What a newspaper route, a letter from 1988, and my Momma and Poppa can teach us about gratitude, customer care, and standing out in a very digital world.
I have a letter from January 30, 1988 that’s so amazing it makes me cry and smile at the same time.
That’s right, buckle up, kiddos, we’re headed back to the 1900s!
Here’s the scene: Back in the days before social media, the social part was done manually. You know, by actually talking to one another. Or writing letters (more on that in a minute!). Emails were barely a thing. Texting was non-existent. The internet was mostly of the dial-up variety (that weird dial-up modem connecting sound still haunts my dreams).
Wild times, I know!
Not to mention, if you wanted to catch up on the news, you either had to watch it live on tv or get it through the good old-fashioned printed press!
That’s right, I’m talking about newspapers! Last century’s news feed, delivered daily in folded-up papers laden with ink and knowledge (and did anyone else think they smelled good?).
Here’s where the nostalgia kicks in…
My Momma and Poppa had a newspaper route when I was growing up.
I have little flashes of memory from those days—papers getting bundled, deliveries being made, getting to see the familiar faces of the customers they were delivering to.
After years of dedicated service, they finally decided it was time to stop.
They could’ve simply handed everything over to the next delivery person and moved on. Everybody still would’ve gotten a newspaper the next morning.
That felt too impersonal to them. How could they just disappear, without warning, from all of their friends and neighbors?
Instead, Momma wrote a letter to their customers.
She thanked them for the kindness they’d shown over the years. She told them they were the greatest people. She explained that someone new would be delivering their newspaper and gave them the information they needed for the transition.
Basically, she made sure the people they had served knew one thing before Momma and Poppa left:
We appreciated you.
Almost 40 years later, I still have the letter.
Nobody Asked Them to Do That
There wasn’t a customer-retention campaign behind the letter.
No email sequence.
No CRM reminder.
Nobody was tracking whether the thank-you note converted.
My grandparents had relationships with these people, and disappearing from their lives without acknowledging that apparently wasn’t how Momma and Poppa operated.
So they said thank you.
They helped make the transition easier.
They closed that chapter with care.
And nearly four decades later, I’m writing a marketing blog about it.
Not a bad legacy for one little letter.
Gratitude Is Actually a Business Strategy
I said something in a recent conversation that I want to repeat here:
One of the leading contributing factors to my business success has been gratitude.
Not a ‘So Grateful’ graphic with a turkey, some fall leaves, and your logo tucked in the corner.
Not “We are thankful for our valued customers” because Thanksgiving demands such a post.
I mean taking the time to let another human being know they positively affected your life or your business. (That’s right, I bolded, highlighted, italicized, AND underlined that ish–it’s that important!)
I’m talking about leading with intention.
It sounds easy, right?
You think, I should send her a note.
I should tell him how much that referral meant.
I should reach out to that person who helped me when I was getting started.
Then another email arrives. Slack lights up. Oh no there goes your phone. Somebody needs something. Your good intention gets mentally filed under I’ll Totally Do That Later (which is apparently the largest filing cabinet in human history).
I’m guilty of it too.
Recently, after I helped her during an unexpected, unfortunate incident, a young neighbor sent me a handwritten note and chocolate chip cookies.
First of all: cookies. Excellent strategy. No notes.
However, what really gave me all the feels was the note.
Imagine this: She took the time to sit down, write something specifically to me, and put it in my hands.
I remember thinking, When was the last time somebody did this?
I feel like this is something important that we lost in our modern, digital age…
There’s something incredibly special about receiving words another person actually stopped long enough to write for you.
If Your Business Feels Stale, Try Saying Thank You
Here’s my very sophisticated November marketing strategy:
If your business feels a little stale, send some thank-you notes.
I’m serious.
Think about the people who have helped your company become what it is.
A client who took a chance on you early.
Someone who keeps referring people your way.
A customer who gave you feedback you genuinely used.
A business partner who made an introduction.
A team member who quietly takes care of things before you even know they need attention.
Tell them.
And please, for the love of Posty, make it specific.
“Thank you for being a valued customer” is nice, in a somewhat generic sense.
“You were one of the first people to trust us with this service, and the feedback you gave us helped shape what we became” feels completely different.
One could’ve gone to anybody.
The other says:
I remember you.
That’s powerful.
November Is Coming for Your Feed
You know what’s about to happen.
Every company on the internet is about to discover gratitude at exactly the same time.
There will be leaves.
There will be pumpkins.
There will be beautifully (AI *rolls eyes*) designed graphics explaining that a business is “grateful for our amazing clients.”
And again, that’s lovely.
I would simply challenge you to go one step deeper.
Instead of asking, What should we post for Thanksgiving? ask:
Who deserves to hear from us?
That might produce a much more meaningful answer.
Maybe it becomes a social post.
Maybe it becomes an email.
Maybe nobody else sees it because you send one person a handwritten note.
Marketing does not always have to happen in public.
Imagine Your Technology Disappeared Tomorrow
During our conversation about all of this, somebody asked an interesting question:
What if you woke up tomorrow and the technology simply wasn’t there?
How would you communicate?
We’ve become wonderfully efficient. I run a marketing company. I appreciate the tools. I am not preparing to throw my laptop into the Susquehanna and begin conducting HMS entirely through carrier pigeon.
Although, could you imagine how adorable Posty riding a pigeon with a tiny messenger bag would be?
Something like…
Still…
What would happen if you couldn’t schedule the email?
What if there were no automatic birthday reminder?
What if Facebook didn’t tell you somebody had an anniversary?
Would you remember?
Would you call?
Would you write something down?
Would you know enough about the people you work with to reach out without software prompting you?
It’s funny–as a Gen X’er, I can still, to this day, tell you the phone number of my best friend from grade school. Now? Our phones, not us, remember people’s cell phone numbers instead.
Technology can help us communicate.
But caring for one another? As humans, that’s on us.
Your Mailbox Is Weirdly Empty
Here’s another reason I love this idea from a business standpoint:
When was the last time one of your competitors mailed your client an actual note?
Exactly.
We’re all fighting for attention in the same inboxes, feeds, notifications, texts, DMs, and apps.
Meanwhile, there’s this physical box outside someone’s house where almost nobody is showing up anymore unless they’re selling insurance, replacing windows, or reminding you that your vehicle warranty has apparently entered its 47th final warning.
That means there is an opportunity for those who are willing to seize it.
Writing a handwritten note may feel unusual these days.
Unusual is good. Unusual gets noticed.
I’m not saying you should buy 100 books of stamps and write until the ink runs out or your hand is stuck in a permanent cramp (whichever happens first!).
Start with 1. Start with the first one you think of. The one that may mean the most to you or your business. Make it personal.
Don’t simply write out of a feeling of obligation. Write to them because you mean it.
Thank them for something specific.
Put a stamp on the envelope.
Yes, you may have to Google how much stamps cost now. I will not judge you.
Then put the letter in the mail.
Great start! If you can, write another one or two. Just like learning anything new, it gets easier the more you practice.
Imagine how your client will feel when they open their mailbox and see a handwritten letter. Imagine how that would make YOU feel?
Your competition, just like everyone else, may be filling up their digital inboxes and social feeds. But their mailbox? That’s a space you can likely claim for your own.
Please Continue Using Your Own Brain
I was leading a workshop recently and asked people to come up with familiar clichés.
After a few minutes, I went to one table to see what they had come up with.
They proudly told me they had asked ChatGPT.
My soul left my body for approximately three seconds.
I love useful technology. Obviously.
However, occasionally I would like us to remember that we also possess our own internal processor. You know, our brains!
I call this H.I. – Human intelligence!
Gratitude is one of those places where your internal processor can shine!
Nowadays, an A.I. tool can help you polish a sentence.
Helpful? Sure.
However, it can’t decide for you who meant the most when you first started out.
It can’t remember the moment somebody showed up when you needed them unless you tell it.
And it can’t feel appreciation on your behalf.
That’s still uniquely human and belongs to you.
In a world where more communication is becoming automated, templated, generated, scheduled, and optimized, something unmistakably human becomes easier to notice…
Well, friends, I have this piece of advice for you…
Stay weird.
Stand out.
Write the note.
Momma and Poppa Probably Weren’t Thinking About Branding
I’m fairly confident Momma did not finish that 1988 letter, lean back in her chair, and say:
“Excellent. This will strengthen our personal brand.”
She and Poppa were simply being themselves—thoughtful, appreciative, and responsible for the people they had served right through the final day of the route.
That’s why I cherish this letter so much!
It reminds me who they were. The human side of life.
We spend so much time rushing through life and aiming for perfection—thinking about what needs fixed, what needs finished, what needs done faster, and, of course, the never-ending question of what’s next?—that it’s easy to overlook the people who are already making our lives better.
Who has brought joy into your life?
Who supported you when you needed it?
Who positively affected your business?
Who trusted you, referred you, encouraged you, or showed up at exactly the right moment?
Your customers are learning who you are through those moments too. They notice the update you send before they have to ask. The thank you that mentions something only the two of you would know. The phone call. The note. The way you communicate when circumstances change.
Those things may never appear on your content calendar.
They’re still part of your brand.
And they’re part of your life.
So if someone came to mind while you were reading this, don’t mentally file them under I’ll Totally Do That Later.
Tell them.
Make the call.
Or go completely wild and find a pen, an envelope, and a stamp.
Your Momma and Poppa would be proud.
November PowerLine
I share my gratitude loud and clear, strengthening connections year after year.
At Holloway Media Services, we believe strong marketing begins with paying attention—to your audience, your relationships, your stories, and the moments inside your business that are worth sharing.
We help turn those moments into thoughtful, strategic content that sounds like you, supports your goals, and gives people more reasons to know you, trust you, and remember you.
