Robert Beadle's Social Media Marketing Blog

E-newsletters, e-updates, webinar invites, try this!, buy that …. delete, delete, delete.

When you return from a vacation, does your inbox seem like an ocean of unwanted, irrelevant, boring e-mails you will never have the time or interest to read?  It seems like every time I use a service, exchange a business card or attend a seminar, I get added to someone’s e-newsletter.

Did I ask to sign up?  Sometimes.  When you’re networking with someone and during the business card exchange they ask, “may I send you my weekly e-newsletter?” it can feel like you’re being put on the spot.  You know you don’t want another newsletter that you’re never going to read.

But what do you say?  “Ya, sure, put me on your list.”  But you’re secretly thinking, “I’ll just delete it for a few weeks and opt out later.”

So if this is how you think about e-newsletters, how do you think your network feels?  Is all that work you’re putting into your newsletter actually driving your business or wasting your time?

I admit it.  I was guilty once of collecting business cards from my seminars and then e-mailing each person periodically letting them know about my next seminar.  I even got two or three of them to come to the next seminar on occasion.  But I came to realize there is a way to stay in touch with my network without harassing them with mass e-mails.

Back when e-mail was a new tool, we used to be thrilled whenever we got a message. “You’ve got mail!” was music to our ears.  But the medium is overused, tired, noisy.  Now people are trying to stop the noise by either deleting all their e-mails daily or opting out of unwanted newsletters.

But there’s a better way. The Social Web has transformed the way we communicate. Now people can find the information they want with pinpoint precision.  But the most powerful aspect of the Social Web is the ability to “opt-in” to information you really want.  People can opt-in to a company’s Facebook page, Twitter page or blog.

And the beautiful thing about this?  They actually want the information you’re sending or they wouldn’t be your Facebook “Fan” or Twitter “follower.”

So what did I do with that list of one hundred e-mails?  I opted them all out.  Here’s the last e-mail I sent them:

SUBJECT: The last e-mail you will receive from me
FROM: Robert Beadle (robert@northeastpr.com)
DATE: 6/2/09 4:33 PM,

Because I’m much too busy to read mass e-mails from many of my own contacts, I’ve decided to discontinue this e-mail list.  So this is the last mass e-mail you’re going to receive from me.

You are receiving this e-mail because you once indicated an interest in hearing about future PR and marketing seminars or staying in touch with me.

I’m assuming many of you will probably disregard this message and leave it at that.

But a select few of you may still wish to learn more about how you can reverse your decline in customers, stop competitors from getting the edge on your market and finally make your product or service a word-of-mouth success.

For those of you who are serious about solving these problems and improving your business, please take one or more of the follow steps:

1) Become a fan of Northeast Public Relations on Facebook.  Here you will receive periodic updates about free seminars, e-books, and blog posts that are designed to help you become more successful.  Select the “become a fan” link.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Falls-RI/Northeast-Public-Relations-Inc/58322414256

2) Connect to me on LinkedIn.  Same benefits as above and a good option for those of you who who haven’t stepped into Facebook yet.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/robertbeadle

3) Follow me on Twitter. Updated daily with a tip or event announcement.
http://twitter.com/RobertBeadle

4) Subscribe to my blog.  Updated about twice weekly with a piece of advice to help you grow your business.  Click on the RSS button (orange icon with radio waves) to add my blog to your feed reader.
http://www.robertbeadle.com/

5) Register for my upcoming seminars:
*Public Relations on a Tight Budget: Useful Tips for Getting Noticed in a Tough Economy
June 8, 2009, 3-5 PM
*Viral Marketing: How to Get People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories on the Web
June 9, 2009, 6-8 PM
For registration info, go to: http://www.northeastpr.com

If you are reading these steps and are lost, send me an e-mail back and I’ll help you figure it out.

Thanks for your support and best wishes for your business success!

Best Regards,
Robert

We now live in an opt-in world.  What can you be doing differently?