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Did you know your customers and prospects are getting hit with about 3,000 advertising messages a day? This barrage of noise is making it hard for anyone to hear what your business has to offer. So what can you do to get the word across to the right prospects?

Many companies have started to advertise more and louder, which only adds to the problem. Some have tried gimmicks and sales. Still others have accepted a stagnant growth model.

However, a few have begun to have huge success with a 2,000-year-old tool that has none of the sexiness of a celebrity endorsement or the award-winning graphics of a Madison Avenue advertising firm. That tool is a simple handwritten note.

• A Midwestern restaurant owner sent a series of these notes to his customers and got a 20% response.

• A financial planner in the Northeast mailed out just 80 handwritten notes to touch base with prospects. Six people called him and two made appointments.

• A nonprofit was able to get 51 donations by dropping a handwritten note to a list of 100 people who were considered likely to give.

Why? Handwritten notes are special. Clients rarely throw them away without reading them.

And believe me, I've tried. I recently received a handwritten postcard from the hair studio that I had abandoned six months earlier for one closer to my home. I knew it was probably just a pitch asking me to come back as a client, but did I read it anyway? Yes. These notes draw you in every time.

Would I have read a prospecting form letter or an advertisement from the same studio? No.

So is it worth spending time to write handwritten notes to your clients and prospects? When was the last time you've had a 6%, 20% or even 50% response rate on a mailing?

Here's how to do it:

1. Each piece should begin with your client or prospect's name, not a generic greeting.

2. You should handwrite the piece yourself or use technology that will duplicate your handwriting accurately and easily.

3. Give your target a reason to call you: “I just thought of an idea that might really cut your tax bill. Give me a call so we can get together before you do your taxes this year!”

4. Put the message on a card that will draw attention. Use a picture that catches the eye.

5. Hand-address the cards. Don't use labels; this tells your targets that you sent the same piece to everyone. Keep it personal — even if you're mailing to hundreds of people!

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MICHAEL KASELNAK is the founder of Hoard Client Marketing in Rochester, MN.