Snail Mail
I'm a huge fan of sending AND receiving notes in my mailbox (among the bills and junk mail, it's always a nice surprise for a handwritten note). One thing that drives me batty is when I cannot find a mailing address for a fellow wedding vendor.
I write many thank you notes and like to pop them in the mail that day, if possible. I head on over to their website, check out the contact page, and am discouraged when I get a phone number and email address, or worse yet, just a fill-in-the-blank contact form. Yuck!
If you work from home, like I do, I completely understand not wanting your home address online. We have all heard the dangers of the creepy internet stalker who is going to rob you while you are on vacation because your address is out there (At least I have. Many times. From my mother.).
So, what's a small business owner to do? Lease a post office box. It's the BEST $5/month I spend at the USPS. My mailing address is out there on my contact page and our business cards. Anyone can send me anything via snail mail - however packages via UPS or FedEx need a physical address, which the sender would have to contact you about.
And maybe if you DID have a post office box, you'd receive many notes, maybe even one from me.
10 inspiring comment(s):
For personal reasons I do not put my mailing address out there for all to see. I work from home and do not want everyone on the internet to have my personal address.
I understand the idea of having a post office box, but in this day and age all of my business is online.
By the time a bride I am working with is in the place where she would like to contact me via the post, she will have obtained my mailing address to send a check in the mail or to return samples.
So in that case, there is no reason to have a P.O. box which only seems to invite junk mail from people scouring the web to send me unwanted marketing materials, etc. I can't tell you how many people find my site, don't spend the time to figure out what I do and e-mail to sell me something I don't need.
That is just my take on having an address out there floating around!
And that is a good take on it, Amy. I suppose it's my love to send pretty stationery to other vendors that I get frustrated when I have to email them for their mailing address.
Don't get me wrong - I totally get junk in my PO Box, however it's the unexpected notes which make it worth it for me!
Thanks for your thoughts - I love to hear what others feel about the things that drive me batty!
Somehow I can't help but wonder if this was inspired by me...hmmmmm...:)
Nope, Michelle! It's funny, because many people are going to say the SAME THING, including another wedding planner I chatted on the phone with yesterday.
It's just a thing I run into often and finally realized why I LOVE my PO Box and wanted to rant/rave about my own experience.
Hahaha...Michelle, I was thinking the same thing! Last time Aletha and I met up was a while ago, but I was still thinking it had my name written all over it haha.
My contact page consists of my email address, phone number, and a form to fill out for potential clients. I don't put our address on there for privacy reasons, even though I know anyone could find it if they wanted to bad enough. I considered a PO BOX, but I can't see myself driving to pick up my mail all the time. I'm a convenience kind of a girl :).
Bianca - I knew people would think that!
I'm such an old fashioned gal when it comes to communication - I like to go INTO the bank (vs. using an ATM or drive-thru), I actually like to go to the post office, plus it's a mile from my house and I sometimes ride my bike there, so it's just easier for me - that's all!
I send clients PDF's proposals & contracts, plus do most of our communication via email, but after it's said and done, a nice thank you note via snail mail is my style :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Ha ha, glad I'm not the only one. I'm with you Bianca, I just don't see myself wanting another errand in my day to have to go to the post office, during the summer it wouldn't be bad I could walk and take Zach but during the winter...yuck!
I love sending notes in the mail, and have an array of stationary just for doing so. With that being said, I completely agree that this is a smart thing to invest in, especially if you work from home!
I just got mine last month. I am with you on the snail mail girl!
I have the same dilemma! I love to send thank you notes, and it loses a little of the fun when I have to send an email to get a mailing address! I was a little worried my po box would be a junk mail magnet, but I hardly get any, so it's worked out great! (plus if you're like me and LOVE to get mail, it's one more place you can be surprised with a note or card!)
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