Aunt May
June 27th 2006
Ask Aunt May
Email Marketing |
Dear Aunt May,
No matter what I do, I just can’t get a good response rate to my email campaigns. What’s the problem? What am I doing wrong?
Low Expectations,
Surrey, BC.
A: Dear Low,
 Your vaguely-worded question gives your dear old Aunt an idea as to what one of your problems might be – you aren’t focusing enough! I don’t even know what sort of email campaigns you’re sending out, let alone what’s wrong with them. Grab a cup of tea and settle in – it could be a bumpy ride. Let’s work our way down the list of most likely suspects, shall we?
Start by looking at your email’s design. Just like with my cooking, everybody’s a critic – but everyone can agree when your kitchen’s full of black smoke! You might think your email looks great; your readers, however, see nothing but a jumble of clashing colours that scorches their eyeballs and more kinds of text than the Rosetta Stone! Keep your emails short, sweet, and easy on the eyes. You’d take business advice from a guy in a pinstriped suit, not a clown suit!
Then look at who you’re mailing to. Old, outdated addresses (or those you’ve gathered through questionable means – tsk, tsk, tsk) are less likely to respond to your pitch than a well-maintained (but smaller) list. Think of it this way – would you get more results sticking flyers under windshield wipers at the mall or by sending letters directly to your existing customers and their friends?
Your list is targeted and the email is beautiful? Check your watch. The dinner menu never looks good at breakfast, and the same goes for your email messages. Timing is everything – your messages should arrive when your audience is at its most receptive!
Still nothing!? Well, how often are you messaging this select group? And just how honest and direct is your message? If you’re over-using your mailing list and bombarding them with messages (or, heaven forbid, you’ve sold your list and others are flooding your select group’s inboxes), they won’t be a select group for long! Your email has an Unsubscribe button (well, it better!) for a reason, and your recipients won’t be shy to use it if you abuse their trust. Remember, karma comes around in the end – think long term with your campaigns, and emphasize quality over quantity of message.
So tune up your email campaigns and you’ll get a lot more positive responses, just like your old Aunt May did when she realized that 350 degrees on the oven was in Fahrenheit, not Celsius!
|
