Lazy Marketers Ruin Everything

Gary Vaynerchuk was quoted as saying “marketers ruin everything”, however, I don’t agree with that broad definition.

I’m a glass-half-full guy. Let’s preface that with “Lazy”.

Lazy Marketers Ruin Everything!

Integrity, truth in advertising, authentic brands, and great products are everywhere. 

However, so are the lazy marketers who cut corners, hack the system, use blackhat tactics, skirt the law, and outright break the law.

So, does this mean that “the tactics” the lazy marketer deploys are unethical, illegal, or a breach of privacy? NO

This past week I saw a request from a fellow email marketer about a client wanting to deploy cold email as a tactic.  The response to the request for help from the email marketing community was interesting and inspired this post.

Let’s get into it.

Cold email is NOT illegal

[not legal advice]

• Is using cold email unethical?
• Does cold email lack integrity?
• Does cold email breach my right to privacy?
• Does sending a cold email make your brand less authentic?

Well, that depends ...

Was your cold email campaign following the industry best practices?

Did your cold email campaign follow the laws of your country and that of the recipient?

For me, the clue and immediate giveaway when I’m talking to someone uneducated on the topic, or a lazy marketer is always list size, desired daily, and sending volume.  

To have success with this form of cold outreach marketing, researching your intended recipient is the key between success and wasting money.

In terms of cold email sending volume, I think 2 X cold calling volume [150-200 per day].

Size does not matter in this equation.  More is not better.  Better is better. 

Quality data, quality research to determine if your offer is right for the intended recipient, a truthful subject line, copy, and offer.

Seems simple.  They are the same principles you use when considering any advertising or marketing tactic.

I’m not going to teach a cold email course on this post, however, I will share six key points.

1. State the intent and or purpose of your cold email.
2. Easy opt-out - make this easy to find, read, and use.
3. A valid reason for contacting your intended recipient.
4. Make it easy for the recipient to identify you [the sender].
5. Your contact credentials including a physical mailing address.
6. A subject line that matches the intent and content of your email.

Do lazy marketers color outside the lines, Yes.

They often break the rules, terms, and conditions in all their advertising including:

SEO blackhat,  buying followers, likes, comments, and share on social media, scraping data, using automated posting tools with LinkedIn, and Facebook Groups.

In the world of email, most have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

The collective “we” have the opportunity to set the gold standard for cold email done well, with respect for recipients, and of course legally.

Email is the easiest form of advertising to opt-out of. 

Try opting out of advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn. 

It’s possible to opt-out of advertising on a brand-by-brand basis.

I owe it to my clients to be tactic agnostic, setting marketing strategy, and tactics based on the strategy.

So, even though I’m a huge fan of email marketing, email list rental, advertising in email, and cold email doesn’t mean that I will recommend email marketing to a client.

Some email marketers, need to stop throwing rocks at each other within the email community, leave our glasshouses, and get down off the thrones we’ve built for ourselves and lead the way with an inclusive mindset for these tactics.

I’m hoping this post will spur a lively ongoing discussion for marketing tactic inclusion. To that end, join us on Thursday, October 14, 2021 to discuss this topic on the OI-members-only Live Zoom.

OI members -- watch the discussion list for a link to join. Not an OI member? Reach out to Jeanne Jennings, General Manager of Only Influencers, to see about getting a guest pass. 

[This post is not offering legal advice.  See the laws in your country and consult a relevant attorney prior to launching your marketing campaigns ]

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