In baseball, you can hit a ball perfectly but if a fielder catches it, it’s still an out. In the scorebook, the at-bat looks the same as a strikeout.

Similarly, if your marketing efforts don’t reach your consumer, it doesn’t matter how shiny your new marketing tools and campaigns may be, in the books, the campaign was no more successful than no campaign at all.

Success in baseball and in business is not solely contingent on how well you execute, where you execute is just as important.

Hit ‘Em Where They Aint

Have you ever heard the quote from baseball hall of famer Wee “Willie” Keeler “hit ‘em where they ain’t”?

The key to success in baseball is not hitting the ball well, but rather to hitting the ball where no one is playing. You can hit the crappiest ball in the world but if no one is standing there, the likelihood of your success increases drastically.

The same holds true for marketing. When everyone is doing the same marketing campaigns, your efforts get lost in a sea of saturation. If the consumer doesn’t receive your effort, it’s as if it never happened.

If you can identify marketing efforts in an unsaturated area, just like hitting a ball where they aint, your success can improve drastically as well.

The Handwritten Note

One communication that is almost always received and almost nobody is doing it is a handwritten note.

Think about your mailbox. I’m sure you still regularly check it incase there is something of value. Most of the time, you probably see long, rectangular envelopes with computer typing on the outside consisting of bills, advertisements, and community newsletters. But every once in a while you might see an oddly shaped note with handwriting on it. What’s the first piece of mail you open that day?

The handwritten note has the power to be seen. Yes, it takes time to write, yes it’s old school, but your marketing success is based on results, not on what everyone else is doing or the latest and greatest shiny tools. Sometimes old school is exactly the answer you need.

Here are 5 ways you can use handwritten notes in your business

1) To share your appreciation with your business partners

Take your partnerships beyond business and make them personal with a handwritten note. People love to be appreciated and it’s a great way to make important partners feel special.

2) To say thank you for referrals

When was the last time you thanked your clients for a referral? Handwritten notes are a powerful way to express your appreciation to clients that refer you new business increasing the likelihood they might do it again.

3) After a sales call

Drop a note in the mail following a sales call to reiterate your excitement about the potential mutually beneficial relationship. This will delight your potential client and show them that it’s about a relationship, not just their money.

4) To publishers that write about you

Send a note to journalists and bloggers to say thank you for writing an article about you and your business. You may find you get more write ups in the very near future and how many thank you notes do they receive? Probably almost none.

5) To each other

Your coworkers also love to be appreciated. Internal notes are a great way to take a few minutes to highlight the great work of a team member and it also teaches them through experience how powerful a handwritten note can be.

Try it and see what happens. Even one note a day has the power to change your business.