The Power of Personal Touch
I switched to buying my pet food from Chewy.com a couple years ago because their pricing was a little better than the company I had used previously (whose name I don't even remember). But since I've switched to Chewy, I must say that I love them! Not only do they consistently deliver great pricing and customer service, they never forget the power of personal touch. With the holidays right around the corner, it's a great opportunity to be reminded that putting your personal touch on something is often worth the extra time and expense for your brand.
This week, I was reminded yet again of why I love Chewy when my annual holiday card showed up in the mail. I know lots of businesses send holiday cards. But Chewy takes it to another level and rather than viewing it as something they have to do and trying to check it off their list as quickly as possible, you can really feel the joy they take in putting together and sending out these holiday cards.
Every year, the holiday card from Chewy is the first one I receive in the mail and is usually hand addressed. The first year I got their card, I looked at the return address and wondered who on earth I knew in Florida that was sending me a piece of personal mail!
If that wasn't setting the bar high enough, the card is always adorable and on-brand. This year's card features an image of cartoon pets gathered in front of the fire as they're read a story by an older dog. Opening it up, there's a standard preprinted messaged on the top half, but on the bottom of the card where most companies put their preprinted message, there's a lengthy, handwritten message from the co-founders of the company. Now, I don't know if they actually wrote this. But somebody in their company took the time to hand write that message (which is anything, but bland) and address it specifically to me. And that is a really special thing for a company to do.
My takeaway for you is this: with the all the options you have to save time and money on things, make sure you're not overlooking a meaningful opportunity to apply a personal touch. I actually mentioned the Chewy holiday card to someone a few weeks ago when we were talking marketing and seeing this year's edition in my mailbox really put a smile on my face that Chewy hasn't changed. This company has clearly not lost sight of their why and all the people who make it possible. Because of that (and their ability to continually satisfy my need for affordable pet food including prescription brands!) I will absolutely refer my friends and family to them.
What can you do today (or in the months ahead) to put an impactful, personal touch on your business? Let me know in the comments below, I want to hear your ideas!