Email marketing on the Internet is one of the most extensive, and profitable, ways to market a product or service. It’s why you receive so many offers. It’s fast and it’s not as expensive as other forms as advertising. Even free in many cases.
Email has been used by virtually all businesses on the Internet. Today, even a local business can use email effectively to improve their bottom line or gain recognition. But changes are taking place that are some what troubling. Changes that even those who have been most trusted in Internet Marketing seem to be embracing.
The sad state of today’s email marketing doesn’t disagree with any of the above but it does mean that trust is fast being lost. And ‘Trust’ is your most important asset.
On any given day I receive dozens (not counting spam) of emails from Internet marketing folks whose names yoiu would easily recognize. Folks who no longer tailor their messages to their readers but simply send out canned messages that are repeated word for word by every one else. They don’t even bother to change the subject lines.
It doesn’t take much to add a little customization to your email. Today, if you’re on more than one or two lists, how much of the email you receive is the same copy cat wording? I find it disappointing that many of the so called ‘Gurus’ can’t be bothered to write an email different than some other Guru (‘Guru’ – I dislike that word). Most of the ‘successful’ Internet marketing people have staffs working for them and could very easily do a rewrite. Yes, I have been guilty of doing a ‘copy-and-paste’ email send but no longer. I do my best to rewrite what I send out to folks.
Another problem I am seeing more and more are misleading, or just plain odd, subject lines. Some that I receive more often than I care to count are: “Your Gift”; ‘Friend’; ‘My Friend’; ‘Free’; ‘Thank You’; ‘Support’; ‘Thirteen Redheads’; ‘Your account has been credited’; using the contraction ‘Re’; vulger language; etc.
I’m sure you can add many more to this list. (by the way, it isn’t a gift, or free, or… if I have to do something to get it, like taking my time to do opt-in’s). I received one email that told me nothing – it just had a link in it! You have no idea what it is this person is offering. And this was from a trusted source!
I see emails that have more than two or three links in them. Yes, the email may repeat the same link two or three times in the course of the text, that’s okay. But I have received some with as many as ten or fifteen different links. It is confusing and unnecessary.
Most of this sort of email will go into the trash or worse yet, will cause me to hit the unsubscribe link! Remeber, your customer’s time and attention is just a valuable as yours is. So treat them accordingly.
