Planning is critical, no doubt; it’s very important to have a marketing and communications plan for the year ahead. But it’s equally important to be prepared to take advantage of marketing opportunities as they arise, and to respond to events or situations with appropriate communications.
Like a news reporter, you want to be the first on the scene to provide valuable information to your constituents. That might mean, for example, sharing the news about relevant emerging market trends, upcoming events, or great new products with customers and prospects. It can also mean, for example, communicating with community members about a situation or event that affects them.
Direct mail through Click2Mail meets both needs in two ways: First, it’s fast and easy to design a mail piece – and through Click2Mail’s system, it can be in mailboxes in very short order. Second, mail is private, and it’s personal. Creating a personalized letter through Click2Mail is as easy as creating an email, but it comes across as much more personal and confidential.
Here are four examples of how organizations can use Click2Mail to communicate quickly with customers, prospects, and community members.
Roof contractor gets repairs to customers fast with Click2Mail
Henry is an independent roof contractor. He develops a year-long direct mail marketing strategy at the beginning of each year – but always leaves room in his budget for taking advantage of marketing opportunities that he knows will arise. And they always do. Last year, for example, Henry’s city was hit by a bad hailstorm that left thousands of roofs damaged. People needed repairs fast! Within 2 hours of the storm Henry had created a 6.5” x 9” Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) postcard on the Click2Mail website. He sent the mailer out to every residence in the areas that were affected by the storm. Henry expedited shipping through Click2Mail and within three days his phone was ringing off the hook.
Company’s quick, personal response to data breach actually strengthens its customer relationships
There has been a rash of recent data breaches at major retail organizations and financial institutions. Often, the companies are criticized as much for how they respond to the breach as they are for the breach itself. So when one company’s customer database was hacked, the company knew the best thing it could do was communicate with effected customers right away. The company thought that sending an email – the quickest form of direct mass communication – would feel too impersonal, like the company wasn’t really taking the breach seriously.
So the company decided to send letters using Click2Mail. With Click2Mail, the company was able to create the letter, load up its list, and have the letters sent in just a few hours. The letters were in mailboxes before the news media picked up the story. Customers really appreciated that the company informed them quickly, privately, and securely through the mail. Even though the data breach was unwelcome, the company’s response to it actually strengthened its relationships with customers.
Manufacturer sends recall notices via Certified Mail, made easy by Click2Mail
Another customer, Amy, is the marketing director for a large manufacturer. She has been using Click2Mail to advertise for a few years, but one of their most effective mail tools is not for advertising, but for business correspondence. When company engineers discover a product defect and decide to issue a recall, Amy and her team use Certified Mail to notify customers.
Amy relies on Click2Mail to manage the process of printing and mailing the certified letters to each customer affected by the recall. Each letter includes information about the issue, and tells the customer how they can return the item for an exchange or refund. Being able to communicate quickly and clearly with the customer is essential to retaining their business.
Certified Mail and EDDM are just two mail tools you can use to take advantage of direct mail opportunities that arise throughout the year. Responding quickly to market trends, events, product news, etc. helps you stay the trusted advisor to your customers – the best position to be in.
HOA responds right away to community vandalism with personal letters to community members
A group of vandals tore through a Florida neighborhood one weekend, wreaking havoc on its parks, tennis courts, and swimming pool. The Homeowners Association knew that residents would be concerned about safety, and would want to know what the HOA was doing to clean up the vandalism and prevent it from happening again. So the HOA used Click2Mail to send a personalized letter to each homeowner. The letter shared everything the HOA knew about what had happened and when, and outlined the HOA’s step-by-step plan for cleaning up the vandalism. The letter also invited homeowners to a special meeting where residents would discuss new safety measures for the neighborhood.
With Click2Mail, the HOA was able to address the vandalism quickly, privately, and personally. With a letter rather than an email, the residents felt like the HOA really did understand the gravity of the occurrence and cared as much as the homeowners about keeping the neighborhood safe and clean – and that really strengthened the HOA’s relationship with homeowners.
Now is the time that most organizations are setting their marketing and communications plans for 2015. As you do that, plan for the unexpected opportunities and situations that will require fast, personal, and private communication. For that, Click2Mail is here to help.
