First off, apologies for the lack of posts here the past few days. Pinnacle’s Marketing Department is in overdrive finishing up some work for our site. Thanks for staying loyal and checking back with us.
Everyone loves getting mail, right? A few days ago, alongside junk coupons and the U.S. Census, I received a tiny envelope in my mailbox with my address hand-written on the front. I opened it and lifted out an embossed note from my friend Allison, thanking me for a favor I’d done for her.
Now, I’ve been churning out handwritten thank-you notes for nearly two decades, most of which read: “Dear _______, Thank you so much for the _______! I have been using it to _________ and have really enjoyed ___________. I loved seeing you at Christmas/Thanksgiving/my birthday celebration, and can’t wait to see you again soon. Love, Acree.” I grew up in the South, attended Cotillion classes for four years, and still receive admonitions from my mother to “stop holding your fork so close to the tines.” In my family, thank-you notes are not a nicety. They are mandatory, and forgetting to send one in good timing could land you in Silent Treatment Square outside Passive Aggresiveland for months.
But I can’t recall ever receiving a note like Allison’s, that not only displayed more than the minimum word count required by Emily Post and my mom, but actually thanked me, with genuine, non-formulaic language, for something intangible, like a favor.
I think you see where this is going: I’m going to tell you to write more thank-you notes. But there’s a caveat: As a company you have to work a little harder to make your kind gestures meaningful. Consider slipping a tiny promotional giveaway like a magnet or 25-sheet post-it note pad into the envelope. I especially like these Corrugated Business Card Magnets:
Other ideas for small giveaways, notes or gestures that say “thank you?” Let us know in the comments.
Acree
Marketing Coordinator
