The earliest memory I have of typing is being perched on a fluffy pillow in front of a 24-lb Royal manual typewriter.
The keys are hard to hit, and the pillow was to boost my ten-year-old frame up to the keyboard.
It was my dad who insisted that all of us kids to learn how to type.
Why was this so important?
What I didn’t know was that dad’s typing ability played a key role in his life as a soldier in the Korean War.
Shortly after the Korean People’s Army crossed the border into South Korea in 1950, dad found himself in a U.S. Army uniform. His ship had landed and his unit was getting into position on the mainland.
Can you imagine being a young man in his twenties with his whole life in front of him, travelling closer and closer to the front lines? This was a vicious war where the bullets were flying.
Typing break
But along the way dad met an officer who told him he was looking for a typist for his unit. Dad saw an opportunity to move away from the front lines. The details in my mind are a bit sketchy here, but although the officer was in a different unit, dad apparently arranged with him to request a transfer so that he could help with office duties – away from the fighting.
Thus dad could breathe a sigh of relief. His most pressing duties now were typing out regular paychecks for Korean camp workers.
The lesson here is that one’s personal skills can save your hide. I don’t think dad served our country any less by his decision. He simply used his best abilities to defend our flag, “Old Glory” as he used to say. The same flag that was carefully folded and given to my brother at dad’s funeral only a few years ago.
Show yourself as a person
Can you write a personal story about your dad, mom, or another family member? Tell the story in an email and you’ll make a real connection with your clients and prospects.
Then transition your story into your business service.
I find that home care owners often do not want to reveal themselves too much to their stakeholders. But this is the way to form that personal bond that is important in a business relationship.
Holiday advantage
Another point is that the holidays are great times to get your emails read. I notice that while my regular email open rates are between 25% and 30%, it’s not unusual to have 40% or even 50% of my audience read a holiday email. People want to kick back and relax, or dwell on the significance of the holiday.
So give them some meaning.
Isn’t this an easy way to connect with your public?
For a holiday, you need not even segue your personal story into your business. Your stakeholders know who you are. They will see your business name somewhere on the email. Your readers will be happy that you have reached out to them.
This is why as part of our email service, we will contact you on a regular basis and ask about some family or personal experience. It could be something that happened recently, or years ago. And then we’ll smoothly transition into your business service.
It’s all part of making that emotional connection with your audience. Memories of the past enliven the present.
Why not use this marketing method to bring in more clients and customers? Get in touch with us at Savvy Senior Marketing by making an appointment for a free 20-minute phone consult, or by sending us an email.
(Photo: Korean War Memorial, Washington, D.C. and family photo)
