More Martha Mail

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I'd received an unnecessarily nasty letter from Blueprint, a magazine that's part of the Martha Stewart group. I recently received this letter from Martha Stewart Living, asking me to renew my gift subscription.

The tone (and visual style) is completely different.

"Dear Friend,
I just spotted your name on a gift subscription list marked “expired.” Perhaps we’re being a bit sentimental. But to us, you’re more than just a subscriber. You’re a vital part of the MARTHA STEWART LIVING family."

So to begin, they call me "friend" and use the word "family." Next they tell me how smart I am to be receiving MSL, and congratulate me for helping them become successful.

"... It’s the special qualities within you, your eye for beauty, your quest for quality living, your devotion to home and family, that has provided the ground for MARTHA STEWART LIVING to grow...."

Note the friendly language that also implies needed action on my part without being pushy:
"So naturally, we’d hate to see your subscription expire. And that’s going to happen if we don’t receive your renewal instructions shortly."

Then they list specific things I would miss if I let the subscription expire:
"That means an end to all the marvelous recipes... gardening know-how... decorating tips... But if you act now, you don’t have to miss a bit of it."

Night and day from the Blueprint letter, both from the same company.

Tip of the day: Creating a consistent voice for your company or organization is critical in customer communication. You can communicate urgency while still being polite. And it helps to list benefits for people to encourage them to act in your favor.

Technorati Tags: customer communication, Martha Stewart, voice

A lesson in communication from Martha Stewart

As a subscriber to Martha Stewart Living, a magazine I thoroughly enjoy, I received an offer to try their new magazine, Blueprint, for free. I sent in the card, assuming I would receive one issue. If I liked it, I would pay the bill. If not, I would pass it along to a friend.

I liked the magazine, but not enough to subscribe. So I shredded the bill that came. It wasn't clear to me that I was supposed to write "Cancel" on the bill and mail it back. I assumed that they wouldn't continue sending the magazine if I didn't pay for it.

Then I received this in the mail:

Ouch! Hadn't they offered me a free copy? What did I do to deserve such a nasty letter? Had I missed 3 or 4 bills? I might have shredded 2, assuming a computer was generating them, but the scolding tone of this is unnecessary and hurts the Martha Stewart brand. If there really is an "A. Edwards," he or she needs a reminder about the importance of a good customer experience.

Tip of the day: Even if you are communicating about a delinquent bill, make sure the tone of your letter or email matches the severity of the situation. People respond to kindness and humor, not chiding.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer service, Martha Stewart