Disclaimer: I’m not talking about direct mail campaigns here. I figure you can come up with much more interesting ways to waste money on your own.
I was listening to the always interesting Spark radio program on CBC Radio yesterday, and they were discussing A Month of Letters, an open challenge to send a piece of mail every day for one month. Sending snail mail is not a particularly novel idea, but it is one that is highly underappreciated.
In an age where we’re shifting more and more of our interactions online, the simple act of sending a letter can have a surprising impact. And while incorporating ye ole pen and paper may not become part of our daily routine, it can certainly play a role in your marketing efforts.
Everyone likes to receive mail that isn’t asking for something (e.g. bills, flyers, court summons), but so very few of us take the time to send it. Mailing actual physical correspondance to someone — whether it includes some nifty swag or is just a short letter to say hello — goes a long way towards building relationships and staying top of mind.
So parcel off (pun intended) a few minutes of your day to send a piece of handwritten mail. It could be to a series subscriber, an important donor, or a first time ticket buyer. Perhaps it’s a colleague at another arts organization, or a friendly officer from a granting agency. Either way, write someone a genuine note, scrawl their address across an enveloppe, and pop it in the mail.
Oh, and whatever you do, don’t forget a stamp.
Image by Felix O.
