I broke a lot of bones and was off work for nearly two months while I healed from my injuries. (Fortunately I made a full recovery with no permanent damage.)
Once people heard about my accident I received a lot of emails wishing me a speedy recovery. These came from all round the world and I was delighted to get these positive messages.
I replied to each person and then deleted the emails. (Today I couldn't tell you which people sent me 'get well' emails.)
At the same time I also received a handful of 'get well soon' cards and letters by good old fashioned 'snail mail.' There were 7 in total. I kept all those letters and cards for the next six months. (And well over two years later I still remember positively the names of every single person who sent me a get well letter or card in the post.)
What does my experience mean for you and your business?
It means that if you want your business to be positively remembered for a long time then 'snail mail' is something you should definitely be considering as part of your marketing activities.
Here's one way to use 'snail mail' that you might want to test...
Make a list of 50 current clients, 25 potential clients who know you (but haven't yet bought) and 25 key centres of influence who have given you referrals in the past.
Send each person a real letter by 'snail mail.'
1: If it's a current client your letter could say something like this...
Hi Jane, I was thinking about you recently and I trust that things are going well. I just wanted to touch base and say I appreciate you being one of our good clients. Here is something I thought you might enjoy. (With my compliments.) Your name
2: If it's a potential client your letter could say something like this...
Hi John, I was thinking about you recently and I trust that things are going well. I just wanted to touch base and say I appreciate your interest in what we offer. Here is something I thought you might enjoy. (With my compliments.) Your name
3: If it's a centre of influence your letter could say something like this...
Hi Sue, I was thinking about you recently and I trust that things are going well. I just wanted to say I really appreciate your ongoing support and encouragement for our business. Here is something I thought you might enjoy. (With my compliments.) Your name
Now with each letter include something helpful, positive or motivational.
-It could be a scratch and win instant lotto ticket with the chance to win $50,000.
-It could be an inspirational article on goal setting or time management
-It might be some helpful information on how to improve business results
-It might be a tasteful and funny cartoon.
-It might be a positive booklet that has helpful ideas.
-Etc
The key here is that you 'add value' with each letter.
So the person who gets it is now 'better off' in some way. (They might feel better, enjoy a good laugh, have something useful they can use and so on.)
When you send out a real letter that adds value like this you will often be surprised at the positive response you get. And you will definitely be positively remembered for a tiny investment of time and money.
When you send out a small number of letters like this you may want to try handwriting the name and address on each envelope and maybe choosing a brightly coloured envelope that will stand out when it is received.
A good source of interesting looking envelopes that I have used myself is Envelope world
My main message today is to seriously consider using 'snail mail' letters in your own marketing. (It's a marketing channel that is often forgotten.)
'What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.' - Liz Carpenter
Action Exercise:
Try sending a real letter that adds value to 50 people in the next month and notice the results. If you like what happens consider using 'snail mail' as a regular part of your marketing activities.
Graham McGregor is a consultant specialising in memorable marketing.
You can download his 396 page 'Unfair Business Advantage' Ebook at
no charge from www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com
