Tastefully Promoting Your Business

When your graduation is tied into your business, you should absolutely use this opportunity to promote and celebrate. You won't want to alienate friends and family by giving them a sales pitch during your party, but you do want to incorporate your business so that anyone interested can seek more information without feeling pressured.

If you work for a firm that sponsored your education or just supported you while you attended school, you might consider hosting a graduation party at your place of business. This way, the graduation invitations can feature the company's logo and information as the hosts of the party, and people will feel that this company cares about its employees and customers.

It is usually best not to offer incentives for attending your graduation party, such as a discount on future services if guests bring the graduation invitation to the party. Your friends and family want to celebrate your accomplishment and want to support you in your business choices, but they won't want to feel that your party is simply a ruse to lure in clients. Keep the focus on your graduation, and you can successfully exhibit your tact.

Choosing Appropriate Graduation Invitations

Promoting your business with a graduation party begins with choosing professional graduation invitations. If your business, whether it's the company your work for or your own business, will be hosting your party, then including their information on the graduation invitation is appropriate. You might say “Hosted By [company name, logo]” so recipients understand it is a business-oriented graduation party.

You could also incorporate your company's colors into the graduation party invitation, choosing either a formal or casual format. For example, if your company's colors are navy blue and orange and your party will be a casual picnic, you might choose a light orange paper with navy blue lettering.

Using Your New Degree as the Party Theme

If you want to give your party a fun vibe but still promote your business, you could make your degree your theme. For example, if you just graduated from law school, you might send graduation invitations with the scales of justice embossed in each corner or centered at the top. At your party, you might highlight the type of law you plan to pursue, such as criminal law, and incorporate it into your theme. For example, your appetizer table could be labeled “opening arguments” and your dessert table labeled “closing arguments.”

If you are planning a career in communications and marketing, consider treating your graduation invitations as a marketing campaign. You might write up a press release graduation invitation that details your schooling, future plans, and party details in a compelling way to show guests your creativity.

However you choose to promote your business through your graduation invitations, as long as you keep the party atmosphere pleasant and light, you'll likely attract new business to complement your new degree.