Nobody is Reading Your Sales Emails (Do This Instead)

One of my favorite functions in Outlook is the ability to set up rules so that I can tag or hide emails as they come in. It allows me to keep my productivity high and block out unnecessary distractions….

Like sales pitches.

When I receive an unsolicited email with a sales pitch, I very quickly go to the top of my Outlook and select:

Rules
Create new rule
If sender is “unsolicited email sender’s name”
Move to folder “selling me something”

From that day forward, every email that I receive from that person will automatically be moved into a folder and out of my inbox.

Does that seem harsh? Maybe. But there are other options for reaching me at the exact moment that I need you. You do this through content marketing.

Why Content Marketing Works

Today’s consumers are extremely savvy. The average car shopper visits 1.6 car dealerships before she purchases. Why? Because she already knows what she wants. The car dealership is merely a pickup location.

In order to reach potential customers at the exact moment that they need you, you need to write content…regularly.

When you write content, Google sees you as a reliable source of credible information, so it ranks your content higher in search.

What is the first thing that you do when you are interested in buying something? You search.

Example:

You are “Rosie the Realtor,”  a realtor in Schaumburg, IL (a suburb of Chicago). You have a blog where you write about restaurants, shopping and family activities in the Schaumburg area. You write about the high quality of schools in Schaumburg. You write about the resale value of homes in Schaumburg.

I am relocating to Schaumburg from Boston and I don’t know much about the area, so I do a Google search for “Schaumburg schools.” Your blog post shows up on page one. I do a search for “Schaumburg home values.” You show up on page one again. I do another search for “Schaumburg family activities.” Are you kidding me…there you are again.

At this point, I’m beginning to think that Rosie the Realtor must be quite an expert on the Schaumburg area, so I fill out the contact form on your website at which point you don’t even have to sell me very hard, because I’m already 95% there.

Congratulations, Rosie…you have a new client.

This is the power of content marketing.

Stop selling and start sharing. Nobody wants your sales pitch in their inbox. Offer something of value. Post regularly. Post with authority.

And when I’m ready, you will be there waiting.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash