This week’s blog has been hijacked by our Director of Ground Floor Strategies, Selena Silvestro.
As we approach the end of the year, she grabbed the chance to speak to business owners and sales pros about what NOT to do when emailing customers and prospective buyers:
“If you’re waiting to contact your customers, clients, or prospects until “The Big Event” or “The Big Sale” or it’s the end of the month and you are behind quota – and then you swoop into BLAST them with promotional bombs, you’re doing it wrong and make no mistake, you ARE annoying people.
What’s the biggest reason people opt-out, unfollow, or stop responding to you?
Self Serving, Promotional, Interruptions – when it’s clear YOU WANT SOMETHING FROM THEM.
5 Reasons your “Email Blasts” bomb with your customers:
- Communication comes out of the blue and shows up unexpectedly like a bomb! “I haven’t heard from them since the last event, now I’ve seen 3 blasts this week!”
- Promotional content wears thin and quickly steps over the line into annoying territory! Result – your customers will BLOCK – UNFOLLOW – OPT-OUT
- Your audience hasn’t been following your journey or emotionally invested in YOU. They’re just not that into you. Why should they care?
- A big event, sale or coupon . . . lined up with all your competitors, it’s just more of the same. There’s also a HUGE downside to this “plan”, which is nobody will engage with your product or service WITHOUT a coupon deal. You’ve just entered the Discount Zone.
- What can they learn about your business “blasts” if you’re already doing this? You’re inconsistent and “spammy” with your outreach.
Stand out from your competition!
Break out of the boring, annoying “me, me, me” style of communication and truly stand out from your competitors with smart and strategic Audience Development. Prepare your Audience for what’s it like to do business with you.
Help them “try before they buy,” learning more about you and your business:
- Contribute to the conversation in online forums, social media channels, networking groups and conferences where your customers can be found – not just blasting them or showing up in an email when you want something.
- Provide your unique perspective, and learn harder than your competition to provide your expert voice. Don’t just share posts, add your comments and bring VALUE.
- Be known for something: What solutions do you bring? What’s your “Special Sauce?”
- Use technology to bring customers closer to you: Email outreach, Social Media Platforms, and Blog Content … above all – BE HUMAN. Be authentically YOU.
- Be CONSISTENT. If you start a weekly email outreach, show up in their inbox with well-written content at the same time and day each week. Provide insightful and helpful content.
Don’t forget, it is a privilege to be in your customer’s inbox – don’t abuse it, don’t overuse it, and don’t take for granted the permission to “show up”.
Feel a little overwhelmed? Not sure what’s promotional and what’s value? Not sure what to say and most importantly, HOW to do it consistently? I can help you kickstart your Audience Development program with hands-on training using proven tools for successful results. If you need a coach, trainer, or butt-kicking guru for your smart digital sales and marketing strategy, let’s roll up our sleeves, fire up our laptops and get it going.
Until next time, ‘Rally, Hustle & Execute'”
Selena Silvestro, Director – Ground Floor Strategies, The Selling Agency
