I’ve just been reading this blog post after a recommendation from @trendplanner on Twitter. You might like to check it out too.
50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive is a new ‘pop psych’ title by three US writers. It’s not something I’d normally check out but via blog-osmosis point 10 caught my eye:
Hand-written Post-It note improves response rate on inter-office letters
It turns out that your chances of a response to office mail greatly increase if you stick a simple handwritten Post-It note onto a document, requesting the action you’d like a colleague to take:
“Researchers distributed three sets of questionnaires around the office. The first set included a hand-written Post-It note requesting completion of the survey. The second set got the same survey, with the request to return it hand-written on Page 1. Third group got the same survey with their name mentioned (in type) on page 1 of the survey. Response rates? 75%, 48%, 36%.”
Why did the humble Post-It note approach work so well? What’s the secret?
Be personal.
And not just personal.
Go that little bit extra.
Using the Post-It isn’t necessary. Even without it, you’d still get some kind of response. But the little yellow square represents a living, breathing person behind the communication. It shows a touch of consideration and forethought for the receiver of what is probably a boring task. And it costs the sender just a few seconds to attach.
2009 marks ten years since the publication of Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing. A decade ago, Godin urged marketers to forge long-lasting relationships with customers through anticipated, personal and relevant communication. He argued for post-it note marketing.
Today, it’s been proven over and over again that companies who offer little personal touches to the buying experience, who start conversations with customers, who create a sense of inclusion, win.
One to one at the office or as an organisation reaching out to customers, it’s time to stock up on the Post-It notes.
