Just Ask for It

Thank you to a client or existing customer is mandatory. Any way you do it, is great. Better yet, do it more then once. Asking for the business is mandatory as well. Don’t be shy…..ask at every contact.

Chris,

‘warm marketing’ kind of like a bagel and slippers on acold winter morning. That is a great way to interact and passively call to action.

Respectfully,

Nicholas Chase
http://www.twitter.com/nachase

Chris,

‘warm marketing’ kind of like a bagel and slippers on acold winter morning. That is a great way to interact and passively call to action.

Respectfully,

Nicholas Chase
http://www.twitter.com/nachase

I think a lot of times people spend to much time trying to turn their marketing efforts into something BIG and Flashy that they usually end up clouding their message and confusing the consumer. To me, the simpler the message is, the easier it is to understand, the more effective it will be…and that’s exactly what the publisher did.

I like this idea – simple yet effective. And yes, you could use it as a bookmark. Books are tactile, so the paper/bookmark is a good idea. If I had received an email or a postcard from the company, I would have been less impressed. Putting it directly inside the book does not disturb you from what you were doing.

I like this idea – simple yet effective. And yes, you could use it as a bookmark. Books are tactile, so the paper/bookmark is a good idea. If I had received an email or a postcard from the company, I would have been less impressed. Putting it directly inside the book does not disturb you from what you were doing.

That’s an interesting point Andy Bailey made about the auto-DM analogy.

My wife is an avid book reader and collector so she would love this. If she was on Twitter and received a DM saying “Thanks for following, here’s our site, please subscribe” would that be seen as an auto-DM message, as opposed to the same one that’s on view here?

It’s not really less personal than the offline approach yet we do seem quick to criticize a similar approach on Twitter. Go figure…

I agree with @bradjward comments about integrating new technology with traditional methods. I remember hearing about the idea of taking a traditional college print magazine and reinventing it by providing extended content like videos, podcasts, etc. related to the articles in the print magazine. What a great way to combine the effectiveness of two mediums.

I agree with @bradjward comments about integrating new technology with traditional methods. I remember hearing about the idea of taking a traditional college print magazine and reinventing it by providing extended content like videos, podcasts, etc. related to the articles in the print magazine. What a great way to combine the effectiveness of two mediums.

In a similar to vain to Andy Bailey – the card is great.

It’s all about differentiation though – whilst this would be deemed a script DM and unfollow on twitter, it has value offline.

Those focusing on the Social Media space need to think of how they can differentiate themselves from the masses who are using auto follow back, and auto DM scripts.

I had a similar thing happen to me today…I received a letter in the mail at my office. The envelope was transparent and my name and the office address was printed on the card inside. The card’s image was glossy and bright, with background and font from the Twitter site. The text said “Following you on Twitter”.
I knew right away who had sent this card before reading the message inside. Entrepreneur Steve Tingiris started the company Enthusem that sends out “personalized” cards that you can design online with just a few clicks. They send the card for you and it is supposed to be a throwback to traditional snail mail that will impress the recipient and catch their attention. Just like everyone has said already in response to your post, this tactic is meant to differentiate the message from all of the spam you recieve via email and tweets and automatic responses.
Personally, I have always loved a handmade card and I was not too impressed by the Enthusem concept. The personal touch is completely removed when the sender only has to click their mouse a few times to send the card. But the premise of catching attention with a unique form, like a card in the mail, is an interesting one. Your bookmark message surprised you, and made you stop and think about the act of marketing that was taking place. I did the same thing with my card (and on the inside it basically thanked me for following the company on twitter and invited me to try the service for free). I may not like the content, but the form was a visual and tactile shock and I will not easily forget the gesture or the name of the company!
Sorry for the long post, but I found this story particularly relevant, and I should probably just talk about it on my blog :) Thanks Chris.

I had a similar thing happen to me today…I received a letter in the mail at my office. The envelope was transparent and my name and the office address was printed on the card inside. The card’s image was glossy and bright, with background and font from the Twitter site. The text said “Following you on Twitter”.
I knew right away who had sent this card before reading the message inside. Entrepreneur Steve Tingiris started the company Enthusem that sends out “personalized” cards that you can design online with just a few clicks. They send the card for you and it is supposed to be a throwback to traditional snail mail that will impress the recipient and catch their attention. Just like everyone has said already in response to your post, this tactic is meant to differentiate the message from all of the spam you recieve via email and tweets and automatic responses.
Personally, I have always loved a handmade card and I was not too impressed by the Enthusem concept. The personal touch is completely removed when the sender only has to click their mouse a few times to send the card. But the premise of catching attention with a unique form, like a card in the mail, is an interesting one. Your bookmark message surprised you, and made you stop and think about the act of marketing that was taking place. I did the same thing with my card (and on the inside it basically thanked me for following the company on twitter and invited me to try the service for free). I may not like the content, but the form was a visual and tactile shock and I will not easily forget the gesture or the name of the company!
Sorry for the long post, but I found this story particularly relevant, and I should probably just talk about it on my blog :) Thanks Chris.

Hi, Chris. They got you at thank you. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to humanize a business relationship and make you feel all touch-feely. :)

We must be in sync Chris

http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/03/03/simplicity-strategy/

;)

I agree that the simple approach is best, especially for existing customers. You can communicate your objectives with very few words, and chances are they are going to trust you more for taking this approach.

Christine, I couldn’t agree more. There is strength in simplicity, and people are often afraid of it. Simple is harder than complex.

Christine, I couldn’t agree more. There is strength in simplicity, and people are often afraid of it. Simple is harder than complex.

Thanks for sharing this, great marketing strategy done here and it will constantly be seen if being used as a bookmark.

I’m from the old school and while I appreciate today’s technology I still find the thank you card to be most appreciated by my clients. It has brought new business and acknowledgements by my clients of the true professional I am. Can you believe I still hand write them too! A much added personal touch.

I’m from the old school and while I appreciate today’s technology I still find the thank you card to be most appreciated by my clients. It has brought new business and acknowledgements by my clients of the true professional I am. Can you believe I still hand write them too! A much added personal touch.

I, too, have purchased books with similar thank you cards inside…a very nice touch. Also I have a favorite author I follow and I signed up for his email notices when he publishes something new. The notices are incredibly well done, thanking his readers for following his work and hoping they like his newest work and inviting their comments. What I like is that this author’s email is not a simple “here’s my new book, go buy it” marketing notice, rather it has the nice-ities: thank you, please and I invite you to….makes it personal.

Very refreshing experience. If only more marketing was that way. I get frustrated with the messages that are blasted everywhere.

Very refreshing experience. If only more marketing was that way. I get frustrated with the messages that are blasted everywhere.