Let’s face it — in today’s economy, direct mailers are not well-regarded by consumers, and sales calls are no better. Even when customers are loyal to your business and associate your brand with positive experiences, if they’re frequently inundated with marketing mailers and phone calls, they’ll probably end up blocking or unsubscribing from your service. Ecards are a good way to turn a medium people normally associate with annoyance to one they’ll receive with delight.
Ecards, however, toe the line between keeping contact with important customers and invading their privacy. While email newsletters and other email campaign material are intended to add value to the lives of customers, returning and prospective, content marketing is time-consuming. Ecards, on the other hand, are a great, noninvasive, and easy way to manage customer relationships. By checking in with a holiday greeting or seasonal message from time to time, you can ensure that your customers will have a positive association with your brand.
Ecards are Fast and Easy
You might think email newsletters that blast paragraphs of information into your customers’ inboxes on a weekly basis are the way to go. Unfortunately, with the sheer number of emails coming into the average person’s inbox every day, yours may get lost in the shuffle, be regarded as spam, or simply be ignored by customers who don’t have the time to read your newsletter.
The result is wasted time and a loss in ROI in the grand scheme of your marketing strategy. Similar waste tends to occur with traditional postal mailers, the vast majority of which are opened but not actually read, ending up in the trash. A clever and friendly ecard can make a difference. Choosing a format with some fun animation and witty holiday greeting will take almost zero time, and eCards are often free of charge. They don’t require the time investment that stuffing envelopes and producing valuable content does.
eCards Are a Fun Way to Maintain Customer Relationships
Let’s say that you run a small business and are kicking off a campaign to retain customers. Choose from two options to help your customers sense an earnest and personal gesture from you.
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Option 1: You could handwrite a letter. Some companies even include gifts, ranging from as small as a single trinket to an entire gift basket. Although this is a tremendous gesture, your profit margins will take an enormous hit.
Option 2: You take a few minutes to handpick amusing and personal eCards for your customers, set it up to plug in personal information from your client lists, then send them out all at once via email. Some will go unopened, which is unavoidable, but others will delight your customers and show them that a company they do business with is thinking of them all year round. These people will more likely forward your warm gesture to friends and family, or recommend your business to their peers.
eCards are a Fun and Effective Marketing Tool
We’ve already established that eCards are effective, noninvasive, and a great way to save money and time, thus leaving you with a more favourable investment return. But perhaps the most important impact that eCards have in your marketing experience is the personal connection you establish from your office to your client.
In the past, the most personal gesture one could get from business contacts was a formal handshake. With eCards, you can ensure that a large number of your customers will be warmly touched with a “virtual hug.” Moreover, you’ll enhance the ability to manage your customer relationships better.
