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The worth of sending snail mail is one thing that was ingrained in me from a really younger age. After birthdays or Christmas, my dad and mom would count on me to ship thank-you playing cards to pals and relations who gave me presents. Once I began working, I caught with it: I despatched playing cards after job interviews and to colleagues who had particularly impacted my profession, and I noticed it was a fast technique to stand out in a world the place most individuals don’t ship snail mail.
So, after I launched my enterprise a decade in the past—a resume evaluation facet hustle on Fiverr—it felt very pure to combine greeting playing cards into my consumer expertise. Despite the fact that individuals had been solely paying me $5 for a resume evaluation, I might afford to march right down to TJ Maxx and purchase a dozen playing cards for a couple of dollars to ship a thanks card, together with a congratulations observe once they landed a job.
My enterprise has modified quite a bit since then, however my reliance on snail mail has not. By way of my profession teaching enterprise, I’ve been capable of assist greater than 1,000 purchasers with their careers and share recommendation with over 250,000 followers on social media. (Plus, I now cost much more than I did in my Fiverr days.) However I nonetheless carve out the time to ship lots of of vacation, birthday, and congratulations playing cards every year. It might sound like a gradual technique to market a enterprise in our digital-focused world, but it surely’s been instrumental to my success.
Learn on to learn the way snail mail performs into my advertising and marketing technique, the tactical particulars of how I implement it, and the way any enterprise proprietor can adapt this for their very own consumer expertise.
How sending playing cards has helped my enterprise progress
Most of my work comes from referrals or return purchasers, and I attribute that in no small half to the playing cards I ship out.
For one, it makes my purchasers really feel particular and seen, which is particularly necessary in a relationship-based subject like teaching. Typically, purchasers will snap a photograph of the cardboard and share it on social media, commenting that they love working with a coach who acknowledges them as greater than a quantity. That’s a sense that basically sticks and makes them wish to work with me once more subsequent time they want help. (To not point out, their put up serves as free word-of-mouth-marketing to all of their followers.) I additionally assume this offline method amplifies the affect of my on-line content material—when purchasers see my social media posts, they’re extra excited to interact with them due to the private relationship we’ve constructed.
The playing cards additionally emphasize the affect of our work collectively. Too many individuals are unhealthy at celebrating wins, however once they obtain a card congratulating them on the brand new job or promotion they landed, they’ve an excuse to pause for a second and be actually pleased with themselves. Shoppers have advised me that they’ll hold my playing cards to have a look at in troublesome moments and remind themselves of the issues they’ve been capable of obtain up to now. As well as, persevering with to remain in contact on holidays or birthdays helps me repeatedly remind them I am right here for them in a non-salesy manner.
Bodily mail additionally makes it straightforward for my purchasers to refer me to household, pals, and colleagues. I ultimately upgraded my snail mail to incorporate a customized cork coaster that claims “you’re fabulous” and has my web site printed on the backside. I’ve had many consumers hand these off to contacts who’re in search of profession help, and even ask for additional coasters to allow them to have them available anytime they meet somebody in search of a coach. They’re costlier than enterprise playing cards, however individuals truly hold and show them for years and see them as a each day reminder of the expertise that they had working with me.
I consider this method as planting seeds. Do I all the time see instant ROI from the mail I ship out? No. However I’ve additionally had potential purchasers attain out saying they noticed my coaster on their pals’ desk—one I had despatched months and even years earlier than. By creating one thing that folks wish to hold round, I’m prime of thoughts once they’re in search of what I’ve to supply.
How I combine this behavior into my busy schedule
So how do I ship all this mail with out it taking over all of my time?
For starters, I all the time hold the supplies I want available. I’ve since upgraded from packs of low cost playing cards to customized branded playing cards that I labored with my designer, Christa Fleming, to create, which makes the expertise extra polished and retains my model entrance and middle. I’ve a customized birthday card, in addition to a extra generic card I can use for congratulations or different functions. For my vacation playing cards, I design one thing new every year utilizing a photograph of me and my companion.
I additionally hold a easy Excel spreadsheet with addresses for present purchasers and previous purchasers from the previous few years, in addition to trade colleagues, individuals who ship me referrals, and anybody else who had an affect on my enterprise or life. I’ll additionally add their birthdays to my calendar. Annually, I wish to undergo my calendar and add to my spreadsheet anybody I had a great dialog with, so I can re-spark the connection.
Then, every Friday, I’ll spend about half-hour sending playing cards. I’ll ship birthday playing cards for everybody on my calendar for the following week, plus congratulations playing cards for anybody who reached out to me sharing a win or who I observed an thrilling replace from on social media. I’ll spend a couple of minutes writing a brief customized observe—mentioning their current accomplishment or one thing I admire about them—after which ship it off!
Vacation playing cards are an even bigger elevate since I’m sending lots of of playing cards without delay, so I save myself time by not writing customized notes in each card. Typically I’ll rent somebody to assist me label and stuff envelopes, whereas different years I’ll arrange an meeting line with my companion and Nana Hallie and we’ll spend a number of hours prepping the playing cards collectively.
I’ve thought of not sending playing cards anymore, particularly as my bodily mailing record grows, however each time I do it and see the outcomes, it feels so definitely worth the effort.
Easy methods to make this your personal
Do I feel each small enterprise proprietor ought to begin sending playing cards? Not essentially. If snail mail doesn’t suit your model otherwise you assume you’d dread this process every week, then don’t do it!
However what I do hope small enterprise house owners take away from my expertise is the worth of making customized experiences in advertising and marketing. I’m a giant Disney fan, and I’m all the time fascinated by how I can create a Disneyland expertise for my purchasers—one thing particular that they gained’t discover with anybody else. This comes throughout within the playing cards that I ship, however in different moments, too. As an illustration, when somebody schedules a session with me, I ship them a brief welcome video serving to them prep for the assembly.
Even when you’re not sending playing cards, ask your self: What little memorable moments are you able to create? How will you develop a extra human relationship along with your purchasers or potential clients? How will you present up for them in a extra private manner? And how are you going to do that in a manner that can permit your character, model, and the worth you add to their lives shine by?
So many enterprise house owners give attention to progress by automation, by getting in entrance of extra individuals, quicker. However I actually imagine it’s these human relationships that construct robust, fabulous companies for the lengthy haul.
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