Many email marketing spend a lot of time thinking about the best template, the best day and time of the week to send messages, and in the best copy for subject lines and titles. However, sometimes they may end up forgetting about which is the actual star of email marketing: content.
Exactly, the content that you send is king, and it is him that will attract and keep (or not) your public. Therefore, it’s of course important for you to worry about templates, time of sending and different copies of subject line. But remember that all your contacts subscribed to receive a certain kind of content, and you’re committed to this.
When strategy fails to attend this, the damage can be harsh. It’s the case of this message from AutoExpresso (in Portuguese).
AutoExpresso is a system of chips for passing through tolls and parking lots booths automatically. Thus, it’s kind of surprising to get an email from AutoExpresso and the foll0wing subject line:
[English: Horror in Gaza – the exclusive report from a palestinian living under fire]
Clearly, they are investing in a content strategy very far awar from what the company offers, and from what the reader perceives that will get. What does the conflict in Gaza has to do with tolls?
When one opens the message, they notice the reason. It’s all about a partnership between the company and the journalistic magazine IstoÉ, from the publisher Editora 3.
Probably, the contact is automatically subscribed to these messages, after signing up for the service. By default, he should be subscribed to get messages from third parties, and this kind of newsletter shows up.
Although this might be considered legal, because one accepted to receive the messages from third parties, this kind of move doesn’t tend to bring good results. Sending counterintuitive content for your contects will bring a feeling of negative surprise, also generating SPAM complaints.
Keep in mind that the minority of people reads the contracts that sign. Contacts may have given permission in theory, bu they’re still not informed about this option.
The underlying lesson is about the cornerstone of email marketing: content. If you promised a subject and a frequency, stick to it. Negative consequences of not keeping this are worse for your side.
