Have You Lost Your Ever-lovin’ Mind?

Seriously?! What has happened to you? I’m talking to those of you who are sending emails to your clients like they are some kind of data crunching, algorithm busting machines.

We’ve taken a great idea and destroyed it. The concept of collecting emails and “soft selling” to our audience and keeping our services top-of-mind has become a treasure trove of complete nonsense.

Yes, you heard me! I can hear the curse words you are muttering under your breath as I type.

I know, I know. You want to tell me about the great click-through-rates and spew out data. The truth is, you are delusional. You are making your data fit some ideal that doesn’t really exist. The data is only a small portion of the picture. There needs to be a depth of knowledge applied too. Email automation works. I agree, but only when it’s with an audience match. This sweet spot is where the important data is hidden.

Think about your poor client or customer. They see your glorious piece of content that you threw out as bait to lure them into your web. They decide to give you their precious email address. If they only knew what came next, they would have never given that to you. Not in a million years.

Yeah, yeah, I know they can unsubscribe. However, you've taken their time and, more importantly, we destroyed their trust. Not just trust in you, but in all offers out there. There are some good offers out there.

As usual, we as humans destroyed another great thing. We don’t know how to use things in moderation. We don’t know how to do things genuinely. We don’t know how to do something that doesn’t end in money in our pocket! We do this at the expense of ourselves and everyone around us.

Oh, I am being too harsh? Nah, not really. I signed up for freebies, lots of them. Why? Because I am a marketer, and I like to know what is happening out there. The result, you ask. It’s all rubbish! Every now and again the freebie was useful or valuable, but after that, it’s all a waste.

We got lost along the way because we didn't stay focused on the client experience. We need to stop placing our needs over the client's needs.

I like to play devil’s advocate. I do it all the time for my clients. So, signing up for all those offers allows me to have some insight into the consumer experience. Let me tell you it is AWFUL! Even the so-called pros, it’s terrible. You’re wasting everybody’s time and energy. You are making us all look bad! You are insulting the clients!

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not against a well-planned and well-executed opt-in and follow-up automated email campaign. PA-LEASE! It is critical. What’s the problem? Well, Let’s try the basics. Too many emails, too soon, and never-ending. Emails full of text that NO ONE READS! I looked at hundreds and hundreds of emails over a long period of time from a variety of industries. I have even restructured some of these automation sequences. The result? Email text on average was well over 1,000 characters! At this point, this article is only about 517 characters.

Let’s unpack this a bit. The consumer gives you their email for this piece of “free” content. In some cases, this is a solid piece of useful content. In many though, it’s just fluff. So, for the coveted email address, you basically lied to them. For that lie, you expect a sale. Instead, in exchange, you bombard them with emails in some instances, your automation sent as many as 4 emails in 2 days! A few yahoos sent me 6! You know the drill. Thank you for signing up- blah, blah. Oh, and buy this. Next email, in less than 24 hours I might add, I didn’t hear from you- blah, blah. Another email, you didn’t buy my life-altering offer. The series continues with two more emails. Again within 24 hours and filled with more rhetoric. Seriously? Who do these people think they are? Sure, we all have something great to offer but get over yourself. You don’t have the right to harass people with nonsense.

Problem? You lost the consumer with the cheesy free piece. You didn't earn their trust. Trust was never established. Second, you bombarded them with emails. You did make your potential client feel violated, cheated, and lied to. Bravo!

Additionally, your emails are too long and say nothing. The only thing accomplished was telling the consumer you don’t respect their time. So, they opt-out. But wait! That takes like ten tries. Now- they are pissed off! Have you lost your mind?

Oh, but you are getting sales. Sure, because if you get enough people to look at your stuff, there will be some suckers. Not sure about you, but I would rather have a small dense loyal client base that trusts unconditionally over uninterested cold volume any day. Why? Those are the ideal clients. That match equals conversion. True conversion. It equals buy-in. It equals an army of people selling for you. This is working smarter and earning repeat sales. When you think about the user experience and plan automation accordingly, you'll earn trust.

 Applying restraint and using a less is more mindset, should be a priority for email automation sequences. If you do, you’ll win every time.

I know there are some of you waving your hands at me right now. You're probably saying, I'm out of my mind. I'm ok with it. I choose a smarter, more focused approach. Berating clients into submission isn't the best way to earn client loyalty. It's not creating raving fans. It leaves them thinking you are out of your ever-lovin' mind.