When I was a kid, there was this thing called the Helping Hand Program. If you were hurt, lost, or in danger, you could knock on the door of a house that had a handprint sign in the window. Kids knew that the family with a handprint sign would watch over you until your parent arrived.
I never had to knock on someone’s door, but it made me feel better knowing I could.
When I ran my magazine, I tried to be the helping hand for my readers. I had 16,000 printers who read my column. I told them they could call anytime. Many subscribers called me every week, especially during the rocky times of 2001 and 2008. Printers would tell me about their personal lives, hobbies, what kept them up at night, money worries, and their families.
No one was looking for big answers. They just wanted to know someone cared.
As a printer, how do you show your customers you care? How do you extend a helping hand?
Recently, on the GirlsWhoPrint podcast, I talked about how my clients send out email newsletters every week — and sometimes every day.
It can be hard for printers to wrap their heads around the fact that your customers want to hear from you that often.
However, if you are a respected and trusted provider, your customers want to know what’s going on. They want to know what’s on your radar. If they like you, they want to hear your voice in their head when they read your words.
If they choose not to read that day or that week, knowing that they have the choice makes a big difference.
Knowing they CAN open your email newsletter — that you are right there if they need you — is very reassuring.
The top business experts and thought leaders send something out by email almost every day. If I need advice, I will open the newsletter of the person I trust and respect. If I need to make a decision about something, I want the insight of someone proven, whose advice and perspective are helpful. A person who shows up, week after week in my inbox is not a quitter or a dabbler or the guru du jour.
When you communicate often, hearing from you becomes part of the cadence of your customer’s life.
A print newsletter sent monthly and included with shipments or invoices is a great way to let your customers know the light is always on for them. Reliable information, a unique viewpoint, thought leadership, hard data, personal experiences — these are valuable things to share.
Remember, if someone is important to you — and you are important to them — they really do need to hear from you regularly.
(My Helping Hand is in the window for you as well. Feel free to post a comment below, connect with me on LinkedIn, or send a message in whatever way is most comfortable for you. Remember, you are not alone.)
Sandy Hubbard is an expert Marketing Strategist specializing in the Printing Industry. She consults with Print CEOs and owners of print, media, and platform businesses of all sizes — helping marketing teams build visibility and increase sales.
