Just Don’t Say It
This week’s article is very personal to me. It’s all about a word that makes me cringe. That word?
Blast
Oh, that word. <raising fists=”to the skies”> Why do people still use that word to describe email campaigns?</raising>
Consider the Oxford Dictionaries’ definitions for the word blast:
- A destructive wave of highly compressed air spreading outward from an explosion.
- Blow up or break apart (something solid) with explosives.
That really doesn’t sound like a good way to communicate with people.
Let’s take a little trip back in time …
Ah, the early days of email marketing. The days of text-only newsletters and a friendly voice telling you that “You’ve got mail!” Your only option for sending a message to your email list back then was to <clears throat> batch and blast. That was it. One message sent to all of your subscribers at the same time no matter your relationship with them or where they were in their customer journey. 😬
Over time, however, email platforms like Mailchimp and ExactTarget came on the scene and automation became a thing. Treating your subscribers as individuals became a thing. Email marketing took a giant step toward the lofty goal of true 1-to-1 communication. This meant that blasts were a thing of the past.
Except that lots of people still use that word
I’m here to tell you that word holds the marketer back. It separates you from your customers. It keeps you in the mindset of treating your subscribers like an amorphous cohort rather than a group of individuals each with their own needs and desires. Each with their own relationship to you, your business, and what you offer. Good email marketing is so much better than that.
How to start shifting away from the blast mentality
Once you get permission to talk with your subscribers via email, it’s important to welcome them to your email program. Then you can begin to build trust by acknowledging when they have taken an action on your website, or when they haven’t engaged with you for a while. These are some simple ways you can begin to treat each person you send emails to as an individual doing their own thing.
Don’t get overwhelmed
One of my favorite things about email marketing is that you don’t have to jump into everything all at once. You can start with manageable campaigns and automations to start and then build upon your successes, keeping your subscribers in focus as you expand your email marketing program.
All I’m trying to say is …
Using the word blast narrows your thinking and reduces your email marketing program to a channel that is incapable of really communicating with and catering to the needs of your audience. Let’s do better. Expand your ideas and think of your subscribers as individuals with whom you are building a relationship. The result will be a robust email marketing program that keeps your subscribers engaged.
So, the next time you are planning to communicate with your subscribers via email, let’s not use that word. Deal?
