A lesson in the power of artisanal marketing

I made a short and sweet video for you about some inspiration I received from my friend Ann Handley. If you prefer to read rather than view a video, an edited transcript about this idea of artisanal marketing appears below the video. Here we go!

Today I’m offering some ideas and observations on artisanal marketing inspired by a thank you note I received from Ann Handley.

There’s a cool lesson here that applies to content marketing, digital marketing, and even general business.

So let’s take a look at this thank you note, and the lesson that it taught me.

I have known Ann for at least 10 or 12 years. And the thing I know about her is that everything she does has a sort of artisanal craftsmanship to it (and I actually looked up craftsmanship. It is generally accepted as a gender-neutral word!)

Everything you receive from Ann has this certain personality … something that’s a little extra. That is the signature of her work, whether it’s her wonderful newsletter, a book, or even a thank you note.

The first thing I noticed about this thank you note is that it has this bunny sticker on it (see the photo at the top of the post). It says “Bun!” Why? Because Ann has this amazing speech and a story about a bunny in her garden and she knows I love that story. And where do you even get a sticker of a bunny like that? It’s pretty cool.

Now let’s look at the back. She has a bee sticker, and she’s drawn the path flight path of the bee and some flowers and some leaves. Why? Because I have bees on the grounds of my home! She added this special touch again — a sticker of a bee.

And then she has this whimsical little card inside. It has a fun literary theme to it, and a handwritten note. She’s colored it to add her personality.