As a former Illinois resident, I've been playing close attention to the Gov. Blagojevich soap opera. As an employee who works from home, I spend a great deal of time watching television. These two forces created a perfect storm yesterday.
Blago is on some kind of press junket usually reserved for movie stars. I had breakfast with Blago on The Today Show, I had lunch with Blago on CNN. I capped it off with a late dinner with Blago on the Rachel Maddow show. This got me thinking about the similarities between Blago and email marketers. More exposure is not necessarily a good thing.
I often debate email frequency with email marketers. One marketer actually told me that they considered an unopened, unclicked email to be a net positive for their brand. If you think there is any truth to the statement above, please repeat after me:
Email is not broadcast media
Email is not the same as a banner ad
Email is not a digital billboard
Email is not cheap paper
Email IS a medium for targeted, one to one communication with your customers and prospects.
Don't just send email to be top of mind with your customers. Sending too frequently just to win a king of the inbox battle with your competitors is not a net positive for you or your brand - it actually has the opposite effect. There is a time to be front and center, and there is a time to sit back and respect your audience's privacy. Yeah, I'm talking to you too, Blago.
Exhibit A is my mom. She's a little more tech savvy than the typical 63 year old grandmother. She has an unhealthy addiction to Craigslist and Amazon, but we're working through that. Anyway, she is comfortable with making purchases online and is frequently added to the mailing lists of the stores where she makes purchases.
This past weekend I went to visit her and she was in her chair, looking at the warm glow of her laptop. She said "if they send me one more stupid email this week, I'm never going to buy anything from them again." And she was using her 'mom' voice. The one I haven't heard in quite some time. I think she was taking it out on me because I work with email marketers. The company in question was a specialty popcorn retailer. She purchases from them once a year (for my sister's birthday) and gets 3-5 emails per week from this company. Instead of looking at what they are gaining by sending so frequently, this company should probably be looking at what they are losing from this practice. It's a tough sell to convince a marketer that sending less can lead to increased sales, but they should also look at how sending more can cost you loyal customers and brand evangelists.
Just like content, there is no one size fits all frequency in a one-to-one world. Adjusting frequency based on previous purchase behavior shows that you understand your customers, you respect them, and you'll be there for them when they're ready.
Blago is on some kind of press junket usually reserved for movie stars. I had breakfast with Blago on The Today Show, I had lunch with Blago on CNN. I capped it off with a late dinner with Blago on the Rachel Maddow show. This got me thinking about the similarities between Blago and email marketers. More exposure is not necessarily a good thing.
I often debate email frequency with email marketers. One marketer actually told me that they considered an unopened, unclicked email to be a net positive for their brand. If you think there is any truth to the statement above, please repeat after me:
Email is not broadcast media
Email is not the same as a banner ad
Email is not a digital billboard
Email is not cheap paper
Email IS a medium for targeted, one to one communication with your customers and prospects.
Don't just send email to be top of mind with your customers. Sending too frequently just to win a king of the inbox battle with your competitors is not a net positive for you or your brand - it actually has the opposite effect. There is a time to be front and center, and there is a time to sit back and respect your audience's privacy. Yeah, I'm talking to you too, Blago.
Exhibit A is my mom. She's a little more tech savvy than the typical 63 year old grandmother. She has an unhealthy addiction to Craigslist and Amazon, but we're working through that. Anyway, she is comfortable with making purchases online and is frequently added to the mailing lists of the stores where she makes purchases.
This past weekend I went to visit her and she was in her chair, looking at the warm glow of her laptop. She said "if they send me one more stupid email this week, I'm never going to buy anything from them again." And she was using her 'mom' voice. The one I haven't heard in quite some time. I think she was taking it out on me because I work with email marketers. The company in question was a specialty popcorn retailer. She purchases from them once a year (for my sister's birthday) and gets 3-5 emails per week from this company. Instead of looking at what they are gaining by sending so frequently, this company should probably be looking at what they are losing from this practice. It's a tough sell to convince a marketer that sending less can lead to increased sales, but they should also look at how sending more can cost you loyal customers and brand evangelists.
Just like content, there is no one size fits all frequency in a one-to-one world. Adjusting frequency based on previous purchase behavior shows that you understand your customers, you respect them, and you'll be there for them when they're ready.
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