Standing Out in a Crowd: Send a Letter
Posted by Ned Miller on Sun, May 16, 2010 @ 06:09 AM
In case you missed it, the U.S. Post Office is in trouble. Until 2006 the Postal Service made an annual profit. But since then, a falloff in mail, in large part because of the ascendance of e-mail, has led to losses which this year will be in the neighborhood of $7 billion.
The Postmaster General is considering a number of cuts to reduce the budget gap. He's also investigating the possibility of adding more products, including some new direct mail tools for small businesses.
I have a modest suggestion for patriotic bankers. It won't make a huge dent in the deficit, but it might help you stand out in the crowd. Start using snail mail to communicate with customers and prospects.
I realize you can't wean yourself off of email entirely. But why not mix it up, particularly with those marketing "touch" pieces that you send to stay top of mind? A recent economic forecast or a particularly good industry assessment can get lost in anybody's e-mail box. Attach a handwritten note to a snail mail salvo may take a little longer but might just get through the clutter.
By some accounts George H.W. Bush got elected President because of his prodigious personal note-writing on the campaign trail. Legendary car salesman Joe Girardi religiously sent postcards to his customers, often with nothing other than his name and a scrawled "Thank you." Did this lead to more referrals? Joe was convinced that it did.
Yes, you say, but this is another time. We have LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. But think for a minute: If you want to be different, why not send that hard to reach prospect a letter? The same thing could be said of faxes-they're rare enough these days to stand out too.
See you at the post office.
Agree or disagree? Send me your comments at nmiller@mzbierlyconsulting.com.
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