Here is a nice email for you to read over breakfast - Gutter email marketing from the Sewers!

by Shana_Adam

Posted: 14 years ago 14 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hi friends,

I woke up the other day to find this email I received from a company that I bought some self help empowering motivational products from.

Offending words have been blanked out by WF

Subject line : A Worthy Piece of ****‏

" So, what do you think?

Are you a worthless or worthy piece of ****?? ☺

What a question?? You may ask and I hope with a smile on your face!!

I hope you are smiling, as we can all occasionally take ourselves way too seriously.

If any of us have been on our pity pots, then TODAY, RIGHT NOW,
Let us get off them and let us remember to flush!!!................."

Is this a way to treat a paying customer?

Needless to say that words fail to express the immense disappointment and anger that I feel. I do not find this funny at all.

This must be some sort of PR stunt right?

This woman has been on I think Australian TV flogging her motivational stuff, rubbing shoulders with the likes of these Big Self help Gurus.

I will not disclose her name as I am utterly disgusted and do not want her to profit from her utter lack of sensitivity and disrespect for her customers however humorous to her this concept may seem. To me it is a violation of trust! 2 years of rapport building down the drain not to mention the bad recommendations that she will get for life.

Now considering that I am always extremely hard to commit when it comes to subscribing to any person or business out there this has really confirmed to me that my inbox is better off being unpolluted and constantly bombarded by money grabbing,greedy,selfish and unscrupulous individuals out there.

Email marketers please respect your subscribers otherwise you will end up with no customers.

There is a way to build long term rapport and trust with your subscribers if you have respect for them first. There is also a fine line between using humor and wit when creating synergistic relationships with subscribers and losing all respect in the process. When you have no respect,shame or dignity well then you are as good as a charlatan in their eyes.

There are 1 or 2 people on this forum that I always love receiving emails from. They have my respect as proper business men and likewise they command that status.

Sorry about my mini rant.

#breakfast #email #gutter #marketing #nice #read #sewers

CurtisN 14 years ago

That only elicited a raised eyebrow from me...does that make me a bad person?
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Curtis Ng (blog) - Product Launch Manager
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Shana_Adam 14 years ago

No not at all.

If you spend a lot of money at amazon - I'm sure you would not appreciate an email such as above from them.
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GarrieWilson 14 years ago

I took it for what they meant.

Flush the crap out of your life and be a success.
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- Bjarne Eldhuset 14 years ago
  
  I found that funny. But I can see why many would feel insulted getting something like this after having paid for stuff.
  
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KenThompson 14 years ago

I don't think I would be insulted if I received that from a marketer. But
I do think using profanity in marketing material is a tricky thing that could
either work or backfire. Perhaps you really have to know your market and
list very well to use it.
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- Jill Carpenter 14 years ago
  
  I admit, it made me laugh - but I am not easily offended, and I could see because of the niche that it would be construed as a bit vulgar.
  
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  Shana_Adam 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by avenuegirl
  
  I admit, it made me laugh - but I am not easily offended, and I could see because of the niche that it would be construed as a bit vulgar.
  
  I love humor and wit and spend much time watching brit comedies. We brits are known for creating comedies that intimate nothing but vulgarity and offensive innuendo.
  
  The issue here is that it is completely out of context. Can you imagine oprah sending an email like this in its full glory.
  
  Nothing blanked out and calling her subscribers a $%^&!
  
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molsted 14 years ago

I never get offended by things like this. I find this funny and it is actually a very powerfull way of writing. Probably it is also meant to catch your attention which it certainly did?

I also read it like Garrie; "Flush the crap out of your life and be a success. "
What's so wrong with that?

:-)
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sbucciarel Banned 14 years ago

I don't find it funny or offensive. It's not sales copy that would convert me, but I wouldn't be on her list to start with. I see nothing in it to get all bent about, but it you are bent about it ... unsubscribe.
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- Frank Murphy 14 years ago
  
  If you think that is bad, try signing up to be on The Rich Jerk's mailing list! lol..
  
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Chris Worner 14 years ago

Did I here somebody say "The Rich Jerk"?
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- Shana_Adam 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by skyfox7
  
  Did I here somebody say "The Rich Jerk"?
  
  His persona is tailored to creating a buzz using offense.
  
  However you have to have a look at his subscriber list, the question here is would any serious business people have any respect for him or even want to do business with him.
  
  Shock tactics and controversy is fine for creating a buzz when you have a purpose for it that will add value to your assets - an email list is an asset.
  It also depends on where in the email life cycle your subscribers are.
  
  1-2 months fine the honeymoon period/ unsubscribe period
  1-2 years - you have established respect from loyal subscribers
  
  When you have a loyal list of buyers you do not want to be invading their space with vulgar language to flog a new product.
  
  Then wondering why the conversion rate is so poor.
  
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  JohnMcCabe 14 years ago
  
  Shana, I didn't find that email particularly offensive.
  
  Vulgar, tacky, clumsy? Sure.
  
  If it's a departure from the writer's normal style, maybe shocking...
  
  Unless it turns into a pattern, I'd just write it off to either a bad day or an experiment gone wrong.
  
  When you have a loyal list of buyers you do not want to be invading their space with vulgar language to flog a new product.
  
  Then wondering why the conversion rate is so poor.
  
  Was the writer pitching a new product, and do you know that the conversions were poor? Or are you just projecting this instance into a more general case?
  
  Seems to me that we're reaching the point where it might be less about you being offended and more about you being right. Just saying...
  
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Gee S 14 years ago

I'd have just replied back asking her the same question....and possibly a few more.

Nothing to really get offended about to be honest. I've seen worse.
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