This post was inspired by a friend who posted some serious spelling and communication disasters. The post is private, but it reminded me of the importance of being careful about what you say, how you say it, and how you spell it. Let’s hope the new graduate is a better speller than whoever decorated that cake (or at least knows how to use spell-check).
Got any examples of your own? Share them here!
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Yesterday, I got a new newsletter in my email. It was from the publishers of another newsletter I subscribe to. I hadn’t subscribed to the second newsletter. The email just showed up in my inbox, without my permission.
They didn’t offer the second publication as an optional opt-in permission email.
They didn’t ask me if I was interested.
They just opted me in to their new email newsletter, without my consent.
I sat there thinking “Permission! Permission!” Then I got a mental image of Seth Godin warbling the song from Fiddler on the Roof, dressed in battered clothes, and holding a metal milk can.
Once I got that image out of my head (it’s a persistent one), I tried to unsubscribe. The link worked, but the page was broken (it wouldn’t accept my request). So, not only was I stuck with a newsletter I didn’t want, the company was also breaking the US CAN-SPAM rules (which require that opt-out is offered, requires only a single link, and is free).
If you’re going to start something new, ask first. Tell people about it in your existing newsletter. Or mention it on your blog. Add it to the sign-up for your free ebook/ecourse, if you have one. There are many different ways to announce and promote it. Just don’t spam people. Spamming may be “tradition” in some parts, but it’s not a good tradition.
And, as I update this in 2015, it’s now illegal in certain places (sadly not the US) to send an email without express consent.
Adding subscribers to a new newsletter may seem like a great idea in company meetings (hey, we thousands of subscribers, surely the people who enjoy receiving one newsletter from us will welcome a second one!), but it won’t survive contact outside the conference room.
It is a good idea to offer your existing subscribers new content (after all, they do already like you). Just ask them first.
In fact, ask your current subscribers before you tell the public. Make it an early exclusive just for them. Start out by putting the offer in a few issues of the existing newsletter. Tell subscribers how useful the new one will be and give them some examples of what they will get from it. “Sell” them on the idea.
If it’s relevant and useful, they’ll sign up. Once it’s up and running, repeat the offer semi-regularly, just in case the first newsletter’s subscribers missed the pitch the first time. That will win you fans (and subscribers too).
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Get our your champagne glasses and your funny hats. It’s time for the end of year holiday party. Last year, I had a roundup of posts by topic. Here’s the list:
Five Free Ways to Market Your Business
What Every Marketer Ought to Know in the New Year
Creative Ways to Write Great Headlines
Get More From Your Email Marketing
Do You Make These Common Marketing Mistakes?
This year, I’m going to do something different. A countdown of my five best posts (ever). Stay tuned for number five on Monday, counting down to number one next Friday. (Hey, why should Casey Kasem – sorry Ryan Seacrest doesn’t count) have all the fun?
Meanwhile, happy, merry, and joyful to all of you.
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How often should you email?
This is a question that comes up a lot, and for good reason. If you email too often, you alienate people. Do it too infrequently, and people are likely to forget about you. Then, when your message lands in their inboxes, they think you’re spamming them.
The trouble with answering the question is that there’s no perfect answer. It’s not an absolute rule: you must email exactly X times per day/week/month or else!
It’s not really an absolute number though – there’s no “perfect” rule to follow.
There is no hard and fast rule, but you can pick your schedule. Then, just stick to it.
The important thing isn’t how often you decide to send messages, but that you tell subscribers up front what your schedule will be, whether that’s once a month, once a week, or once a day.
Check your stats for complaints. If the number gets too high, your email service provider should alert you that there’s a problem.
One, they may have forgotten they subscribed. You can gently remind them at the end of the newsletter that they’re receiving it because they signed up. I’ve even seen some that say something like, “Hi Jodi, you’re getting this newsletter because you signed up on (date).”
Two, some use the “spam” button as a way to unsubscribe. They may have forgotten they signed up. Or, they may just want to stop getting your newsletter.
Three, are you mailing more often than promised? Did the content change substantially? Or are you advertising more than you said you would?
If you get lots of them, or your unsubscribing rate goes up steeply, send a questionnaire or a survey. I saw one marketer do this and offer an extra bonus report as an incentive for filling out the form.
It’s also a good idea to survey readers every once in a while (or even add a survey to your autoresponder if you have one) to ask what people think.
Another option is to offer your subscribers options for reducing the number of emails they receive. This can mean breaking out different newsletters (let me keep the Tuesday Tips, but stop receiving Wednesday WordPress) or offering the option to receive newsletters weekly instead of daily.
Do you think most marketers email too much? Share your opinions.
I saw this video on Web Ink Now today. It was part of a post pointing out that people don’t care about your products (as a business), they care about their problems and whether you can help fix those problems. So far, so good and I nodded my head in agreement.
Then he included a video. He said it “offers a twisted look at the problem with older TVs. The link at the end of the video points to a webcast with Cisco chairman John Chambers, during CES on Jan 5.”
Here’s the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMsY9O9iLqk
I completely agree that saying your product is great or talking about the 1080p definition or the thousands of connections doesn’t help.
I don’t like the video video though. It seemed to make fun of older TVs (or people who had them), rather than helping them.
And the link to the talk at the end (which, I confess I didn’t watch) isn’t terribly clear. If David hadn’t pointed it out, I would have never known what it was.
Clever is fine – but not for the sake of being clever, which this seems to be.
What do you think?