Know Your Audience. Seriously...Know Who They Are!

Over the years I've spent a lot of time harping on all the basics of good communication that seem to be tossed out the window in the fast paced world of online marketing. Things like taking the time to consider things from your visitors' point of view...things like building relationships as a way to bridge the gap toward link building...things like taking the time to know who it is you are emailing before you shoot off an email. That last one came to mind today after I recieved two emails from two fairly well-known businesses in the industry.

The first email showed up earlier today and contained a press release about a new product being put out by a company that I have a lot of respect for. This company offers up some great products for small business owners and generally does a great job of "doing things right" when it comes to online marketing. That's why I was dissapointed to see that the email (which wasn't even sent to a "generic" address, but to a real person here at Search Engine Guide) was addressed "Dear Frederik." There is no Frederik at Search Engine Guide and to be honest with you, it doesn't take more than about two seconds of looking around to figure out who the two people here at Search Engine Guide are. Since my general rule is "if you can't take the time to find out who I am, I can't take the time to write about your press release" the email went in the trash. Tis a shame...just a few seconds spent finding the right name could have garnered this company a bit more publicity.

The second email showed up from a very large company that was offering a complimentary "audit" to help us improve the function of a product that we were already using. The email went on to say that this was a very "special" offer to "select" customers, basically implying that we should be oh so flattered that they were making the offer. Unfortunately, it ended with a line saying that they'd appreciate it if we'd please "refrain from sharing this information with the media." My obvious first thought was "hello? we ARE the media!" Once again, showing that a little bit of forethought before shooting out a massive email blast can go a long way toward making yourself look silly.

So, once again people...I KNOW it takes more time to do things right...that's what makes doing things right BETTER...the time and effort involved. So take a little extra time to make sure that your message fits the person you are sending it to. I promise you that the increased response and results will have been worth it.