Several years ago I was unhappy with the company providing my auto and home insurance but not unhappy enough to click open email from its competitors or listen to telemarketing sales pitches.
When snail mail came in from State Farm, though, I opened it. The letter was short, earnest about wanting to help my budget, had a photo, and explained why I had nothing to lose by calling local agent Hilda Porrata-Doria for a quote. That was a hundred bucks a month less than I was paying. When I went on to buy a new car, Doria also got that business, plus financing for the auto loan.
Currently, snail mail is so effective in the marketing mix, both B2C and B2B, because it is delivered through a channel that is no longer glutted. Meanwhile the others, be they email, digital ads, cold calls, and television commercials, face a dogfight for attention. In addition, there's more old-fashioned trust in what comes into our snail mail than through other mediums. We know from experience the feds quickly pursue miscreants. Also, personal items like wedding invitations come in snail mail so we look forward to checking it.
Partner at Infinite public relations firm Nick Gaffney published an article in THE HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW on the power of hand-written thank-you notes delivered via the postal service. It's a best practice his mother taught him. She was on the money.
In this era of no loyalty, with even professional services having high client churn, businesses which take the time to create, hand write, and drop in the snail mail thank-you notes for our business will likely keep it. Doria sends one to me every so often, indicating that, as the meme goes, she appreciates my business.
Incidentally, I have reviewed all the books which are snail-mailed to me, with nice notes, and not one of those which the publicity agent tells me I can easily download and print out. Yeah, and that will consume 250 pieces of paper and way too much pricey ink for my laser printer to create a review for which I will not be paid. Gaffney's mom would probably say those public relations types have no manners.
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