Been a while since my last posting on this blog. The irony is that I shake my finger at people who have a blog but do not post regularly but my time away was intentional. I moved my family from northern to central New Jersey near the Princeton Area. Between selling a home, packing, moving and getting settled into a new place I pushed some things to the back burner. I also enjoyed time with my daughter during the summer at the shore and I refocused my thoughts about my business. What is interesting is that for a while I had a steady flow of work and prospects but that started to slow down. Rather than people reaching out to me I found myself calling others. So I realized it was time to practice what I preach, energize my marketing and get back to blogging. I really do miss blogging!
So the topic I want to write about is effective emails. The reason I bring it up is because I just got an email the other day from a business person I met at networking event a while back. I will leave their name and personal information out of this but tell you that he is a one-person operation. I think for the point I want to make it doesn't matter. He is a musician and creates/sells music clips online for use on your web site, multi-media project, etc. People are familiar with purchasing stock images online. This is similar but its music and sounds rather than photography. He also provides music and video production services and teaches privately.
Keep in mind that I met him once, over six months ago, traded business cards and connected on LinkedIn. I got an email the other day like this...
John Doe Company is now producing music for radio, TV, and business use as well as video for business presentations!
To listen to music samples what the promotional video at : http://companyname.com/blog/
Do you know anyone in need of music please contact me -- Thank You
I typed it exactly with the weird spaces, typos and odd language as I received it. I know that I have typos and incorrect grammar in my blogs but I am writing quickly as if I was having a conversation.
First of all, if I was sending out any advertisement, marketing piece, email, etc. I would not only proofread it myself but I have others read through it as well. Details like that make the recipient question the quality of work offered by this business.
Second thing that hit me right away is how impersonal the tone is. No reference to when or where we met or any indication that you care to know if I am well or hope that my business is doing well. Maybe a reference to the new year/season/long time-no-see... really anything would be nice. I know we met once but as a prospective client or networking/reference person you should be a bit more gracious. Now, I know that there a school of thought in marketing that says, "less is better/get right to the point", but you need to treat the email reader better. The more I read the copy the more it reminds me of what you might see on a business card.
Third thing that hit me was how short the email was. Its okay to be straight to the point but you need to give more incentive about going to your web site. What makes you unique and different from all the other similar businesses? What's your niche, specialty, etc?
Finally, I want to add that there is no "call to action". Don't write "contact me" and have the reader do work if they have that split-second thought about who could use your services. Don't make them go out of their way to find your phone number. Now you might argue that since this as an email the person reading it can simply reply. That works well in a situation when both parties are used to emailing each other. With someone I met once I can tell you that I would want to talk to him before referring someone. Also, the bottom line is that you need to build rapport and nurture relationships and that is always easier and more effective when speaking.
There are other things that I would question about this email but to be fair I also want to point out that this is from a one-person show who did not use any professional help and wanted to just get the word out. His web site could be another blog or two but I won't go there. Many small business owners skimp on spending when it come to advertising, web sites, email blasts, etc. This example is pretty typical.
If you would like a FREE review of your web site or other marketing materials with a FREE fifteen minute phone consultation please contact me. Call (551) 265-8762 10AM-6PM est, or email me at freddy@usonconsulting.com
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