August 22, 2011
OPEN Forum Message
Affordably Build Your Brand
FedEx Global Brand Management Director Monica Skipper shares a cost-effective way to build a bigger brand for your small business.
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Like many of you, I do a lot of social media engagement. I attend a lot of meetings. I talk too much on my cell phone. I give way too many presentations.
However, there's one thing I don't do enough of: saying "thank you."
Sure, I say thank you as it is appropriate directly to the person or persons who deserve thanks, but so often more needs to be done—and not even immediately. The solution is old fashioned thank you cards.
Last week I bought a stack of 100 thank you cards (with my logo) and have made a determination to use them as much as I can—even for the smallest things.
Here's why am I doing these things, and why you should too.
1. Writing a thank you card breaks through the digital clutter of our lives
We receive so much mental noise through our ear phones and computer screens. A thank you card is a pleasant interruption of the digital noise around us and brings a smile to the recipient's face.
2. Thank you cards show you care
By taking the time to write a note of thanks, the recipient knows that you really value them. We are so busy running our businesses that we don't take the time to breathe, think and express thankfulness. In many cases, a hand written thank you note goes farther than a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com
3. Building relationships of trust and "like" are important in business
My fellow OPEN Forum writer John Jantsch says that marketing is getting people to know, like and trust you. Thank you cards help make this happen in a big way.
4. Don't be forgotten
A few years ago I bought some tickets to go on a trip from an online ticket service. A friend of mine who sells tickets asked me why I did not turn to him. It was nothing personal, but I simply forgot that he sold tickets at the time I was browsing around Travelocity.com. Thank you cards help people to not forget about you. Send thank you cards and send them liberally.
5. Thank you cards are great marketing tools
I was interviewing Barbara Corcoran recently about her use of Dymo labels. She said that in one mailing she put her face (as it was very recognizable) on address labels that she was sending out to customers. Sending a few thank you cards, over the course of a year is a good way to say thank you, but also market your business. Why do you think Amazon.com, Dell and others have their logo all over their boxes?
6. Sending thank you cards disciplines you to not use the computer so much
Many of us have lost the art of hand written communication. We can easily send a 140 character Tweet, but we can't clearly communicate about our business. A hand written thank you note forces us to stop typing and write (with a pen) a thoughtful message to another human.
I'm sure there are so many more reasons why using thank you cards is great for you, your business and the recipient. Whatever your reason, order a batch of thank you cards today and send them out on a regular basis.
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
princess amirah omar 16 days ago
I really find this information useful. And it doest cost you too much. Is this the only blog you have?