They’ll notice it, and they’ll appreciate it. (And maybe they’ll stop ignoring your salesy mailings and pay attention to those, too.) Great example: A nice thank-you note from Discover Card.
Every so often, send your customer something that has absolutely no sales pitch at all
September 30, 2011
15%
August 28, 2011
From Direct Marketing News: In a survey of engineers and industrial professionals, only 15% of respondents indicated that they have a Twittter account and more than half of respondents indicated that they are not at all likely to sign up in the future. Those figures don’t exactly scream "we need to be in social media […]
Did you put a word of mouth reminder in the box?
June 3, 2011
Every order you fulfill is an opportunity to get a word of mouth referral. It’s a great moment: The customer just opened the box, they’re excited about their new thing, and they are happy that you sent it to them. This is when you ask for the referral. Put something in every single box that […]
An amazing word of mouth campaign for Goodwill
February 8, 2011
An empty box shows up via UPS. Inside is a map from my house to the nearest Goodwill donation center. This simple, elegant, inexpensive campaign was so remarkable that I told everyone I saw, for weeks. I showed the box to everyone who came to my office. Which is the whole point of word of […]
Newsletter #815: The “Small Changes, Big Results” Issue
January 13, 2011
[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I 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.] Tiny tweaks, little adjustments, and small ideas can lead to big things. Check out how a few smart marketers are […]
How to blow it in the final inning
July 9, 2010
A very impressive, very big web design firm did some very impressive, very important research, and published it in a very nice, very well-designed book. And then they let an intern do a sloppy, unprofessional mailing. Details matter.
The coolest direct mail package you’ve ever seen
March 26, 2010
Sometimes you see marketing so awesome you just have to share it. Like this amazing mailing from sound designers GGRP — a working record player made from cardboard. (Great find via The Dieline blog. More here and here.)
What did you do with the holiday cards that were returned in the mail?
January 13, 2010
Are you keeping your mailing list clean? It’s important. A dirty list annoys customers and wastes money. It’s also environmentally wasteful. We sent out a postcard promotion that cost $1.50 each. 200 were returned with bad addresses. $300 wasted. Next step: Pay a temp to clean that list so we don’t waste the same money […]
Dewmocracy: Real participation makes a difference
January 4, 2010
Every company is doing some sort of social media participatory stunt these days. Make a video, submit your ideas, win a whatever — it’s all starting to look the same. But these three cans caught my eye when they showed up in the mail: It’s part of a Pepsi campaign called “Dewmocracy” to promote a […]
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