Getting a Little Personal
by Dan Ogdon
Isn’t it a great feeling when you receive an email or a note from someone you haven’t heard from for a while or were not anticipating their correspondence? There’s no reason the emails you send to your contacts shouldn’t garner the same welcome feeling results. This can be accomplished with the proper branding, personalization and relevant content.
What does proper branding from an email standpoint mean? Think of the emotion a package conjures when you know it is from someone you care about or a place you are familiar with. I’m a fisherman, so any package from one of the fly shops around Colorado or a note from a fishing buddy I know gets my blood pumping. I am looking for these things and am pleasantly surprised when they come my way. The email you send to your contacts should procure the same emotional triggers. A general, “maybe you would be interested in this”, email is not something your customers are waiting for, anticipating its arrival. Send them, send me, information you know I want. You know everything about me and the history I’ve had with your company. Treat me like a friend not a contact and send me something you know I would want.
When you receive a note from a friend, who is it coming from? How is it addressed? What type of language and tone is used throughout the piece? Personalization is key to a digital relationship! Here are 3 simple tips to use with your next email correspondence that will add a personal touch:
From Address – send email as yourself. Marketing managers, you can send on behalf of your sales team members (A Swiftpage emarketing Team level feature). An email delivered from a personal email address from someone I have made contact with before is much more likely to be received with open arms than a general marketing@xyzcorp.com address.
Subject Line – Use your company or product name in the subject line. On a personal level, I want to recognize something right away. The subject line is the first form of written communication between you and your contact – make them know it is you and it is meant specifically for them.
Mail Merge – If you have a list of 2,000 contacts you need to get a message to, it doesn’t make sense to write 2,000 different messages. However, a general message with personalized information merged into the proper locations can change a message dramatically and make your contact feel like it was meant just for them.
These are small steps that can have a large impact on the way your message is received. Now your message feels like it was meant just for your contacts. By continuing to provide an experience like this, your contacts will begin to anticipate receiving messages from you. They’ll continue to be pleasantly surprised when a message actually arrives and you’ll form a relationship that leads to trust, customer loyalty, increased word of mouth and ultimately more business.
