By Falynne Smith, Corporate Public Relations
It happens all day, every day. It’s the worst in the morning when I boot up my PC and they all come flooding in. Spam. As if the tsunami of legitimate emails we all receive daily isn’t enough to manage already, we’re also plagued by a constant sea of unsolicited notes that are usually completely irrelevant to our interests and our work. I unsubscribe to several each day, and they still keep coming! There aren’t many guarantees in life, but spam seems to be one of them.
I pose this question to the spammers – er, I mean marketers – behind this thoughtless outreach: What are you trying to achieve? People today are fighting information overload like never before. For marketers who truly want to cut through the clutter and make meaningful contact, here are a few things to consider:
- Know your audience: If you want to get my attention, then take the time to figure out my interests. It would also help if you knew my name, rather than calling me “Sir or Madam,” “To Whom it May Concern,” or the ever popular “I hope you’re the right person to contact.’”
- Engage me – don’t sell to me: Marketing today is a conversation cycle. You talk to me, and I’ll talk back. I might even tell my friends about you. But before I do so, you need to engage me. Show me why your offering is relevant in my life and why you matter.
- Make me a believer: In today’s business world, how you are is who you are, and I have to believe what you’re saying. I have lots of choices of who to do business with. I need to understand why you stand above the rest –and believe it.
Today’s most admired companies got that way by cultivating brand loyalty. They’ve targeted their audiences, engaged them, shown they are relevant and made believers out of their consumers. In return, these consumers become advocates for their favorite brands and endorse them to their family, friends and social networks.
Simply put. Make me a believer….or get out of my inbox.
