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Add to that, be predictable.
Why? It feels safe, trustworthy and comfortable. And, it creates an expectation in a customer or prospect that you can successfully fulfill.
Always remember…you get tired of your message much quicker than your audience does. You may not even get noticed the first few times someone hears from you. You just have too much competition for their attention. After six or seven times, there might be recognition, but perhaps they don’t need you yet. Typically it takes 8-13 interactions for your audience to really register that you are talking to them.
But what would happen if you stopped talking to them after attempt #7? Or if you speak to them differently each time?
We’ve been sending out a weekly e-mail marketing tip since 1999. We get calls from people who want to hire or interview us – some who have been putting our weekly e-mails in a 3-ring binder for several months or even a couple years, but they just hadn’t needed us until that moment.
Thank goodness we didn’t take them off the list after the first five contacts didn’t elicit a response!
Whether the magic number of contacts is five or fifty-two, make sure you are consistent and repetitive in your efforts to reach out for new customers.
Good post Drew, especially the point about getting tired of the message before customers do. Clients tend to forget that they’ve spent weeks planning, writing, and executing a campaign. They’re tired of it before it launches. But the customer is trying to figure out whether to read the campaign or finish their to-do list. It’s not top of mind for them.
Hi Drew
I second that Jay.
Can I recommend a perfect program to assist in this, almost sure you’ve heard of it or even use it yourself?
AWeber http://www.aweber.com we started using it end of last year, never looked back 😉
Karin H.
This is an issue that many marketeers struggle with daily…we are often driven to deliver “fresh” messaging or radically change approaches if an open rate falls short of expectations.
I have seen prospects who have not opened an email in months call us out after we removed them from the list…they had saved our email until they had a project, which was months after our last contact.
In many cases, perseverance is as important as consistency.
So true!
Jay,
Good point. We labor over a campaign for weeks or sometimes months. We get all excited about the launch and the adreneleine is pumping.
Then, WHAM — we launch it and all the excitement wanes and we’re ready for some excitement again!
It takes some serious discipline to be consistent.
Drew
Karin,
Did you look at other programs before you decided on aweber? What was it that sold you?
Drew
John,
Exactly! We assume that everyone is working on our timetable. But they are not. They’re working on a timetable we will never understand. Their own!
I think every company needs to have some way of cost effectively reaching out and staying in front of prospects until they ask you to stop. Even if it’s 10 years.
The trick, of course, is offering enough value that they’ll let you stay there that long.
Drew
Hi Drew
You know when you trust somebody who’s never let you down and who has already suggested other marketing tools or books, you don’t look further 😉
Richard C suggested I’d a look at AWeber ‘cos he was sure it would be beneficial for our way of working. so I chekced it out and was hooked immediately. Now I’m teaching Richard C – and others – how to set it up.
The versatility of the software: follow-up messages, newsletter (broadcasts) and blog-alerts, the tracking features, the double opt-in feature – it all ‘sold’ it to me 😉
Oh, and the user friendliness of course.
Karin H.
I’m not going to lie, it takes a tremendous amount of discipline to be consistent sometimes but it’s those magic moments…you know, when a client contacts you after having met you long ago and asks for your advice, your help….that inspire you (or in this case “me”) to keep going!
Karin,
You’ve mentioned it with great fondness a couple times, so I figure you are really sold. I was just wondering how you stumbled upon it.
I’m working on a new project now that sounds like it might be a good aweber fit.
After all…I got a recommendation from someone who has proven awfully smart….
Drew
Ricardo,
I can totally relate. Just got one of those calls this past week. Someone we had talked to 18 months ago and they’d been getting our weekly e-newsletter since then. Apparently, something stuck.
Love that!
Drew
LOL Drew and thanks for the compliment – not sure if I deserver that, but to play devil’s advocate:
A smart person who likes a program has an affiliate account: http://www.aweber.com/?285284
(Only if you want me to have some pocket-money the smart way 😉
Karin H.
Hi Drew,
Interesting post. I would also add that in addition to being predictable and consistent that it is also worth trying to build relationships. It’s not always about sending as many messages or advertisements as you can, it’s about connecting and interacting with the people you are trying to reach. Thanks for adding me to your blog roll Drew!
Hope all is well
Karin,
LOL! Nothing wrong with being smart and a good business woman!
Affiliate link noted. I’m going to go check it out.
Drew
Jacob,
I don’t think anything trumps building the relationship. I agree totally. Being consistent is part of creating a sense of trust upon which to build that relationship.
Drew
Drew,
This is one message I consistently hammer home to clients–and then consistently forget myself:-)
Steve,
It’s one of those very easy to say, very hard to do marketing rules.
That’s why we notice when someone gets it right!
Drew