Email Like a Person, Not Like a Robot

Just because it's automated, doesn't mean it has to be lifeless. There are a couple of quick and easy methods to begin to make automated emails much more personal, which will increase their effectiveness dramatically.

Email automation is an essential tool for marketers in today’s business. However as spam filters and email service providers become more advanced, it is more difficult for marketers to reach their target audiences. As Marketo pointed out in a recent article, this amplifies the importance of making your automated emails sound, well, not automated.

People don’t appreciate being marketed to, and impersonal, canned, automated emails scream “marketed to”. However, just because it is an automated email doesn’t mean it can’t be personal. Here are two quick and easy tips that ALL automated emails should employ to make them more personal, and therefore more effective.

Subject Lines and Sender Names

The subject line for any email (personal or business, automated or singular) is the key to the email even being opened. Canned subject lines that are an obvious reminder that the email inside is a marketing email are a great way to get it deleted in a hurry. Craft a subject line for each email that addresses the specific topic and reason, rather than using a similar line for all marketing emails.

The sender name (“From”) is equally important. As the article explains, many companies still fall into the trap of sending emails from marketing@ or “Marketing team”, which essentially means:

“they’re simply begging for unsubscribes – who wants to be reminded that they’re on a marketing list. Instead, make sure you’re sending your emails from a real person – one who represents the values of your product or organization, and who fits with the message you are trying to convey.”

Send the Right Emails to the Right Audience

This should be a no brainer, and yet I’m sure most people have gotten a marketing email that clearly wasn’t tailored to them. If an email isn’t tailored to someone, it is hard for it to seem personal. “Nothing encourages an express opt-out like a message in the wrong language, or an event invitation from the wrong continent!”

Rather than having one large, master email list, automated emails should be going to specific sections of the list based on demographics (not just geography). When subscribers receive an email that is specifically pertinent to their interests, hobbies, location or habits; it will feel much more personal.

Automated email is a powerful tool that has driven business forward since its inception, but no one likes spammy and unnecessary emails. Making an email seem personal (even when it may not be) is vital in increasing email marketing’s overall effectiveness and maintaining a happy subscriber list.