3 Ways to Earn Email Connection — Not Just Clicks
The word "earn" up there? It’s intentional.
No one owes us time, attention, or money. If we take seriously our capacity to build community, though (yes, even in the hellscape of stacked-up, unread emails), we welcome the challenge of worthiness.
Clicks, likes, and follows can be valuable metrics, and they're sparkly dopamine-boosters. But most of us are hungry for a crafted sense of belonging, for other humans who will invest in us beyond the bare minimum.
So if you’re looking to be a better connection-earner through email, join me here in the messy deep end – and let me know what you would add.
#1: Invite your audience to contribute.
The concept of reciprocity is logical; mutual giving breeds more giving. Often, business owners are content with the monetary exchange: we give you this great product or service, you give us dollars and loyalty. Makes sense, right?
But let your audience be the experts sometimes. Ask them for advice. Additions to a public, themed playlist. What email content they're most tired of cluttering their inboxes. What kind thing a stranger has done for them lately.
Give them anticipatory reasons to open your messages besides your own content (however valuable). Readers want to be part of community-building, too.
#2: Own the experiments, even when they fizzle.
Some of the best rapport I've built with my college students involves risk-taking, like trying a new in-class exercise or discussion method, and...bombing. And then being able to collectively laugh about it. There's sneaky power in saying, "Well, that didn't go quite as planned. But hey -- what can we take from the enterprise, and what do we leave behind?"
Now, to be clear: I realize an experimental day in class isn't costly to business, and I’m not advocating thoughtless changes to an email strategy that serve no purpose.
But if we want to continually hone the creative value we bring to clients, sometimes that demands a bit of mischief, some metaphorical Bunsen burner hair singes. We can own less-than-ideal results and then direct energy forward. As long as we're holistically paying close attention to our audience's pain points and desires, there's no need to fear a slight diversion outside the comfort zone.
(But, you know...wear safety goggles.)
#3: Be hospitable to “outsiders.”
It's rational to invest most energy into target consumers. Concision and focus make sense in email strategy, and we all know the admonition that if we're creating for everyone, we're creating for no one.
But what if a single link we include to something delightful, with almost no effort or message space required, made someone on the fence identify more strongly with our offerings?
How about a mind-bending how-did-I-not-learn-this-in-science-class video, a GIF that's a bit off-center, or a recommendation likely to charm a slightly different demographic on our list?
Delivering unexpected joy costs and risks little. It may be just the curiosity-booster your emails need to earn more engagement.
