Have you heard this news yet?
Georgia Police caught Domonique Smith. He had sex with a corpse when he broke into a funeral home.
HIs exact crime(s), unknown, but the police are looking into it further. Already Smith is facing up to 10 years for the nasty deed(s).
Not my usual way to start my morning.
Usually it’s meditation, shower, eat, tea, journal. Then write to you.
But I had to share because it has so much to do with email.
Absolutely it does friend.
Ever hear of EM?
Email Necrophilia?
It’s alive and well, and unfortunately legal.
Lucky you.
Sometimes in your earnest pursuit to create content, you send what you think is your best message.
You’re grateful to have finished a long arduous message with your best advice to help your action-taking audience.
You write and edit, share with colleagues, feel good about it and hit send.
Then you wait.
… and wait…
and wait some more.
All you hear are crickets.
No. Not crickets.
Crickets imply someone replied.
This is worse… you got silence.
You spent hours on an email to your audience only to hear nothing back.
They opened it.
You know that.
Your open rates are decent too at 10-20%.
But no one replied to say “Thank you!” or “This is so helpful!” “You read my mind, can’t wait to do this now.” or “Wow, I didn’t see it like this before.” or “Ka-ching” (the sound of your digital cash register signaling another sale).
Instead, you’re drowning in silence.
Feeling defeated, cortisol rising, you start to blame yourself.
Depression sets in, but since you run a business you go back to the grind. No time for tears.
Until next time, when you write an email, and you pull a Domonique Smith… you start playing with dead things.
Yup!
Email Necrophilia.
You write another bland email with no story, no core message, no understanding of your audience, and expect a whole new set of results.
But nothing’s changed. So naturally, you hit send and are 2-for-2 on the silent reply circuit.
Don’t play with dead things {Your name}.
When something is off in your business, the solution is not to spend more time, money and energy creating more content. That never works, and isn’t sustainable.
Instead take a step back.
Treat your reader like a person you want to know, and listen to them first.
Start by asking an instructional statement or question.
“How do you feel about your current diet plan? Share with me what you’re doing now and what it’s like.”
“Haven’t had the chance to sit and talk with you in a while. What’s new with your steps to build your first online store with our platform?”
“When I interviewed for my first job out of college, the biggest mistake I made was showing up 15 minutes late. I was so embarrassed and ashamed. If you’ve ever made a mistake like that, just know you’re not alone.
What’s your biggest job search blunder?”
Copy. Paste. Edit with your own details. Hit send.
What you hear in responses will not only bring your dead list to life, but also show you valuable insights you didn’t know.
Insights that will help you create content your reader wants and needs.
Plus you’re on sturdier footing because you reached out, listened and have a new conversation going on with select readers who responded.
No more need to shout at them with your awful past material.
All because you used a simple script.
A simple and easy to use script, like the ones in my new book– Emails that Earn Quick Replies.
A proven cure for Email Necrophilia packaged as a collection of emails you can copy, paste and hit send after putting in your own words.
Be well,
Max!
P.S. EEQR is specifically meant for personal and professional emails.
When you follow the rules outlined though, you can apply them to your next email marketing campaign, and you’ll be cricket-proof.