Last summer, after sending out a 2nd (not a 3rd) reminder after the original announcement that my sale ended on Sunday, I got this email:
You're overstepping your marketing, Alyson. One notice was more than enough. Two is pushing it, and three is becoming annoying. I know you've got a sale. Stop now.
Did it upset me? Only slightly. And then I realized a few things:
- This person had been a subscriber for a year--by her own choice. She had received free weekly newsletters from me and may have even listened to my 100% free podcast on my 100% free blog were she can find 100% free information. She has never purchased anything from me nor had she ever thanked me for the free stuff she received. She was not my target audience.
- This person could have hit Delete or unsubscribed on her own.
- My reminders are a relatively new thing--in response to some people telling me that they wish they had been paying closer attention because they missed the one or two times it was in the newsletter.
- I got a Thank You at the same time I got the above email. Someone was writing me to thank me for the reminder because they had gotten busy and forgotten to place their order.
- My reminders generate a lot (a lot!) of sales for me. I sent out one on a Tuesday and within 24 hours I had 24 new orders. The notice that generated the comment above also generated 10 new sales within two hours. Hmmmm. Let's see. Should I let an email from someone whom I've never heard from before bother me? Or should I bask in the thought that I'm sending all of these audio products to artists who can really benefit from them?
- I would be a poor example to my subscribers and students if I didn't promote my sale as best I could.
- This is the best part: I have raving fans! You should see my "Loved" file. It is just so heartwarming. People are so nice and so generous to me. They even invite me to stay at their homes! I would be dishonoring them if I spent energy on those I'm not meant to work with. I need the energy for those who can benefit from what I have to share.
Your take away: Use your mailing list more. Yes, some people may unsubscribe, but others realize you're in business. As long as you continue to deliver valuable information to your list, your subscribers will remain on the list. Your loyal fans will just hit Delete, as they should, when they know something doesn't apply to them.
So, what did I do? I removed her from my list. She asked me to Stop Now. And since I knew I wasn't going to stop, the only way I could stop sending to her was to remove her name. I don't want my emails reaching anyone who doesn't want them.
Yes, I'll continue to send out reminders when things are time sensitive. Fair warning. If you're not interested, just hit Delete.
