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Newsletter #866: The “It’s The Little Things” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]

This issue is all about little, simple ideas that can lead to big things. How it can be done:

1. To check out dogs
2. To watch the game
3. To share an annual report
4. Check it out: Live tweets from WWII

1. To check out dogs

Small gestures and features can make a big difference in the experience your customers have. A great example of how this can work is Harvard Medical’s program that lets staffers and students check out a dog for 30 minutes. It’s a process similar to checking out a book, and the reservations fill up fast. It’s a small pilot program, but in just four months a lot of people have taken advantage of it and it’s making a real difference.

The lesson: What little thing could you add — cuddly animals, great music, extra comfy chairs — to change your shopping experience?

Learn more: Harvard News

2. To watch the game

Smart marketers are always looking for simple, little ways they can get more customers in the door during otherwise slow times. Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse theater does it by showing Texas college football games in their theaters. There’s no cost to attend (they make money on the drinks and food people order), but you can reserve your seat by pre-ordering a $5 drink voucher. This small addition to their programming schedule gives the local community a big reason to go to the theater at a time they wouldn’t normally.

The lesson: Look at your slowest times and poor sellers to experiment with small tweaks like this that can completely change customer behavior.

Learn more: Alamo Drafthouse

3. To share an annual report

When was the last time anyone was excited about an annual report? Progressive’s report is a lot like the ones you see from other companies, but they add one small difference: Each year, they commission an artist or group of artists to interpret the theme of the report. This year with the help of artist Aaron Koblin, Progressive set up a simple site where people could draw their own cars to add to the “single lane super highway.” So far, more than 21,135 people added cars to this virtual road — which is about 21,000 more than the average number of people who look at anyone’s annual report.

The lesson: You don’t have to reinvent your content to make it sharable. Sometimes just adding a little personality, humor, or artwork can give it the boost you’re hoping for.

Learn more: Adverblog

4. Check it out: Live tweets from WWII

For all the history geeks out there, you can follow along as WWII unfolds by following @RealTimeWWII. As they say in their bio, they’re live tweeting the war as it happens on this date and time in 1940 — and for six years to come.

Check it out: RealTimeWII

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