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 anticipate me to ship thank-you playing cards to pals 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 noticed it was a fast method to stand out in a world the place most individuals don’t ship snail mail.
So, once I launched my enterprise a decade in the past—a resume assessment aspect hustle on Fiverr—it felt very pure to combine greeting playing cards into my shopper expertise. Though folks have been solely paying me $5 for a resume assessment, I might afford to march all the way down to TJ Maxx and purchase a dozen playing cards for a couple of bucks to ship a thanks card, together with a congratulations word once they landed a job.
My enterprise has modified so much since then, however my reliance on snail mail has not. By means of my profession teaching enterprise, I’ve been in a position to 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 annually. It might sound like a gradual method to market a enterprise in our digital-focused world, but it surely’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 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 very necessary in a relationship-based subject like teaching. Usually, 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 assist. (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 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 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 pleased with themselves. Shoppers have advised me that they’ll maintain my playing cards to have a look at in troublesome moments and remind themselves of the issues they’ve been in a position to obtain prior to now. As well as, persevering with to remain in contact on holidays or birthdays helps me recurrently remind them I am right here for them in a non-salesy method.
Bodily mail additionally makes it simple 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 purchasers hand these off to contacts who’re in search of profession assist, and even ask for further coasters to allow them to have them available anytime they meet somebody in search of a coach. They’re dearer than enterprise playing cards, however folks truly maintain and show them for years and see them as a day by day reminder of the expertise they’d 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 prefer to maintain round, I’m high 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 on all of my time?
For starters, I all the time maintain 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 annually utilizing a photograph of me and my associate.
I additionally maintain a easy Excel spreadsheet with addresses for present purchasers and previous purchasers from the previous few 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. Annually, I prefer 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 next 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 word—mentioning their latest accomplishment or one thing I recognize 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. Generally 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 considered 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 well worth the effort.
Easy methods to make this your individual
Do I believe 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 job 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 an enormous Disney fan, and I’m all the time occupied with how I can create a Disneyland expertise for my purchasers—one thing particular that they received’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 are you going to develop a extra human relationship together with your purchasers or potential prospects? How are you going to present up for them in a extra private method? And how are you going to do that in a method that can enable your persona, model, and the worth you add to their lives shine via?
So many enterprise house owners concentrate on progress via automation, via getting in entrance of extra folks, sooner. However I really consider it’s these human relationships that construct sturdy, fabulous companies for the lengthy haul.
