A post by Don:
Most business people remember the days not too long ago of the direct mail campaign. Now, many people use the modern “email blast” to market their goods and services. The era of instant communications is here. Old fashioned “Snail Mail” seems, well, old fashioned. Many companies now market their email services to other companies who are seeking a cheaper, faster and more reliable way to reach customers. Is newer technology always better though?
Recently I have compared my own experience with that of other business people who have had a company do an “email blast” to current and prospective customers. The results were mixed. Most companies tried at least 3 email campaigns and it seems the first one is the most successful. Companies report that perhaps 1/3 of all emails sent were opened and at least read by the intended recipient. This success rate varies, but is usually promising enough to warrant a follow up email a few weeks or months later. The results from the second blast are not as good as the first and usually translate into lower “openings” by the targeted recipient and lower sales. The third email blast usually results in even lower openings and sales. At this point most companies seem to put the email program on hold while they reevaluate the whole idea.
The reason for the sliding email blast results seem to be obvious once you talk to anyone in a corporate IT department. It is their job to route all “junk” emails to either the spam folder or straight to the trash folder. No matter how advanced a technology the company sending the email blasts uses, the recipient’s corporate IT department labors even harder to stay ahead. The result is less customers actually receiving, reading and acting on the senders email marketing campaign.
If you are going through this a few simple steps may be able to help you achieve the sales results you need. First, take the time where possible to establish a relationship with your customers. This is not as hard as some people think and can even be done over the phone. A customer or prospect is more likely to give his email address to someone he or she trusts. Once you have a few emails stored, do your own email blast. A direct email to your customer from your computer is more likely to get past the firewall and not wind up in a Junk folder. The customer is then more likely to open an email you sent him and act upon it accordingly. One word of caution: Never abuse this trust the customer places in you. If you do nothing but send emails asking for business, the customer is apt to drop your emails or have his IT department block your address. Take the time to inform your customers of topics that you think he will be interested in. (Stay away from politics and religion.) The Golden Rule is a good guide: Always treat your customers and prospects as you would want to be treated.
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Excellent advice! Thanks for sharing.