This morning, I was going through my email inbox and I read a message containing a marketing word that makes me cringe.
It makes me cringe so bad that for the last year, I’ve been unsubscribing from 90% of the email lists I’m on when I see this word.
It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
But when I see this word, I instinctively think “here we go again” and smash the unsubscribe button with cat-like reflexes.
So what’s the word that goes over like a burp in church?
“Ninja.”
Is it a knee-jerk reaction? Perhaps.
I know someone whose cringe phrase is “magic button.” Hey, we all have our pet peeves.
So why the nauseous reaction when I see that word?
Here’s the semi-short answer:
A few years back, I watched a sales video from a well-known marketer and he described his techniques as “ninja tactics.”
It was the first time I heard the word “ninja” in a context that didn’t involve covert mercenaries wearing black, pizza-loving turtles or Kawasaki motorcycles.
I actually thought it was cool. Perfect for sales copy.
But that all changed in the ensuing months when my inbox because flooded with messages from various marketers in all fields touting their ninja tactics.
The emails all looked eerily similar. It’s like they were all using the same email marketing template.
When I see that word in an email, I know I’m in that marketer’s sales funnel. And at this point, I think we all know how the funnel works, right?
You get some friendly emails initially to warm you up, and then BAM, here come the sales offers.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s fine for these folks to make money. As an Incomist, I want to make money too. We all do, right?
But in 2020, no one wants to be “sold.”
If you’re in someone’s marketing funnel, they better have earned it.
So what’s the email marketing lesson?
Most people receive 96 business emails every day. That means the email you send today will be sitting in your subscriber’s inbox with 95 other messages.
How are you going to keep that subscriber from hitting the unsubscribe button?
It’s simple:
If you’re selling to your email list, earn their trust. Earn the right to market to them.
Don’t come in hot with ninja tactics and magic buttons.
We all expect that the email newsletters we subscribe to will eventually send a sales offer.
We all accept that trade-off when we hit the subscribe button.
But, as an email marketer, that doesn’t mean you can treat your subscribers like a cheap date.
Show some respect and take them out to dinner and a movie first; figuratively speaking, of course.
In other words, nurture your subscribers.
Be authentic, not “salesy.”
Provide value. Immense value.
Simply put, be real and genuinely try to help your subscribers.
Aim for that moment when your email subscriber finishes reading and says: “Wow, that was cool. Usually, you have to pay for that kind of information.”
And whatever you do, don’t say “ninja.”
What’s Your Cringe Word?
Do you have a cringe word? What makes you want to receive emails from someone? Let me know by commenting below.
And if you liked this article, please consider sharing it so that others can benefit from it too. Thanks!
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Source: incomist.com