I posted this a few minutes ago on at NiceTouchMarketing.
We have a lot of friends, clients and business acquaintances that we would like to send a Birthday card to if only we knew their birth day. In this post we will look at several new ways that are available through social media.
Of course, the simple way to get someones birthday is to ask. A simple question " Hey, I like to send Birthday cards out. What day and month is yours?" Don't worry about the year as that is getting personal and can make some feel uneasy.
But I'm also finding that Facebook and Plaxo are wonderful sources. Both have profile pages, and formats for sending an e-Birthday card. While e-cards are OK, I've grown leery of e-cards as there are a lot of viruses spread through bogus links.
Facebook is great as it is a tremendous gathering place. I use mine mostly for friends and is closed to the general public. The drawback to Facebook is that most people don't put their address in it. But with a little work you can usually find an address, even if only a work address. Again, asking for an address personally usually works as well.
Plaxo is great. It's purpose is to automatically update your contact record when you change it. Change your job or email address and it automatically alerts your Plaxo friends that something has changed. My Plaxo account is open to just about anyone who has access to my email address and wants to be included.
In the last 24 hours, I was alerted by both Facebook and Plaxo that 2 different Realtors I know are having birthday's this week. I entered their information into SendOutCards for their work addresses, downloaded their pictures off the Internet and made custom Birthday cards with their picture on the front. I sent a gift to one of them since I know him better.
It took about 15 minutes from start to finish and cost less then $2 for the card and postage. AND, I'm home sick. I did this in my PJ's.
Did I need to send the cards? No. Will I get anything out of it? Probably not. But, and this is the important part. I made their day a little bit better. Just part of loving my neighbor as myself.
Larry Morris is a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist in Portland, Oregon. He specializes in USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loans, FHA Purchase and Refinance, FHA 203k Rehab loans, FannieMae HomePath loans, Oregon VA Loans and conforming purchase and refinances in the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
He can be reached at 503-421-0096.
Nice post. The little things like Birthdays do matter.
thanks Michael. So can I ask? What day and month is your birthday?
I agree Larry -- I think remembering people and making them feel special has it's own rewards - maybe not always direct ones. People will forget what you say, but remember how you made them feel -- and we all like to be remembered and honored on our special days!
Maybe I need to send you a get well card?
Margaret - Thanks so much for your comment. You are correct. We spend so much time trying to get our message across to "BUY ME", that we forget that what is most important is listening and connecting with others. What better way then a heart-felt card. Especially if one s sick... : ) And yes, I am feeling better, but still hacking away/ But thinks for the thought!!
A good read as well, I haven't tried plaxo but I am spending some time getting familar with facebook. I will have to keep working on it.