Making pet holiday cards for your brand is one of the easiest ways to stay top of mind with pet parents during a busy, emotional time of year. Done well, those cards reinforce your brand personality, build loyalty, and can even nudge clients to book services or shop with you again.
Why pet holiday cards matter
Pet parents love showing off their animals, and holiday cards give you a chance to celebrate that bond while quietly marketing your business. Personalized pet holiday cards stand out in a sea of generic greetings and help you nurture long-term relationships with your best clients
For pet brands, groomers, trainers, daycares, and veterinary clinics, a well-timed holiday card can:
- Show appreciation and build goodwill with current clients.
- Keep your name on the fridge (literally) during a high-spend season.
- Prompt clients to book that next appointment or purchase.
Clarify your goal and audience
Before you design anything, decide what you want your card to accomplish and who it is for. Pet brands serving mostly dog owners might send a different card than an exotics vet or a cat-only clinic.
Common goals for pet holiday cards include:
- Strengthening relationships with current clients.
- Re-engaging lapsed clients.
- Introducing your brand to referral partners or local businesses.
Knowing your audience also helps you choose inclusive language like “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” so your card feels welcoming to everyone.
Choose a format that fits your brand
There are two main directions for pet holiday cards: fully custom designs and templated cards from printers that specialize in pet-themed designs.
- Custom cards: Ideal if you have strong brand visuals and want complete control over layout, colors, and messaging. Many print-on-demand services let you upload your own design.
- Templated cards: Sites that offer pet-specific holiday designs make it easy to drop in your logo, photos, and greeting with minimal design work.
Whichever you choose, keep your logo, website, and contact details present but not overpowering. Your clients should feel like they are getting a genuine greeting, not a flyer.
Pick the right pet photos
Strong visuals are what make pet holiday cards irresistible to keep and share. You can feature your own pets, client pets (with permission), or on-brand stock photography that fits your message.
Consider these photo ideas:
- Feature pet clients: With owner consent, highlight pets who visited you this year, especially success stories or transformations.
- Showcase your shop dog, clinic cat, or team pets: These help humanize your brand and make your team more memorable.
- Stage seasonal scenes: Think cozy, not cheesy—pets near a tree or menorah, curled up with blankets, or enjoying a winter walk. Avoid anything unsafe, like real lights they could chew.
Make sure photos are high-resolution, well-lit, and aligned with your brand personality (serious and professional, playful and quirky, or somewhere in between).
Craft a message that sounds like you
The words inside your pet holiday card do more than say “Happy Holidays.” They reinforce your brand voice and remind clients why they trust you with their pets.
Aim for a short, heartfelt message that:
- Thank clients for trusting you with their pets.
- Acknowledges how important pet-family bonds are.
- Uses the same tone you use in your emails, blog, and social content.
If your brand leans playful, you might use pet puns and light humor. If you are a veterinary clinic dealing with serious issues, a warmer, more grounded tone may be better. Either way, avoid generic phrases that could come from any business.
Decide how promotional you want to be
Holiday cards can support your sales goals—but if they feel too salesy, clients will treat them like junk mail. The key is to make any promotion feel like a “thank you,” not a hard pitch.
Consider including:
- A gentle offer: A limited-time discount on grooming, pet portraits, or a wellness exam for January, printed discreetly inside the card.
- A value-add: A small tip list (e.g., winter safety tips or holiday stressbusters for pets) that shows your expertise and keeps your card useful.
- A QR code: Link to a holiday blog, gift guide, or booking page so interested clients can take the next step quickly.
Decide what feels right for your audience. If your main goal is pure appreciation, you can skip offers altogether and keep the focus on gratitude.
Make it personal where possible
The more personal your pet holiday cards feel, the more they will be kept, shared, and remembered. Personalization does not have to be complicated to be effective.
Options include:
- Handwritten notes or signatures from your team on printed cards.
- Using the pet’s name in the greeting on digital or printed cards when your list is small enough.
- Including a short “year in review” or one-sentence update from your business (for example, expanding services or supporting a rescue).
Even if you cannot personalize every card, small touches—like including staff signatures—help your brand feel more human and less corporate.
Print vs. digital pet holiday cards
Both printed and digital cards can work for pet businesses, and many brands use a mix of the two.
- Printed cards: Great for high-value clients, referral partners, veterinary specialists, and long-term customers. They feel tangible and often get displayed on fridges or office walls.
- Digital cards: Perfect for your email list and social media community. You can design a card-style graphic and pair it with a heartfelt caption or short video greeting.
Use printed cards when you want maximum impact with a smaller group, and digital cards for reach and consistency
Plan your timeline and list
Holiday card marketing works best when it does not feel rushed. Backing into a simple timeline helps you avoid last-minute stress.
- 8–10 weeks before: Decide on goals, budget, and whether you will send print, digital, or both. Start gathering photos and client permissions.
- 6–8 weeks before: Finalize design, copy, and offers. Order printed cards and envelopes.
- 3–4 weeks before: Address, personalize, and mail print cards. Schedule digital cards and related posts or emails.
Curate your list intentionally. Include your best clients, long-term relationships, and people you would genuinely send a card to even if it did not have your logo on it.
Turn this year’s cards into next year’s content
Your pet holiday cards can keep working long after the season ends. With a bit of planning, you can repurpose your photos and messages into future marketing assets.
Ideas include:
- Turning card photos into social posts or website visuals.
- Expanding your safety or wellness tips into a blog post or downloadable guide.
- Sharing a behind-the-scenes story about how you created your cards to highlight your team and values.
That way, the time and money you invest in pet holiday cards support your brand long after the decorations come down.
If you want pet-focused, SEO-optimized content to go with your holiday campaigns, read the blog at dogseowriter.com and then book a free discovery call to plan content that keeps pet parents thinking about your brand all year long.
