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Newsletter #774: The “Just Ask” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I Thought of That Email 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.]

When you need help or a little advice, it never hurts to just ask. A few opportunities to do it:

1> For fans
2> For help
3> For savings
4> Check it out: Let them sing it for you

1> For fans

Looking to add more fans to a particular social network or list? Sometimes all you have to do is ask. In an email to their Ambassadors, Maker’s Mark casually invited them to become fans of the brand on Facebook. In just over two hours after the email, they added almost 2,000 fans. In less than a month, Maker’s has added nearly 25,000 to their fan page. And while it doesn’t hurt that they’ve got nearly 500,000 Ambassadors they can email, it didn’t require a fancy campaign or some overblown contest. All they had to do was ask.

The Lesson: Whether you’ve got 500 or 500,000 fans, it never hurts to ask if they’d like to follow you on a different network.

2> For help

Having trouble making a difficult decision? If it’s going to affect your fans and customers, why not ask them? When the folks behind the popular blog Cool Hunting were going through a redesign, they asked the fans to help them pick their font. While Cool Hunting was leaning toward the retro look of Courier, readers expressed it was too much strain on the eyes. After a vote, everyone settled on a more traditional font — and everyone seems pretty happy with it.

The Lesson: When making a big decision, don’t overlook opportunities to get feedback from everyone involved, including your fans.

Learn More: Cool Hunting

3> For savings

Are you offering your customers an extra service that’s both expensive to you and something they don’t consider necessary? The only way to find out is to ask. Starwood Hotels recently began testing this as part of their “Make A Green Choice” program, offering guests the chance to opt-out of housekeeping during multi-night stays. Guests who agree earn a discount on their total stay, and the hotel saves a little money too. Shortly after rolling it out, Starwood said about 8.5% of guests had opted for the program.

The Lesson: If you find an opportunity to save you and your customers some money, why not ask them if they’re interested?

Learn More: The Wall Street Journal

4> Check it out: Let them sing it for you

The next time you need to send a note to a friend, try having Billy Idol, Elton John, and Don McLean do it. A little like a digital singing telegram, “Let them sing it for you” reads what you type and then pulls clips from classic songs.

Check it out: Let them sing it for you

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