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 buddies and family members who gave me presents. After 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 spotted 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 assessment facet hustle on Fiverr—it felt very pure to combine greeting playing cards into my shopper expertise. Although folks had been solely paying me $5 for a resume assessment, I may afford to march right down to TJ Maxx and purchase a dozen playing cards for a couple of bucks to ship a thanks card, together with a congratulations be aware once they landed a job.
My enterprise has modified so much 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 shoppers 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 tons of of vacation, birthday, and congratulations playing cards every year. It could sound like a gradual technique to market a enterprise in our digital-focused world, nevertheless it’s been instrumental to my success.
Learn on to find out how snail mail performs into my advertising technique, the tactical particulars of how I implement it, and the way any enterprise proprietor can adapt this for their very own shopper expertise.
How sending playing cards has helped my enterprise progress
Most of my work comes from referrals or return shoppers, and I attribute that in no small half to the playing cards I ship out.
For one, it makes my shoppers really feel particular and seen, which is particularly vital in a relationship-based area like teaching. Typically, shoppers 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 submit serves as free word-of-mouth-marketing to all of their followers.) I additionally suppose this offline method amplifies the impression of my on-line content material—when shoppers 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 impression 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 happy with themselves. Purchasers have informed me that they’ll preserve my playing cards to take a look at in troublesome moments and remind themselves of the issues they’ve been capable of obtain previously. As well as, persevering with to remain in contact on holidays or birthdays helps me commonly remind them I am right here for them in a non-salesy means.
Bodily mail additionally makes it simple for my shoppers to refer me to household, buddies, and colleagues. I ultimately upgraded my snail mail to incorporate a customized cork coaster that claims “you might be fabulous” and has my web site printed on the backside. I’ve had many purchasers hand these off to contacts who’re on the lookout for profession help, and even ask for further coasters to allow them to have them available anytime they meet somebody on the lookout for a coach. They’re costlier than enterprise playing cards, however folks really preserve and show them for years and see them as a every day reminder of the expertise that they had working with me.
I consider this method as planting seeds. Do I all the time see quick ROI from the mail I ship out? No. However I’ve additionally had potential shoppers attain out saying they noticed my coaster on their buddies’ desk—one I had despatched months and even years earlier than. By creating one thing that folks wish to preserve round, I’m prime of thoughts once they’re on the lookout for 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 preserve the supplies I would like 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 associate.
I additionally preserve a easy Excel spreadsheet with addresses for present shoppers and previous shoppers from the previous couple of years, in addition to business colleagues, individuals who ship me referrals, and anybody else who had an impression on my enterprise or life. I’ll additionally add their birthdays to my calendar. Yearly, I wish to undergo my calendar and add to my spreadsheet anybody I had an excellent 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 seen an thrilling replace from on social media. I’ll spend a couple of minutes writing a brief customized be aware—mentioning their current accomplishment or one thing I admire about them—after which ship it off!
Vacation playing cards are a much bigger elevate since I’m sending tons of of playing cards directly, 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 associate 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.
How you can 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 suppose you’d dread this activity 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. I’m a giant Disney fan, and I’m all the time fascinated about how I can create a Disneyland expertise for my shoppers—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 example, when somebody schedules a session with me, I ship them a brief welcome video serving to them prep for the assembly.
Even in the event 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 shoppers or potential clients? How will you present up for them in a extra private means? And how will you do that in a means that may enable your persona, model, and the worth you add to their lives shine by?
So many enterprise house owners concentrate on progress by automation, by getting in entrance of extra folks, sooner. However I actually consider it’s these human relationships that construct robust, fabulous companies for the lengthy haul.
