Why You Need to Stop Wishing Your Customers Happy Thanksgiving
Kyle Reyes
Owner, Law Enforcement Today, Blue Lives Matter and The Police Tribune. CEO, The Silent Partner Marketing. Serial entrepreneur. Christian conservative. Keynote speaker.
As of this morning, I've received no fewer than 147 emails from assorted vendors wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving.
The text messages started flowing at 11am yesterday. I'm sure that by 5pm they'll reach a fever pitch, flowing as freely as the wine being passed around many Thanksgiving tables.
Oh, you cared enough to send me a mass text? Or to email me a generic graphic wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving? Why, you SHOULDN'T HAVE. No, really. You shouldn't have.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate you thinking about me.
Or, in most cases, not forgetting about me is perhaps more of an accurate statement.
Come on now - you know exactly what I'm talking about. You're going through your email list or scrolling through your contacts going, "did I miss anyone?"
Don't get me wrong. If someone wishes me a Happy Thanksgiving during the course of a conversation, I'm all in. I'm not one of those people who gets all offended at the mention of a holiday. I celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, birthdays, and just about every day that I have an excuse to eat cake or turkey. Even if it's a holiday that's not my religion. Because I believe we're all children of the Big Baker in the Sky. Society is too damn politically correct for itself these days.
I digress.
Here's what I'm getting at. How about a little personalization, ya know? How about making me feel like I'm an important customer...not just another customer?
Your customers are thinking it. Hell, you are probably thinking it too. And now you're shaking your head in agreement because you realize what a bozo move you've been pulling on every major (or minor) holiday.
So here's your marketing challenge...should you choose to accept it. Stop the mass texts and emails right now, because nobody cares. They just DON'T.
Find a different reason to contact them on a regular basis - just because.
Drop by the office with some cupcakes on National Cupcake Day just because and tell your customers you wanted to let them know how much you appreciate them.
Call them out of the blue to see how their family is doing.
Send them a personalized email.
Text them a random thought.
But copying me on a mass email wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving? Really - you shouldn't have.
----Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, New England's #1 Marketing Agency. We're a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. He's the Chuck Norris of marketing. It's outrageous - we know. That's kind of the point. Outrageous marketing - extraordinary results.
Proprietor,P.P.Oxide, MD: Priyanka homes, Founder & Chief-editor,Hall of PoetsMember of board, International writer's association (Bogdani)
10 年hmmm... i somehow agree with your thought Kyle Reyes ... i mostly wish only the clients i have close or good relations with... As a marketing strategy i dont find wishing everybody on the list much useful unless one is into food business or more precisely Restaurant business and throwing some offer for the day. i've seen people really noticing the offers, discounts and sale on a particular product or brand. in that case it cud boost the traffic of clients.
OEM Commercial Operations Executive, Heavy Mobile Industrial Capital Equipment & Aftermarket | Chief Relationship Officer | Brand Fanatic | Negotiator | Dealer Expert | Strategist | P&L
10 年Ok Kyle. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that I missed the point. However, I want you to know that I don't believe I did. Many people commented and either agreed with me or have a similar view of your article. But I'm all about saving face. Maybe I missed the point of the "truth" behind your post. Maybe you could've made it clearer? Maybe you could've used emoticons to strategically notate your sarcasm, etc.? But you didn't. You said none of that. So it's an easy out to say I missed the point when I believe I nailed it. You're trying to be funny, I get it. I'm not judging you. I just think if you were trying to use the point that these mass holiday cards are so impersonal, you missed the point of the personal side. You focused too much on the "joke" and not to the point which initially lead to my comment. I do agree with the personal side of your article. I completely disagree with using the impersonal custom of mass card emailing to get your point across. In that sense, you missed the point.
Former Director Asia Reg.Program,United Nations,Vice Chairman, Los Angeles World Affairs Council till June 2016
10 年You said it "Here's what I'm getting at. How about a little personalization, ya know? How about making me feel like I'm an important customer...not just another customer?"
President and CEO Allaire's IT Management Consulting Firm (SDVOSB, WOSB) US Army (Ret) | Award Winning International Speaker, Paris France 2024 | Author | Chairperson/Board President Crossroads Programs |STEM Advocate
10 年Thanks maybe some of them will read this article and stop sending them
Highly experienced and innovative talent acquisition/hiring/onboarding manager
10 年Very true, there are so many times to reach out and we don't.