In the past week, I’ve received a reminder card from my dentist urging me to make an appointment for my next cleaning and a note from a local realtor urging me to call if I decide to sell my apartment.

But my almost eight year-old son’s experience is probably most typical. He just got an early birthday card from the nearby toy store, complete with a $5 discount card.

He fits in with the more than two-thirds of people (69%) who received a birthday greeting card from a company that they do business with, according to Hallmark Business Expressions. Of those, 47% indicated that receiving a birthday card makes them more likely to do business with the sender. (You can guess my son’s response.) Combining a greeting card with an offer is even more effective.

“Birthdays are a natural opportunity for businesses to reach out to their customers,” said Marc Wagenheim, product marketing director for Hallmark Business Expressions. “Customers notice and appreciate when a company sends them good wishes around their birthday. Our study confirms what our business customers experience-birthday greeting cards make a lasting impression and encourage repeat business.”

All manner of businesses are getting into the swing of card-sending. Everyone from the paper boy (a none too- subtle prompt for an end-of-the-year tip) to the prestigious law firm sends them out. Business-to-business cards are common as well; a friend in the tourism industry gets several dozen Seasons Greetings cards every December from upscale cruise lines and other vendors.

But Christmas cards are becoming less common, says Barbara Miller, spokesperson for the Greeting Card Association. More and more businesses are opting for Thanksgiving cards (thank you for your business) or New Year’s cards, to avoid getting lost in the holiday shuffle and preclude the Christmas/ Chanukah issue.

There’s even a company, SendOutCards, that will print, stuff and mail out greeting cards for businesses too busy to add that to their plate. Sending greeting cards works, too. The Busy Bee retail store in Springfield, Mo., implemented a birthday greeting card program to strengthen the bond employees built with customers. “We weren’t sure what to expect,” said Mark Rosen, president of the store. “The results were staggering.” The store saw a 42% increase in response rate and, even with inserting a $10 coupon, earned a profit from the program. Despite the popular perception that greeting cards were started by Hallmark, American Greetings, and their 3,000 or so fellow card publishers, the custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese, who exchanged messages of good will to celebrate the New Year, and to the early Egyptians, who conveyed greetings on papyrus scrolls. By the early 1400s, Europeans were exchanging handmade paper greeting cards, starting with New Year’s greetings. Greeting cards have changed over time, notes Miller, serving as minitime capsules. Victorian cards, for instance, contained long poems decorated with ornate pictures, and were frequently hand delivered. Today’s text is more short and straightforward, the designs more minimalist, and the technology more pervasive. There are cards that sing, cards with lenticular images that create the perception of movement (similar to holographs), and even mobile e-cards shot straight from computer to cell phone.

E-cards are also a recent innovation, though they typically complement rather than take the place of traditional paper cards, says Miller. E-cards are funny and often commemorate pseudo-holidays such as Groundhog Day while paper Mother’s Day cards get stowed in treasure boxes for years. I have a friend who sometimes sends an e-card and follows it up with a paper greeting — it gives her a few days to get organized.

So the next time you’re looking for a new way to establish what the greeting card industry calls the “me to you connection,” remember, greeting cards are part of a long tradition. And fortunately, hand delivery is no longer de rigueur.

When asked how they feel about greeting cards sent by businesses in general, 73 percent of consumers surveyed indicated positive responses, including:

• appreciating the gesture,

• feeling like the company genuinely cares about them, and

• being more likely to do business with the company.

“In today’s competitive business environment, it’s important to use every opportunity to let customers know you are thinking of them and are thankful for their business and their loyalty,” said Wagenheim.

The most popular everyday cards are:

• Birthday (60%)

• Anniversary (8%)

• Get Well (7%)

• Friendship (6%)

• Sympathy (6%)

The biggest seasonal cards are:

• Christmas (60%)

• Valentine’s Day (25%)

• Mother’s Day (4%)

• Easter (3%)

• Father’s Day (3%)