WealthyDragon

There’s been a bit of a Kerfuffle in the online community this week, triggered by a post in the Warrior Forum from Steven Fullman.  Here’s the link:

http://www.warriorforum.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=231769

It’s a long thread with contributions from some top marketers and it’s definitely worth a read because there’s a lot of valuable thoughts and viewpoints in it.

Here below I’ve pasted a copy of an email on the same subject that I received this morning from David Congreave at The Nettle Magazine

Now that you know the background this is the abridged version - it just doesn’t contain the many different view points the full post contains.

Here’s the text of David’s email:

“The two marketers who sent the ‘rants’ that inspired my email I
have a lot of respect for - mostly due to the fact that they are
talented individuals who are very good at what they do.  Their
emails caused me to raise an eyebrow, but I wasn’t offended by them
and I didn’t feel the need to take them seriously.

I’m inclined to think that the content was as much to generate
interest as it was to express the true feelings of the author and,
although I may not totally agree with the arguments within and I
feel that the tone was a little more aggressive than was
appropriate, it would be hypocritical of me to be judgmental.

Depending on how long you’ve been reading my emails, you may recall
that last year I sent a frustrated email regarding a blog
installation offer.  The frustration was real, but I’d be lying if
I said I wasn’t hoping that the tone would also encourage more
people to open, read and take action.

You see email marketing is useless if you can’t inspire your
readers to take action.

Sometimes it’s easy.

Other times it feels like trying to scale Everest on a bicycle.

Every time I email about a new product or service I want to
recommend, I have to try and express my enthusiasm in a way that
comes across through the words that I write.

I also have to be original because if I used the same superlatives
week in, week out, they would soon lose their meaning.

But what happens when I discover a new product that honestly,
truly, knocks my socks off?  How do I then ramp up my enthusiasm
and express how totally amazing this offer is without either
sounding insane or desperate?

Is the answer to send a rant to my readers and tell them that if
they don’t at least take a look, they should unsubscribe right now?

** I don’t think so **

But I can understand why some might view this as an option.

————

Because one of the problems email marketers face is writing to a
large group of people as if their audience is just one person.

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage about writing each marketing email
as if you’re talking to one person.  Right?  The problem is that
you can begin to anthropomorphise your list as if it’s a single
living being.

And that’s just disastrous.

If I was to take all the needs, interests, problems and attitudes
represented in my readership and merge them into one person, then
my mailing list would be this schizophrenic entity that one minute
is praising me and then the next minute calling me a low-life scum
who doesn’t care about anything but making money.

Punctuated my long spells of deathly silence.

Sometimes, as an email marketer, you can feel as if you’re willing
to try ANYTHING just to get SOME kind of response from your
readers.  Something to confirm that the emails you’ve slaved over
for hours are actually getting through to someone.

And sometimes that means you make some bad decisions.

And say things that, with hindsight, you probably shouldn’t.

All of which is to say…

When you get an email from an internet marketer that puzzles,
angers or frustrates you - consider that the writer may have been
feeling the same way when they wrote it.

One of the emails I received last week really drove this point home
to me.

—————-

The email was to the effect that although they weren’t interested
in the product I was promoting, they found my writing entertaining
and they wanted to thank me for it.

That’s a nice email to receive.

It made me smile.

And the frustrated author inside me felt a warm glow inside.

The part of me that wants nothing more than to write and for people
to read.

The part of me that wants to inspire people to laugh, or cry, or
rage… as long as they feel something!

But it doesn’t pay the bills, put food on the table or keep my wife
stocked up with Galaxy bars.

So what’s my solution?

Is it to tell you to either buy something, or just move along?

** Hardly **

Is it really a big deal if some of my readers open my emails to be
entertained, and nothing more?

** Not at all **

And if I have to stop writing emails because I haven’t earned
enough money to pay my Aweber bill, will anyone really care?

Apart from me?

** Probably not **

Sure, some might feel a bit disappointed, but there are plenty of
other writers out there to enjoy and learn from.

And…

And…

And after 800+ words, this is where I reassure you that there is a
point to this email.

Actually, two points.

————

** ONE **
Encouraging activity from my readers is MY problem and not yours.
So when I feel as if my readers have gone quiet, it just means that
they’re busy with other, more important matters.

Or perhaps I’m writing about the wrong things and I need to change
tack.

Choosing to take action based on my emails is YOUR choice.  And I
have no right to feel annoyed if you don’t want to make a purchase
on this occasion or any other.

** TWO **
If you receive an email that you enjoyed, that you feel added
something worthwhile to your day and you know that you have no
intention of purchasing the product I’ve created or recommended,
please consider at least doing one of the following:

- Forward the email to one or two of your friends.

- If you have a list or membership site, share the email with them.

- If you have a blog or a website, post the email on there
(preferably with a link somewhere that points to thenettle.com )

- Post my email at your favourite forum (just copy and paste, I
don’t mind as long as you don’t change anything and my name is left
on there).

These actions might not directly provide me with any income, but
they may help a few more people to find their way on to my
readership.

Of course, if you don’t want to buy the product I’ve created or
recommended and the email bored you…

Don’t worry.

The next one will be better.

Best wishes,

=================
David Congreave

The Nettle Magazine
Networking Nightmares
Lucid SEO”

If you don’t already subscribe to The Nettle Magazine it’s definitely worth checking out!