Every day, my inbox and phone get filled with offers promising 10 qualified leads a week, introductions to investors, and lines of credit.
“hey, we can get your clients on Forbes”
“I can set up one confidential call between you and a private buyer that acquires PR firms.”
“Pay off your debt with a line of credit starting at 5.4%. We are direct, same-day funders. 1-page app to get started.”
These offers are rarely personalized, often come from questionable email addresses and phone numbers, and seem to be sent on a hope and a prayer.
Another email tells me that people viewing my LinkedIn profile or following my competitors are my “hottest leads,” and the the ones “closest to saying yes.”
Closest to saying yes to what? What tells the sender that those people need what I sell?
To be clear, this is not an objection to cold marketing outreach. A thoughtful introduction with a relevant offer can open valuable conversations, provided they are relevant and written with intention.
But most of these messages miss the mark. They show little understanding of who I am or what I might need, and no evidence of research. They also ask for my attention without giving me a reason to believe the sender has invested any of theirs.
This frustrates marketing professionals like me who use email and text to share useful information, such as relevant offers, customer updates, and timely notifications. In the process, we are trying to earn attention and build trust.
Instead, we are competing with volumes of messages that make opening the next email feel less worthwhile. Every legitimate communication has to work harder to distinguish itself from the noise.
Here is some basic advice to the “spray and pray” crowd.
- Personalization is not dropping my first name into a template.
- Demonstrate that you understand enough about my business to explain why your offer belongs in my inbox.
- Tell me why you are contacting me. Make a credible offer and give me something specific to evaluate (no file attachments).
If you cannot adhere to these simple rules, perhaps the campaign is not ready for primetime.
The goal of marketing is to create relevance, not merely activity. Your ability to reach my inbox is not, by itself, a reason to be there.
