct mail. I don’t mean flyers or brochures or coupons or booklets or any of those other things that we find in our mailbox every day. I mean letters; letters sent to me that have my name on them. I write letters every month and I am going to kick it up a notch for the rest of June. I am going to write 10 letters a day from June 9th until June 30th. My goal is to have my business booming by the end of June. What does that mean? It means I will have more clients and referral partners.

There are 22 days left in the month. At 10 letters a day that means 220 letters. Just the postage alone will be $187.00!

Does that sound expensive? I have a system that I use so that my total cost for stationary, envelopes and stamps will only be $127.00. (I have already sent 20 letters using this system this month and no matter how many letters I send my cost will not change.)

Does that sound time consuming? Think about it sitting down and writing 10 letters, printing the letters, stuffing them in an envelope, printing the address labels, putting the address labels on the envelopes, putting the stamp on the envelope and getting the letters to the mail box. It sounds like it would take a couple of hours. The system I use will do all that for me. I just have to write the letters, pick who I am sending it to and click a button and woosh… the letter will be on it’s way.

Starting June 18th I will share the results of my letter campaign. Why June 18th? I have to allow time to get the letters delivered.

How will I measure the results? I will tell  every person I write that I will call them on a certain at a certain time.

What is my goal for this mail campaign? To get permission to meet them for a coffee and a short conversation to show them my system either in person or on a Zoom call.

Are you up for a challenge?

Sit down with me, look at my system and give it a try. If you don’t like what you see, no problem.