March is Email Marketing Month! During the entire month of March, I’ll be giving you tips, ideas and off-the-wall insights about how to get your bulk emails opened, read and responded to. Because, hey, if you’re going to take all that time to write a great email or email newsletter, you want people to read it, right? Right!
It was an unusu
al Saturday morning. I felt no pressure to rush into any particular activity or project. The winter sun poured through my office windows as I sat at my desk, and I felt a rush of appreciation and love for everyone and everything in my life. These sweet spells of appreciation are not unusual for me, but I don’t always feel I have the time to express the tenderness of what I’m feeling in those moments.
But this Saturday was different.
I opened Firefox, logged in to my MailChimp account and started writing a little love letter of appreciation to everyone on my Diva News email list. This is a list made up of mostly friends, fans and people who’ve asked to be kept updated on my musical life and singing gigs. Many of these people are longtime connections from my California days, some are recent friends in New York.
What happened next shocked me.
I got more unsubscribe requests from this one, short email than I had in the past 3-4 years of sending monthly issues of Diva News and random updates to this particular email list.
This is the email I sent to them on that Saturday morning:
Well, it finally snowed here today.
I feel as if I’ve been waiting so long for snow!
And while it didn’t snow a lot, and most of it
has already melted, it filled my heart with hope
that more may be on its way.And honest to Pete, as I’ve been taking it slowly
this morning, I’ve been thinking about you.
Nothing specific. Just appreciating the fact
that you are in my life, in my sweet, small circle
of friends and fans.So, I thought I’d just stop by and say, Hey,
how are you? What’s wonderful in your life today?May you have a lovely, relaxing weekend, full of
surprises and fun… and lots and lots of love.Love,
Nancy
That was it.
I had 6 people unsubscribe. But I also received a slew of lovely, personal emails from people who shared what was happening in their lives and expressed their appreciation as well.
But I couldn’t get over the fact so many people had had a negative reaction to this email. What had caused these folks to unsubscribe? Had I broken some unwritten rule? Did I offend them? I didn’t understand (at first) why this email, which was merely an expression of love, caused certain people to unsubscribe!
So, I did some investigative work, and here’s what I learned:
Not Everyone Loves Love
If you’re going to send an email expressing love and appreciation, you risk irritating those who simply cannot receive love in this way. One person who unsubscribed told me that the personal nature of my emails feel manipulative. Manipulative? Manipulated to do what? I’d only expressed my appreciation and extended an invitation to share what’s wonderful.
After digging further, he told me that he is now living alone, separated from his wife, and not feeling any kind of the love and connection I seemed to be experiencing in my life. And, he told me, until he can have what I’m having, he chooses to not hear from me.
By sending him an email that offered connection and appreciation, I’d rubbed up against his raw nerve of loneliness. Not intentionally, but I did it all the same. Rather than “feeling the love,” all he could feel was the lack of it.
Love in Bulk Can Make People Suspicious
If you send a bulk email telling people that you are thinking of them, that you appreciate them, they may not believe you… even if you mean every word. In fact, they may think you have ulterior motives, that you “secretly” want something from them, something you’re not revealing.
Here’s the deal. There are some messages that people simply cannot receive via bulk email. Even if the message is sincere. Sometimes the vehicle through which a message is sent trumps the actual message itself.
If I had sent this same message via snail mail, it may not have caused such a mixed reaction. It might have felt more personal to some. Perhaps. Or, maybe, the same people would have been suspicious of my intentions no matter what. Hard to tell.
The truth is, I do sincerely and deeply appreciate every person on that Diva News list. I sincerely appreciate and love every person on my Firecracker email list, too! Every person in my circle of connection is important to me. Truly. So, I meant every word of that email. But sometimes, that doesn’t matter.
This Isn’t What I Ordered
When people asked to be on my Diva List, they expected to receive my Diva News email about my musical adventures and other short emails about upcoming gigs. That’s it. They did not sign up to receive love letters. And when they got one, some opted out.
I sent them something they didn’t ask for. A more personal, “how are you?”email. And they said, “No Thank You!”
Does this mean I shouldn’t have sent that email? I do believe that in this world of endless spam and junk mail, it is important to honor “the agreement” you make with those who choose to opt-in to your email list. If you change the rules and give them something they didn’t expect or agree to receive, they will opt out.
Some Cats Get It
As I mentioned earlier, while there were a handful of unsubscribes, there were a hell of a lot more positive responses. Many people wrote back and shared what was going on in their lives. I reconnected with several old acquaintances and dear friends, and I even ended up having a long telephone conversation with a friend from California who was going through a rough time. And I responded to each and every person who wrote back to me.
None of these sweet reconnections would have happened if I hadn’t sent that email, so I have no regrets. None at all.
Moving forward, will I refrain from sending love letters via bulk email?
Not on your life!
In fact, this strange and unusual incident has only deepened my commitment to send lots of love and appreciation via email! I feel even more fierce and passionate about infusing love, appreciation, care and service into every aspect of my life and business, including all my relationships, no matter how distant, professional, new or obscure.
So, consider yourself forewarned. I intend only to pour more love into this world and to express it in any way I can, including via email, without apology. I intend to mix love with every phase of my business and every phase of my life. And if that makes certain people uncomfortable, well, than so be it.
Lots of Love to You!