My guest blogger Marcia Yudkin shares a simple way to turn the old, reliable postcard into a customer loyalty-building campaign. Of course, once you realize how powerful this little card can be, contact me for help in creating your campaign.

Postcard Marketing Model #4: Bond With Customers
by Marcia Yudkin
Imagine the difference between a company whose customers have so-so feelings about it and one whose customers wouldn’t dream of buying from anyone else. That’s a tremendous gap that can be narrowed with just a little expense and effort, using an inexpensive, often overlooked tool – the postcard.

By sending simple yet strategically chosen postcards to people who have already bought from you, you can turn an iffy, indifferent buyer into a sticky, delighted one.

Here are five ways to use postcards to create a bond with customers and thereby encourage them to become strongly loyal, to refer friends and colleagues to you and to send interesting opportunities your way because they care about your success.

1. Thanks. Set up an ongoing thank-you postcard campaign that sends a card to each new customer the week or month after they first bought something from you. If it’s feasible to have a handwritten signature, that’s best. You may choose to include a limited-time special offer, such as 20% off their next purchase or a free gift if they stop in the shop again before a certain date, but even if you don’t do that, a warmly worded thank-you card makes a significant impact.

2. News. Remember when it was common for financial services companies and other professionals to send a monthly or quarterly newsletter to clients? This stay-in-touch technique reinforces your expertise and helps the customer remember you when they need your services again. Printing one newsletter item on a postcard rather than sending a four-page, folded-twice newsletter is much more cost-effective and much handier for the customer to save by the phone or post it on a bulletin board or refrigerator. Make sure there’s a human element in the postcard content, with the word “you” liberally sprinkled around it.

3. Come-back offers. Don’t let your buyers feel faceless and interchangeable. Send periodic postcards with an appealing discount or bonus and a friendly message. I doubt very much your competitors are doing this. I travel a lot, and only once in my life have I received a “come back and see us” postcard from a hotel or inn where I stayed. In fact, I still remember who sent it, even though it was years ago: The Jailhouse Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. Design the postcard so it tells an inviting story about a customer who’s bought from you again and again or an anecdote about someone on your team who went above and beyond for a customer.

4. Birthdays or anniversaries. Do you have or could you get your customers’ birthdays? Some businesses wow their clients and create a closer bond with them by sending a postcard for a free haircut, massage, house plant or dessert in honor of their birthday. You could do the same for a milestone that was specific to the recipient, such as their child’s first summer or winter, or halfway through their fiscal year.

5. “Wish you were here” cards. Don’t you like it when friends and family members send you funny or gorgeous postcards when they’re on vacation? Think up convincing and appealing reasons for you to send postcards to new clients when you travel. For example, if you’re attending a conference or trade show in New Orleans, you could show a photo of the French Quarter with a chatty message about how you’re collecting ideas and inspiration at the XYZ national show that you’ll be sharing with anyone who sets up an appointment for June. This way, you come across as active, interesting, thoughtful and constantly reaching out to customers.

Which of these ideas are you excited to implement?

Get started on your next postcard campaign today!

Veteran postcard marketer, consultant and author Marcia Yudkin teaches the strategic, logistical, design and copywriting secrets of successful postcard marketing.  Discover the top ten ways – some of them simple and inexpensive – to generate results using postcards in her report at: http://tinyurl.com/n2cpgl.

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If I could recommend one good habit for anyone who does any kind of writing, it would be this: keep a swipe file.

Early in my career I worked for a regional publication. My first day on the job, I could barely contain my giddiness at actually being paid to sit and read their magazine. Oh, how I loved that job!

One of the best takeaways from my publishing experience was the concept of a swipe file. A swipe file is simply your own file of good writing and creative examples: tearsheets, quotes, headlines, photos, direct mail pieces … pretty much anything that will inspire you.

My own swipe file includes Kelly Benham’s rooster story, a sweepstakes entry from Mary Kay, a well-crafted profile piece of the Barefoot Contessa and a kick-ass autoresponder from an obscure e-commerce site.

Start your own file right now — either physical or electronic  (I use both) — and then add to it over time, making sure to weed out things that are dated or no longer to your liking.

Keeping and using a swipe file is a good way to overcome writer’s block and inspire a creative breakthrough. Sometimes reading a well-crafted sentence or seeing a sample of what you’re working toward is enough to get those creative juices flowing. And who doesn’t need that from time to time?

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Just a quick post today about a headline I found really compelling. It came to me via my MarketingSherpa e-newsletter:

How to Expand Your Marketing Department for 54 Cents a Day

Makes you want to read on, doesn’t it? Even better, they kept the momentum going with this copy:

Does your marketing department need help with budgeting or forecasting? How about some practical solutions or a little more inspiration? What if you could get all of this for just 54 cents a day?

Lesson learned? Make your headline benefit-driven yet out-of-the-ordinary and give the reader a pay off for reading on or clicking through.

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Got this letter from Clif Bar in response to my inquiry about my favorite Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bars. Nicely done, Clif Bar & Company.

Great copy notes:

• Sincere works
• Took responsibility
• Proactive in voice and tone
• Answered the unarticulated questions of their consumers
• Took a stance for quality

Dear Friends,

As athletes and outdoor adventurists, Kit and I are no strangers to challenging
situations.  They may be tough to get through, but they show us that we can achieve more than we ever
thought was possible.

Today, we’re facing a different kind of challenge.  Clif Bar expanded its voluntary recall due to a broader date range of potentially affected peanut products manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America, the focus of the FDA’s Salmonella investigation.

We know that our voluntary recall has shaken people’s confidence in our products.  And we are deeply sorry that it has caused concern and inconvenience among our consumers, retailers and business partners.

While there are many players in this complicated situation, we are not interested in finger pointing.

We are accountable for the food we make.  At this time, we can tell you that none of our recalled products has tested positive for Salmonella.  But in light of the FDA’s investigation and mounting consumer confusion, we are taking the following actions immediately:

Clif Bar is taking a break and temporarily suspending production and shipments of our recalled products with peanuts and peanut butter.  Now and during this break, consumers can enjoy our 91 other products that do not contain peanuts or peanut butter.

We’re reviewing our own business practices to ensure that we’re doing all we can to continue raising the bar in food quality and safety.

By doing this, we hope to cut through the confusion and give consumers peace of mind and confidence in future purchases of our products containing peanut ingredients.

In the coming months, the country’s food safety system will undergo intense scrutiny and potential changes.  We currently meet or exceed the food industry’s safety requirements, and we look to set and achieve higher standards than those required by governing bodies. 

We appreciate that you hold Clif Bar – and us personally – to high standards.  As we face this challenge head-on, we thank you for your understanding and the support you’ve given us over the years. 

Sincerely,

Gary Erickson & Kit Crawford
Co-Owners, Clif Bar & Company

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