Must an Online Business Be Conducted Totally Online?

In a world where technology is king, a thriving web-based business is hard to beat. We’ve become attached to the idea that a web business is the rainbow leading to the pot of gold. It is not sufficient to just have a website. Continued effort is required to keep people coming to your online business. That does not occur on its own. Offline marketing is often overlooked as a way of attaining and maintaining an excellent customer base online.

Obviously, email and social media are faster and cheaper than communicating the old way, by the United States Postal Service. However, easier and cheaper do not always equal more successful. Make mail that your customers and prospective customers can feel and touch an important part of your marketing strategy.

When you make the effort to lick a stamp and put it on an envelope, it provides that human element that seems to have disappeared from online business. The efficiency of your Internet marketing strategies should certainly leave you with a few moments to write a couple of notes by hand.

Here are ideas of things that can be sent via snail mail:

• An elegant little “thank you” to your customers and referral sources.
• Note cards to follow up with customers you haven’t heard from in a while, the same way your optician does when your annual eye exam time rolls around.
• Thank you notes for orders placed online. Include a reference to their specific order so they understand this isn’t some form of letter you always use.
• A welcome to new members of your downline to the team.
• Congratulations on the recruitment of your new team member.
• I noticed you going above and beyond – I sure appreciate it!

A simple “thank you” seems to be less common. It may seem like extra work in this day of instant email, but this additional attention to your customer will pay off in additional business. Plus, it is just the proper thing to do. Another added benefit is that it is completely unexpected. Sadly, it has become rare to receive mail saying only thank you and not pushing a sales agenda.

Whether you already have an online business or are in the process of putting one together, try taking some of your online business offline. It may take a while, but when you keep at it and show warmth from the heart when you communicate with your customers and team members, you’ll start to see awesome results.

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