Email marketing is the most abused tool in the workshop. Every day I receive hundreds of emails that do nothing to motivate me to buy. Once a week or so, I sort them by sender to see if anything catches my eye. Here is the typical view from one company:
Isn’t it frustrating looking at the same email open rate campaign after campaign? Don’t you wish there was a magic formula that guaranteed a consistent, high open rate? Believe it or not, there is one.
Do you remember the advice, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it?” It isn’t always applicable. Email marketing may not be broken, but it desperately needs fixing. While it is the most effective, cost efficient tool available today, its performance is far below its potential. And, as long as we consider that acceptable, it will stay that way.
Email marketing appears to be the most effective tool in your workshop. It is so efficient and easy that many marketers put it on autopilot. They create a fill in the blank sale template.
Some emails linger in my inbox waiting on me to acknowledge them. Days pass with them unopened and nearing expiration before I act. When I do, my typical response is to sort by the sender and delete in mass without opening them. Most of the time, I'm shaking my head at the list of subject lines that appear.
