Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. We wake-up, time to Zoom. Want to kick it with the girls? Get on Zoom. How about school? Turn on Zoom! Need to make-up for that canceled in-person event? Webinar on Zoom. Feels a little bit like a Dr. Seuss book! Doesn't it? Zoom seems to be solving all of our challenges in a world of social distancing. By the time many of us shut down for the week, the inability to track the number of Zoom meetings we engaged in is a real issue. Each Zoom meeting spills over into another, and soon it all becomes one big Zoom blur. Let's be clear. This is not a knock on Zoom. Instead, it's just a moment to take pause and ask ourselves, can we, should we, be doing more? We have become such digital beasts that it has taken a pandemic to remind us that being in-person does still matter. Now that being socially close has been taken away, we miss it. Technology has replaced an intimate coffee meet up, a gathering of like-minded peers at a tradeshow, and even that sweaty workout session. Yet, personalization still matters to us. Guess what? It still matters to your marketing as well. So again, let's ask ourselves, "Are we doing enough? Is technology the only substitute?" Before the world of digital marketing, there was just plain ole marketing. Today we call it traditional, but please believe there is nothing dated about the personal touch. Targeting never goes out of style, and there is no time like the present to get back to basics. Here's a quick example. We hung out with a credentialing association and created their marketing retention program. An element of that program included direct mail. We developed a cadence of delivering to their certificants a personalized letter. It would remind them of their certification status and when it was up for renewal. With every mail out, the association's customer service team would be overwhelmed by the phones ringing off the hook. We eventually had to develop a prep plan for the call center. Renewal rates increased substantially, but there was an even greater takeaway from this initiative. The direct mail allowed us to create a one-on-one moment with the audience. The content within was directly for them and meant for no one else. The information the letter housed carried personal meaning and weight. Through the letters, we developed a way to make contact with the recipient directly. It was nothing short of phenomenal to see how a few words sent via mail made the audience feel thought of, cared for, and tended to. As much as we love Zoom, fatigue will settle in. It's no different from an overflooded inbox with emails just waiting for the big delete. It's time to begin to open up the time capsule and tap into the marketing methods that remain timeless. In a moment and time where we are starving for intimacy, here's your chance to give 'em just what they want.
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