Your Forgotten Marketing Tool

If you are a sole proprietor, there are many areas to focus on with your marketing. Many individuals will use social channels extensively to share their thoughts, ideas and great content that their audience will find valuable. You might create video content to share, or podcast episodes. You might even consider taking an advert out and targeting it towards your preferred prospect market. All these things keep your brand floating through the ether, dropping tiny bits of usefulness on prospects like a fairy sprinkling glitter.

But there are other opportunities that tend to get forgotten about and I want to pick up on what I think is a golden one going to waste.

The out of office message.

Yes, that’s right. Most of us have the facility to set one up but very few folks use it creatively as an effective marketing tool. Some time ago I wrote about a mayor in a local town that made full use of his. He started with the usual ‘I am away until ……’ but then went on to say ‘but if you ever fancy a drive out to our spectacular town, make sure you stop by and see the …. or call in the … or witness the … You won’t be disappointed. And don’t forget to tell your friends.’ Each sentence had a link to the attraction he referred to for the recipient’s ease.

He turned a standard email feature into a creative marketing tool for his town.

What prompted me to write about this again was several messages I saw from a chap I’d had on my podcast recently. As someone that works in training communication, and with more than an interest in stand-up comedy, Nick Davies has this simple opportunity down pat in my view. As an individual working on his own brand, the content of his messages sums him up well. I’m sharing a couple here to give you some great examples.

Here's the first one:

It's holiday time!

I'm with the woman I love and one of my breathtakingly handsome sons in...

Jesus lovin’, Trump votin’, lasso throwin’, steer ropin', gun totin’, bible bashin’, pulpit preachin’, football playin’, oil drillin’, hospitality givin’, cattle brandin’, God fearin’, rocket launchin’, T-bone eatin’, JR shootin’, cowboy ridin’, always scorchin’, Lone Star TEXAS!

I'll reply on my return (via New Orleans)’

Here’s another:

‘I was 50 on the 7th June and by way of celebrating half a century on the planet and the impending arrival of my invite to join SAGA, and book a Viking River Cruise, my other half has whisked me away to the most romantic city in the world: Lincoln.

I jest. ROME!

Yep, we're there to see the history, admire the architecture, marvel at the art, gasp at the Colosseum, Pantheon and Forum, and witness, first-hand, the Italian banking crisis – The 'Sofferenze' (literally, 'the suffering').

Happy days!

Enjoy the election. (I posted my vote last week!)

Ciao’

And finally my favourite:

Who on earth, apart from members of the military, goes on 'leave'?! Yet that's the phrase most 'out of office' messages say!

'I am currently on annual leave with limited access to my emails. I return on the ('whatever') and will respond to your message then. In the meantime, if your message is urgent, please contact Brenda on brenda@poorbloodywomanhasbeenleftmonitoringmyemails.co.uk who will be happy to help.'

Well, this is my 'out of office':

I am on holiday with the woman I love and one of my fantastic teenage sons. I have access to superb wi-fi and every email I get but won't be answering them because that's the point of being on holiday: you stop working and do stuff, which matters. 'Urgent' in my book means either my house is on fire or someone very dear to me is seriously ill. In either event, it's not likely such news will come from you but from someone who has my phone number and knows where I am staying.

I return sometime next week and will be only too delighted to get in touch then.

Nick’

Simple, amusing and a good deal more creative than the standard reply often received. And it shouts Nick Davies, communications with personality. I’d look further into his services if I had a need. As you are your own brand, what you say and do can be a mix of your formal professional side as well as your own more relaxed authentic personality, so don’t be afraid to show both sides.

How can you make use of your out of office message? Can your sales team create something more product/service focused and add some personality? You just never know who might be reading it or where your out of office message will end up.

On a different note, you might find this podcast episode of interest when I sat and chatted with Nick recently.