Greetings is prefered. It is the same way with thanks. When you say 'thanks' to someone, you are implying that you are thankful in multiple ways and that you were helpful in multiple ways. You don't want to have to describe each of the ways, but you want it to be known that the appreciation is significant and you don't want your expression to be limited in measure and scope. The same feelings are involved when you say 'greetings'.