How many e-mails do you get everyday that you delete without ever reading?
If you’re like most people, it’s a lot.
Just the other day I got an e-mail from a local wine shop I love and deleted it without a second thought.
- I love the shop and their wines.
- I even know the owners and like them.
- But I signed up for their mailing list, and I NEVER read their e-mails.
And here’s why…
They only send me two types of message: 1) a sale announcement and 2) a special event announcement.
That’s it.
Now, I’m neither a price-shopper nor a special events kind of guy, but beyond that, I don’t open their e-mail because I know exactly what to expect.
So why bother?
Translate this to your business and here’s the lesson.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t use e-mail to promote your sales and special events. You should. And if you have a responsive e-mail list, you can make a lot of money doing it.
But to get a responsive list, you have to send a variety of e-mails that a) appeal to all your customers and clients and b) keep ‘em guessing what you’ve got for them that day.
If your customers and clients think they know what you have to say or think it isn’t for them, they’ll never open your e-mails.
So back to the wine shop, what messages could they send to mix things up?
How about “The best South American wine under $30.”
Or “5 perfect wines to pair with your summer grilling.”
Or “You won’t believe the shipment we got today…”
Or even, “The most amazing thing just happened!”
I’d *never* be able to resist opening their e-mails for stories like these. And more than that, this content would pull me into their store and get me spending.
So the big local e-mail marketing DON’T?
Don’t be a one-trick pony.
Mix up your e-mails so that they cut through the clutter and your customers pay attention to them.
Be well,
Michael Cage
P.S. Stumped what message you could send that isn’t about a sale or special event?
I have a comprehensive program on local e-mail marketing, called The Local E-mail Marketing Strategy. It contains *12 easy e-mail templates* you can use and reuse for years on end to turn your e-mail subscribers into your best customers and clients.
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{ 4 comments }
This article post some really good thoughts. I think that “thought” is exactly whats missing in many businesses marketing strategy. We need to be more empathetic, step inside our clients shoes and view the world through their eyes. The business owners who are churning out bland emails and hoping to get amazing results are the same ones who delete and grumble about the junky email they get on a regular basis.
Keep up the good work
Andres Garcia
Nice post. I also think that the emails title is essential. The thing is that from my point of view it is a very tiny line between a friendly email, one that is too selly, and spam…
How do you find the right title for your messages without being too selly?
Great article.
Have a good one.
J.V
So true!
I keep on wondering why businesses keep on wasting money and time to produce this email marketing that does nothing but to contribute to the annoyed owners of the full e-mail inboxes. I don't know if I would consider the post to be nice or amusing, but the truth is that it says exactly what most people think.
Great post, I often feel like many of the tasks
I do online are like grunt work, and like you I agree
it was not the way I wanted to run an online business,
I wanted everything more easy and automated.
The 2 out 3 rule sounds good to me, I will be implementing that now,
I was never sure what ratio to use for mailings.
I have tried, failed and gave up, but now I am back to try again,
with a new passion so hopefully I can find the way that works for me this time,
thanks for this post, it really helped me