I was in a meeting the other day with a group of marketers when the topic turned to newsletters. One marketer wanted to create a newsletter for his new product. A flurry of agreement and disagreement followed. I've participated in many versions of this same discussion in just about every marketing organization I've ever worked with. I bet you have too.
The trouble is that if you are having this discussion, it is the wrong discussion. The discussion you should be having is about how to effectively build relationships with your customers. A newsletter isn’t a relationship. A newsletter is a one way communications mechanism. A newsletter is about you telling the customer what you want to. A newsletter is about you and your agenda. It is not about the customer. It is no wonder that newsletters generally have such a poor open/read ratio. (If you think a 10% click through rate is good, you’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid too long.)
Relationships require two way communications. Relationships allow both parties to have the opportunity to influence each other. In a relationship, you get to learn about the other person because you can ask questions, listen, and hear what the other party has to say in their own words. A relationship facilitates understanding. If you are a marketer, you should want a relationship with your customers.
Marketers know that the challenge today is finding a way to break through the mass of information that assaults our customers. The newsletter will rarely do that. What does? Relationship does. Relationships are about real people with foibles, personalities, and emotions. They are interesting, enlightening, and meaningful.
So, how do we build relationships with our customers? You can’t whip off a relationship like you whip off a newsletter. How can we afford to build relationships when there are only a few of us and potentially hundreds or thousands of customers? I believe that there are a number of ways. They all share something in common. They enable two way conversations.
· Blogs – in a good blog a person’s personality shows through. People can comment and if the blogger reacts to the comments, he/she can create an on-line conversation.
· Phone calls – customers hate giving you their phone number because unfortunately all marketers ever use phone calls for are to try to sell something to the customer. Marketers are never really interested in the customer. What if marketers used phone calls instead as a way to touch base with their customers and just find out what is going on with them? (see How Dilbert knows post)
· Face-to-face meetings – nothing jump starts a relationship like meeting someone in person. Arrange to meet a customer over lunch or coffee when you are in town on a business trip. Build group gatherings like user groups to meet more people. Participate in conferences that your customers attend.
· Email – customers hate giving you their email address because unfortunately all marketers ever use email for is one way communications (like sending newsletters). Email is rarely a two way street. When was the last time a marketer gave you his/her email address and encouraged you to use it? We use email in most of our business relationships why can’t we extend those relationships to our customers.
Change the conversation. Spend your time creating something that really matters. It isn’t a newsletter.
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