Email Marketing Is Like A Cocktail Party—Act Accordingly

I want you to think of your email marketing like a cocktail party. There is certain unwritten rules about cocktail party etiquette we all agree to follow, right? The same goes for email marketing. The trouble is, a lot of people don’t follow the rules. Let’s break some email etiquette rules down and why they matter.

Think of a cocktail party. You may know a few people, but you are often meeting and chatting with people you don’t know very well. You have at least one mutual connection that brought you all there and that’s really all you have to go off of.  

Now I want you to think about email marketing—it really is a lot like a cocktail party. Here’s how:

Don’t tell people what you are about to tell them. We would NEVER do this in an actual conversation. Why do we do it in email?

Have you ever gotten an email that said, “I am writing you this email to tell you…”. You know we’ve all sent or received that email in response to a job opening. I know I wrote tons of email out of college saying, “I am writing this email to express my interest in Job X.” What? How awkward. Why not just say, “I am interested in Job X. Here is why I’m awesome and my resume is attached.”

Go back to the cocktail party. If someone walked up to you and said, “I am going to introduce myself by telling you my name. My name is Amanda,” how weird and uncomfortable would that be? It would definitely be a story you told your friends about later.

Not only is that an awkward way to communicate, it also makes you sound weak. It is like you are asking for permission to tell them the thing. If what you have to say is worth sending an email, own that. Own that the people on your email want to hear from you. You don’t need to ask for their permission. That’s what the opt-in process is for. You already have their permission. They want to hear from you. If they don’t want what you have to offer anymore, they can unsubscribe.

Another way email is like a cocktail party has to do with selling.

There is no denying that email is a great way to grow your business and close more deals. But you can’t just jump right into selling.

You want to serve your email list 90% of the time, selling to them 10% of the time.  

At a cocktail party, would you walk up to someone, introduce yourself, and then try to sell them something in the next breath? I sure hope not! Email is the same. You need to share some stories, find things you have in common, eat some passed apps and then talk business.

Want to learn more about getting started with email marketing?

Download my free guide: 6 Steps To Get Started With Email Marketing.