If you’ve been getting dizzy spinning around marketing strategies, cut back to the basics and do something you might not have done in the past – track your campaign (no matter how big or small it is).
Idea Number One: Write a hand card.
That’s right – you heard me. Write a card and snail mail it. With so much technology making it easy to say thanks via email, catch up on someone’s Facebook Wall or meet for coffee through a text message, receiving something hand written in the mail is a great surprise.
There are a variety of ways to get your hands on cards –hand make them, design them specifically for your business or utilize a service like Send Out Cards.
Consider your motive for sending the card. Are you building rapport, trying to secure a face to face meeting, or giving thanks for meeting?
Here’s some wording suggestions, listed by circumstance:
Building Rapport:
I just saw this great [article, blog post, recipe, website] that I thought would help you [insert information here]
I wanted to personally thank you for [insert: recommendation, introduction, advising, etc]
Trying to Secure a Face to Face Meeting:
I have heard [insert something complimentary and specific here] about you.
I would love an opportunity to learn more about [insert something specific here] from you. Perhaps I could buy you a coffee [insert specific time here] and we could chat.
After a meeting:
Thank you for meeting with me. If there is anything I can help you with please let me know
Here is that information we were discussing. I hope it comes in handy for you.
Personalize hand cards as much as possible and ensure you send your message in a timely manner. A good rule of thumb is within 48 hours.
Tracking Your Success:
Consider the cost and number of people you will be sending cards to. You can create an estimate based on the number of meetings, phone calls and networking events you attend in a month. Any one of the 3 options I described before for sending cards should cost just under $2 cad, including postage.
Base the success of your efforts in two categories: quality of relationship developed and number of sales derived.
Add a column to your existing database contact list for card giving. When you send a card, enter the date, the date of any response (or lack thereof) and if a result is generated from this action.
Check back later this week for another trackable marketing idea.
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