This post was going to be a bit of a rant.  Yesterday, I got a small package.  I didn’t look at it too closely and thought it was Canon’s broken customer service returning my camera. I couldn’t understand why they’d go to the trouble, not to mention spend $7.50 in postage, to send it back to me.  No wonder it cost nearly as much to repair as to buy a new one! They’re crazy!

Touch people through the internet

In the middle of the night, I realized the box was much too heavy to be a point-and-shoot camera.  So, since I couldn’t sleep, I opened it. Inside was this mug (on the right), a lovely note, and two teabags.  It was a gift from my wonderful friend Jule, who I’ve never met.  I’d seen the mugs on her blog yesterday and asked for one — little did I know that I already had one! She mailed it two days before!

I read the note, drank my tea from the mug this morning, and felt really happy and touched that she’d reached out to me like that.

Connecting your offline and online marketing

Of course, Jule wasn’t trying to sell me anything, but connecting online and offline marketing is a great strategy.  Sending mugs to everyone you know online may not be practical, but you can combine an online and offline marketing campaign.

For example, send a postcard marketing campaign to prospective or current clients and then follow up with email.  Or send them to a landing page with a special offer.

Create a social media promotion for a new product or event, and then offer a special promotion to attendees who share your promotion or hashtag.

Share your thoughts

What do you do to connect with your blog readers or clients or others you may know online but never meet face-to-face? Or do you?  Do you think this is important?