Was chatting to a friend on Google Plus about how spam (email and SMS) has gotten out of hand in Zimbabwe. Used to be that only a few had the patience and determination (or software) it took to steal email addresses from lists like Dipleague. Not anymore. Seems like someone announced Zimbabwe Spam Month recently, because it’s gotten ridiculous. I imagine this will only get worse with the many Christmas specials to come!
Still, whilst i hate sending spam, I usually don’t mind receiving it… in fact in an unexpected way, it’s made me a better marketer and it might do the same for you too, here’s why, one word…
Headlines.
Or rather ‘Subject Line’ as is the case with email marketing.
Here, compare these subject Lines from my spam box vs from my Dipleague account. Suspend your righteous indignation for a second and see if you can guess which emails are better written and more likely to be opened and read.
Spam emails:
- Does Size Really Matter and what Can You Do About It? (Enlargement services no doubt)
- Max! Here’s That Free Gift I Promised You (Some free download i didn’t ask for)
- You’ve Got 72 Hours To Claim Your Prize! (Simply give your credit card details and we’ll send it to you)
- Shhhh, Just Between You And Me Max (“Your girlfriend will never be satisfied if you’re not ‘big enough'”.)
Dipleague Emails this morning.
- Administration Officer (He’s available i guess)
- Chickens for Sale : USD3.50 (Go wild)
- Laptops For sale (Wow, so exciting)
- HP Deskjet 1000 Colour Printer,$49.99 (Now you know)
Doesn’t take a genius to spot which headlines make for much more interesting reading, and it’s not just the headlines, it’s the whole email. Now Dipleague is great, but it’s no wonder so many get underwhelming results from email marketing in Zimbabwe.
Email marketing in Zimbabwe so often fails, not because no one is on Dipleague or Zimleague, but because no one even opened it your email. The headline was so boring, so general and unspecific, so emotionally unappealing that it wasn’t even opened in the first place! That’s the Job of your subject line.
Make sure it delivers.
Of course the spam emails lack in the credibility department (for one thing, they often go straight into your spam box if you’ve got decent filters), but many of them, are quite well written by people who know how to write decent and sometimes excellent emails.
So am I a fan of spam? Yes and No. I would never send it (I did when i first started out several years ago.) But Yes, I do read spam and advise you do the same for a bit.
I think there’s a lot to be learnt from them for most business people. The Nigerian bankers, lottery competitions, green card, VISA and Viagra marketers can teach you a thing or two about getting your emails opened, read and acted on.
Combine what you’d learn from them with a little thing called ‘Permission’ and you’re in business.
Of course you also want to set up some really good filters in your email to make sure you’re only reading spam when you want to and not any other time. It’s pretty easy in Gmail. If you don’t have any good spam coming your way, email me and I’ll send you some!
Okay wait, maybe I won’t!
Excellent post Max, and I do agree about combining what you learn from spammers and “permission” marketing. They do have a way of getting you to act even if it is just to open the mail.
Definitely a winning combination.
the lessons are good but i am tired of the dip league spammers. when i post something it doesnt mean you have to bombard me with what you selling. ok fine send me one and ask me if i want to continue receiving. Let me opt out. But no even if you complain some will just send anyway.
Thank you for sharing useful information. Most of them are getting cheated by scam emails. Everyone should be aware of lottery winning emails .