You can set yourself apart from other artists by sending handwritten thank-you notes in the mail.
Every Thanksgiving I try to write something about gratitude. This year I want to remind you of the value of writing a note, addressing an envelope, attaching a stamp, and sticking it in the mail.
My friend Cynthia likes to say that a handwritten note in the mail “blows people away.” It’s true.
Aren’t you delighted when you fish out a personal letter from a pile of junk mail? And isn’t it always the first thing you open and read?
You do this because you know that someone went to great effort to send real mail. And it looks infinitely more interesting than everything else in the stack.
It also seems more special than an email in your inbox or a card written and addressed by a machine.
Don’t get me wrong: there is a place for every form of communication as you nurture relationships. But you can’t replace the handwritten note.
Why? It’s tactile and appeals to other senses as well.
Recipients can feel your personality through your handwriting and your choices of paper, texture, and image.
Studies have shown that envelopes addressed in ink, even with imperfect penmanship, are opened first.
It’s because, as I mentioned above, they look more personal that everything else that makes it to your mailbox. And they don’t just look more personal. They are more personal. Someone went to a lot of trouble to send them.
We also know that sending something in the mail is more reliable than sending an email. Junk mail filters and people liberal with the Delete key make it impossible to guarantee email delivery these days.
Art Marketing Actions
1. Order note cards with images of your art on the front. They should have your name, complete credit line for the image, and website URL on the back.
2. Don’t forget the stamps! In the U.S. you can order stamps online delivered to your doorstep.
3. Remember to gather brick-and-mortar addresses whenever you can.
4. Keep your cards, pen, and stamps handy at all times and make a point to travel with them. Use short pockets of time to get those notes in the mail.
Blow people away! Embrace the handwritten thank-you note. [tweet this]
Share images of your thank-you notes on my Facebook page.
The post In Praise of the Handwritten Thank-You Note appeared first on Art Biz Success.