Dear !*FIRSTNAME*! Readers
Like many email marketers, you might be tempted to personalize your email campaigns with the first names of your recipients. On the surface, it seems logical that if someone sees their first name in a salutation, they will feel that they have a relationship with the sender. Unfortunately, unless you actually have a relationship with the recipient, they might actually consider it smarmy, presumptuous or even downright spammy of you.
Stephanie Miller of ReturnPath shares some insights about the slippery slope of getting too personal with your recipients.
“…Assuming too much familiarity too early in the relationship may have the reverse affect intended. Consumers may be off put by the forwardness, and tune out this message and all others to come. This is especially risky early in the relationship. Be careful with personalized salutations in welcome messages, as well. If the subscriber has only provided name and email address to sign up for email newsletters, then there is not much of a relationship there yet. Once you’ve earned the relationship (e.g.: after a purchase), then personalization may be more welcome…” keep reading
Of course, personalization done correctly can be very effective. It’s just important to think about the value of the personalization that you are providing. Rather than trying to misrepresent your relationship to your recipients by using their given name, think about ways that you can personalize the content for each recipient – to personalize their experience with you based on their actual needs and preferences. And in order to do that, you actually have to spend some time getting to know them first.
Lovingly Best regards
Your friend Tom
Comments
No Responses to “Dear John, Do I Know You?”