More "faux" mistakes
I was a little reluctant to write Wednesday's post about "accidental email messages" because I really believe that authenticity is one of my (and your) best marketing tools. And authenticity is built on trust. So the minute you erode any trust you've painstakingly managed to create, it's pretty much over, in my opinion.
But there is so much "fake" marketing (see my post last week about cab drivers in London spreading faux "word of mouth"). And don't get me started on the current US presidential campaign where, it seems to me, all the candidates simply say what they imagine a certain group of voters wants to hear. It's a joke!
There's one other new-ish marketing technique that I'm most suspicious of lately: those "oops, I made a mistake, here's the link again" mass email messages that duplicate a previous message. On the one hand, it's based on the idea that "2 is the new 1" -- that people don't take you seriously unless you follow up. But what are we going to do when we really do make a mistake? How will we make it clear that it's not just one more ploy to get someone to click?
This one irritates me as well though I must say I do notice the second email much more than I did the first. I wish I didn't but I do.
Posted by: Nicole Bandes | February 03, 2008 at 07:35 PM
I don't have a problem with these. They get deleted immediately. If it becomes a persistent problem, the sender is blacklisted (emails routed to trash bin).
Posted by: David | February 04, 2008 at 10:50 AM
That trick would be believable if not for the fact that it is SO overused. Some of our major marketers do it over and over. I'm pretty handy with the delete button.
The other one they're over-using to the max is the fake deadline. The day after the deadline there's a message blaming a computer glitch and saying that not everyone was able to sign in before midnight, so... We're giving you X more days. Then when the X days pass they think up some other goofy excuse to extend it again.
I may be missing something good, but any more when I see those "deadline" offers I don't bother to read them. I just figure it's all hype, no substance.
Some people I had faith in 2 years ago are now on my "delete it" list.
Posted by: Marte Cliff | February 08, 2008 at 01:43 AM