The wonderful thing about running a small business is that, compared to stodgy corporates, we have free rein to add fun stuff to the way we do business.
Fun stuff of course makes us more likable and memorable, and that in turn should lead to referrals and repeat business.
But the trouble with free rein and being able to do everything is that it can leave you struggling to think of anything you can actually do.
So here are three fun and free ideas. Not to copy, but to inspire
1. Write
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the weekly emails from The Dinner Ladies. Just reading it amuses me. And of course in the spirit or reciprocity I feel a little obliged to repay my lifted spirits by buying a dinner or two.
I don’t think you need to be witty to make communication with your customer fun. Anything that comes from the heart (and only small business can truly do this) works for me.
2. Wrap
Today I received a parcel from Peg and Awl who make lovely household treasure from abandoned materials. I bought a couple of notebooks and they were wrapped in pages from an old reference book. I’m not sure whether the paper was really old (it looked like it and that would fit with their brand) or whether it was made to look old but either way I had fun skimming through explanations of the battle of Lexington and Concord, the (UK) Liberal party and the works of Kurt Lewin.
The recycled paper was so much more fun (and cheaper) than tissue paper, and goes to show you don’t need to be Net a Porter to do fabulous wrapping.
3. Personalise
A couple of weeks ago I signed up for a course run by James Tuckerman of Anthill fame. In the thank-you-for-signing-up email James attached a funny video of a Michael Jackson impersonator featuring my face. Very memorable and also subtly in tune with what I had bought (which, I hasten to add, was not a course on doctoring videos).
I’m not for a minute suggesting you get into personalising videos (ugh, I wouldn’t know where to begin) but a clever bit of personalisation beyond ‘Dear Julia’ in an email salutation is an amusing thing to think about and takes memorable to a whole new level.
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