Yuck! Dissecting a Really Bad Email

Yuck! Dissecting a Really Bad Email: by Carlos Hidalgo
I received the email below today. Unfortunately, I receive many like it daily. I am a believer in email and the value it can bring to an integrated demand strategy, but the email below (and others like it) has many issues. So, I decided to dissect it and point out some of the issues I see. (I changed the names to protect the guilty). Brace yourself!

Hi, Carlos,
Before the holiday season gets busy, I wanted to check in to see how online video and mobile applications fit into your 2013 plans.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, ABC Company recently acquired DEF Company—the world’s fastest cloud transcoding technology. With the addition of DEF Company, ABC’s suite of cloud content services helps content publishers deliver video content more effectively on every screen.

Do you have any time this week or next to discuss how online video and mobile applications fit into your 2013 plans? If it’s more convenient, you can set aside time in my calendar using the link below.

Best Regards,

Mary the Sales Rep | Digital Media Specialist
ABC Company.  www.abccompany.com 123 Main St. Boston, MA 02110 ?P: 617 -123-4567
Click here to schedule a 15-minute meeting with me

Breaking Down the Email

Now that you have had the opportunity to read the email, let’s dissect the many issues with it.

Hi, Carlos,
Before the holiday season gets busy, I wanted to check in to see how online video and mobile applications fit into your 2013 plans.

I do like the personalization, but the email assumes that I am not busy.  Furthermore, the email assumes that I have made video and mobile part of my 2013 plans.  That is not to say I have not, but to assume something about me without having prior contact with me is a big gamble.
A better approach would have been to provide a call to action in a 2-minutes video on the “Top 5 Reasons” why mobile and video should be a part of your 2013 marketing and sales plan.  Give me some thought leadership. Provide some information that will educate me and potentially peak my interest.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, ABC Company recently acquired DEF Company—the world’s fastest cloud transcoding technology. With the addition of DEF Company, ABC’s suite of cloud content services helps content publishers deliver video content more effectively on every screen.
The content is again presumptive—I have not heard about the acquisition and have never heard of their company. I can only guess that I am part of a purchased list and therefore received this email.  With a little more work on their end, this organization would have seen that I have never visited their site, engaged with any of their content nor had any social interaction.
Secondly, what does “transcoding” mean? I am a marketer, not a techie. Keep it simple for me! Again, this just exemplifies how this email is really not intended for me.
Do you have any time this week or next to discuss how online video and mobile applications fit into your 2013 plans? If it’s more convenient, you can set aside time in my calendar using the link below.
Unfortunately, time is at a minimum right now, so I do not have 15 minutes (and let’s be honest we all know it would not be 15-minutes) to lend to learn about a company I have never heard of and that uses words that I do not understand about something that may or may not be part of my 2013 plans. Also, I am not the one in my company that manages the marketing planning, so I am all together the wrong contact.
Additionally, with a little digging on social media, Mary would have seen that for the next two weeks I am traveling as I have sent two tweets about my excitement about my upcoming travel to meet with clients. I realize the email she sent is most likely a form email, but if so that defeats the personalization aspect.
In looking at this email, let me provide a version that would have been more likely to catch my attention (even though I do not believe in using email as a conversation starter).
Hi, Carlos:
We have never had the opportunity to meet before, but I have followed some of your social media interaction and noticed that several times you have mentioned the use of video and mobile as a part of an organizations content marketing strategy.
I wanted to take this chance to send you the following link on a new video we produced that presents the top 5 ways B2B organizations can incorporate mobile and video into their marketing plans. The video features the Acme Company, one of our customers, who shares how they improved the value of demand generation investments using this approach. Understanding how busy your schedule is, the video is less than 3-minutes long.
In the meantime, if there are any questions I can answer for you about mobile and video, feel free to email or call.
Thanks and best regards,
Mary the Sales Rep
Remember, when engaging our potential buyers it is vital to understand we must design our content for who they are, where they are and what they need, not design it with what we want to sell. If your content is not buyer-centric, your buyers will not engage.
Needless to say, Mary has not received a call back from me, only an unsubscribe.