Last year, I got an email out of the blue. It looked a lot like spam and I was about to flag it.
However, I doubt.
The name sounded familiar and it was the kind of thing I would sign up for. So I went through my inbox to see if I had anything else from these people.
It turned out that they were sending frequent emails (if you can call one a week ‘frequent’) in 2016. Then they stopped.
Then I got an email in 2017 announcing a webinar.
One more in 2018 spruiking his book.
Then in 2019 they started sending emails every week or so.
I wonder how many people opted out or marked them as spam, like I was about to do.
This kind of sloppy and clumsy email makes me sad.
On one hand, I get it: sometimes you need a break.
(Not that I’ve had one near as long since I started…)
But if you take a break, don’t start over from scratch. Remind people who you are and why they are on your list. This is not the time to play cute – your theme should be “I know you haven’t heard from us in a long time…”
If not something even clearer.
Then reintroduce yourself.
Email is intimate. You can’t disappear from people’s lives for two years and then start over like nothing happened.
Here’s something even better than just reminding your list who you are:
Never stop sending emails.
Not for a moment.
And if you want a good relationship with people, forget about that once a week nonsense. Your circumstances may vary, but I can’t imagine emailing less than three times a week.
Daily emails are even better.
Daily emails – isn’t that spam?
Spam, like so many other things, is subjective.
Sure, there are extreme cases. Few people would argue that Nigerian princes asking for their bank details count as legitimate communication.
But for the less extreme cases, it is less clear.
Consider this:
You probably have someone in your life who you would happily see every day. Maybe it’s a spouse, a child, or a best friend. Hell, it could be a fart.
Daily interaction with them isn’t “too much”, is it?
Of course not. In fact, the more, the better.
Now think of someone who irritates you. Maybe it’s a simple personality clash. Maybe he’s just a fundamentally bad and hateful person. Meeting with them once a fortnight is probably too frequent.
Now imagine someone better than all that.
If you know someone like that, lucky you.
And this is someone you enjoy hearing about. Partly because they are fun or interesting, but also because they add value to your life.
It could be a golden broth tip, a fresh new recipe, or just something else to smile about.
How much is too much of someone like that?
If they only contact you once a month, how would you feel? If you knew that they can talk to you every day but don’t bother, would you be upset about it?
You would have every right to do so.
As a professional, it is your duty to help people. Whether you’re a life-saving doctor or an embarrassment-avoiding beauty consultant, do right by your people and check in with them often.
If people like you and add value to their lives, three emails a day isn’t too much. I know this because I’m on lists like that, and I’ve occasionally sent 20 emails in a few days. It’s too much if you’re clumsy about it.
So that’s it, right? Be charming (whether funny, inspiring, abrasive, bizarre, or whatever comes most naturally to you…) and add value.
No, that is not.
Because there is a common misunderstanding about what “add value” means…
When people love ads
When some (read: too many) people talk about offering value, they mean that you should give away content for free, without asking for anything in return.
They say people hate being sold to, so you should give away so many free things that they… I don’t know, feel compelled to buy or something.
I don’t understand the reasoning.
The truth is that people love to be sold.
When it comes to the right offer delivered the right way, it’s exciting. Think about the last time you noticed the perfect deal. Maybe it was a gadget that will save you time at home, maybe it was training in something you always dreamed of learning.
Whatever it was, you loved being sold.
This, then, is your business plan. Create dream offers for your market and then sell them that offer every day.
By the way, this is valuable to your readers. Telling them about solutions to their problems counts, as long as you are genuine and make it clear.
Being funny is valuable in itself, because who doesn’t like to laugh?
Telling a lovely story that allows them to escape from their problems for a while, well, that’s valuable too.
Adding value is not always giving things away. If you entertain long enough, your presence becomes an asset. How else do you think comedians get paid?
If you make them smile with every email, your readers will never complain about hearing from you every day.
Emails in a Nutshell
Summing up all of the above, here is the best email schedule:
Every day, be entertaining, charming and funny. Add some kind of value to their lives, be it with your charming presence or some useful knowledge. Then ask about the sale.
Leave any step out and it will seriously undermine your ability to send email.
Follow the process and you will sell or build the relationship. win win