I had a different post in mind for publishing this week. However, Mother Nature has created a very special to-do list for me instead. But I want to take this moment to remind all my followers: Have a plan!

I am officially battening down the hatches and so this is a very short post. Just know this: I have a lot of plans and exciting news churning in the background. I can’t wait to share them.

Meanwhile, because I am knee-deep in plans and in the midst of my “brain STORM”, I know how hard it is to coordinate all the moving parts. It’s almost painful for me to glance at my to-do list. But at least, I have a to-do list. (Plus this out-of-the-blue list thanks to the hurricane.)

Planning is so crucial to success! I have a great case study to share.

I have many clients who follow this space and who continue to make me proud. Today, I want to give a shout out to a longtime follower, Susan Klinger. Susan sent out an email recently that made me sit up and take notice. Not only did she announce an upcoming show – and share that it took a year to get the artwork created! – but she also had a truly wonderful call-to-action (CTA). She asked people for their mailing addresses – and Susan did it with some really solid marketing strategies:

“If you want a real, hold it in your hand postcard with all the important information, be sure to contact me here with your postal address, if I don’t already have it.”  

I am so excited for Susan and so charmed by that CTA.

I helped Susan with her website redesign some years back and got her on the path to email marketing. Susan “gets it” and has continued to blossom. Her marketing skills are increasingly noteworthy. I would recommend that everyone visits her site and take notes. And sign-up for her emails. Use this link to see this great email. Then click on the event photos to go to her site. And check out her great CTA for her email list while you’re there.

Susan is totally on to something. Something many of you would prosper from copying. No… not copy like stealing. I am encouraging you to pay attention to the rhythm and the tone of her site. And apply that to your marketing.

Are you using the YOU word?

What I am really trying to “sell you” on is that you should always look for ways to get more intimate in your marketing. More authentic. We all need to feel special and cared about – especially as the world continues to be fragmented by so much virtual reality.

Are you real? Are you interesting? Do you show that you care? Review your language. Are you all about them or all about yourself?

Let’s review Susan’s CTA: 

“If you want a real, hold it in your hand postcard with all the important information, be sure to contact me here with your postal address, if I don’t already have it.”

Compare: Would this work if written in the “it’s all about me” tone? 

I would like to send physical postcards so you can come to my opening with my postcard for my show. Just contact me to get on my mailing list.

You might think that is an exaggeration, but I just unsubscribed from a list from an artist who used “I, Me, My, and Mine” exclusively in a rambling and pitiful email that even used some not very nice language. I am not a prude, but I don’t need the f-bomb in an email from a business. Save that for private conversations, please. And I don’t think most of us have any interest in reading about all the things going wrong for anyone.

Telling me all about how you feel and all the ways that your world is not working for you is NOT connecting. That is whining and complaining. You might be able to hold a pity party on Facebook and get away with it, but not in a business-to-consumer email.

I could be wrong, but I think many believe that sharing means it’s all about them. And it seems to fit with the tone of most social media content. Selfies, food pics, and so on are the norm. We are trying to get attention: look at my world, look at my stuff, my vacation, my things. We are raising our hands from the back of the class and hoping we are noticed. But that strategy will not gain you truly interested people and rarely will get you a paying customer. (I would even extend that to say you won’t make friends in general with that approach.)

Being yourself and being empathetic

Time will tell, but it might be time to rethink the value of social media (at least as your main connecting point) as a marketing tool and instead develop a more connected message like Susan has created in her emails. And then, when you visit her site, see how there is no tonal shift when you land on her site. It’s her voice compelling you to be in her world and feel like a partner in her journey. It’s all seamless and runs throughout her marketing.

And now, she is going the extra mile to start collecting street addresses. She is looking far into the future. It’s worth your consideration. I truly believe it will put you into a stronger relationship in the months and the years ahead.

Gosh… I wish I could take the time to share some of my big news, but I will wait for this storm to pass. Keep an eye out in your inboxes for all kinds of exciting news in the next several weeks. YOU will like it!

If you are not on my list:

 

 

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