| Another Great Marketing Dog Article Topic: Collecting E-mails by Slash Coleman |
Collecting E-mails by Slash Coleman
My career and the success of my career depends on others, if it didn’t I’d be happy writing my thoughts
down in my notebook and then putting them in the recycling bin. Although four of my novels have traveled
that fate, it’s not my intention when I set out with a project to have it be seen by only me and my house
plants. I want to share my ideas with the world. I love the feedback my ideas inspire and the emotions they
invoke. Therefore, whenever I meet someone, I ask for their e-mail address.
This was partly how, in less than a year, I built my e-mail contact list in Richmond to well over 1,000
contacts. 90% of this list contains people I’ve met face to face. Usually, the next day, after getting an e-
mail address, I’ll send a note to the person saying something to the effect, “Hi, it was nice to meet you. Just
wanted to let you know you can visit my website to check out what I’m up to.”
Types of E-mailers
The slow types:
From that initial e-mail you’ll be able to tell a lot about the person. About ten percent of the e-mail
addresses I collect, bounce back as undeliverable. The hygienist that cleaned my teeth the other day had a
great conversation with me about my show. When I e-mailed her, it bounced back as undeliverable. I
consider her a slow type. I know from experience that most bounce backs occur because the person
connected to the address isn’t a big e-mailer to begin with. These people are like my father, who don’t know
much about computers other than how to turn them on. They probably only check their e-mail once every
few weeks, if that much. They usually have dial-up connections, can’t open attachments, and the entire e-
mail process for them is an exhausting endeavor. However, on the positive side, these types usually read just
about anything in their box and they tend to be quite loyal without being stuffy. So, getting someone like
this on your list can be beneficial as long as you’re not depending on them to attend events or respond to
requests by a certain day.
Fast Types:
Fast types, as the name suggests, are just that... quick to respond. They tend to have high speed
connections and with it mailboxes overflowing with spam and unsolicited e-mails. They also tend to
become wary of bulk e-mail that winds up in their box. You’ll be likely to get a request from these types such
as, “I enjoy hearing about your career, but please don’t send me any more bulk e-mails. I'd prefer to hear
about your success in a personal e-mail. Thanks.” Most won’t ask to be deleted off your list unless you
breach their request.
Regardless, for a multitude of reason, contacts on your list will occasionally opt out of your mailings from
time to time. Don’t take it personally, just take them off the list.
Asking for E-mails
The best way to ask for e-mails at an event is to ask for them. If you don't ask, don’t expect to get many. If
you put a clipboard by the door and leave it sitting there, don't expect to get many. Before each one of my
own shows, I give the emcee a clipboard and a script to follow that asks audience members to put their e-
mail on my list. The emcee then hands the clipboard to someone in the front row. With other business that I
may host, I sometimes hire a volunteer to stroll around with a clip board and collect e-mails.
What to do with your list
When I get my e-mails home, I’ll write a personal e-mail to each person on the list within the week and then
add them into my contact database. Oftentimes, I’ll include a question so we can havea short exchange
before they become an anonymous name on my list. The secret is to make each person feel as if they aren’t
anonymous. For more on this see my article on Email Etiquette.
Generating more Contacts
Your website should have a contact page that allows people to contact you through your site. In other
words, a guest book where viewers are required to leave their name and e-mail in order to contact you. If
you want to take it up another notch, your site should have a way for your viewers to interact with one
another. For instance, viewers of blogs can leave comments and read each others comments. Interactive
sites are the bomb for generating e-mail contacts.
My career and the success of my career depends on others, if it didn’t I’d be happy writing my thoughts
down in my notebook and then putting them in the recycling bin. Although four of my novels have traveled
that fate, it’s not my intention when I set out with a project to have it be seen by only me and my house
plants. I want to share my ideas with the world. I love the feedback my ideas inspire and the emotions they
invoke. Therefore, whenever I meet someone, I ask for their e-mail address.
This was partly how, in less than a year, I built my e-mail contact list in Richmond to well over 1,000
contacts. 90% of this list contains people I’ve met face to face. Usually, the next day, after getting an e-
mail address, I’ll send a note to the person saying something to the effect, “Hi, it was nice to meet you. Just
wanted to let you know you can visit my website to check out what I’m up to.”
Types of E-mailers
The slow types:
From that initial e-mail you’ll be able to tell a lot about the person. About ten percent of the e-mail
addresses I collect, bounce back as undeliverable. The hygienist that cleaned my teeth the other day had a
great conversation with me about my show. When I e-mailed her, it bounced back as undeliverable. I
consider her a slow type. I know from experience that most bounce backs occur because the person
connected to the address isn’t a big e-mailer to begin with. These people are like my father, who don’t know
much about computers other than how to turn them on. They probably only check their e-mail once every
few weeks, if that much. They usually have dial-up connections, can’t open attachments, and the entire e-
mail process for them is an exhausting endeavor. However, on the positive side, these types usually read just
about anything in their box and they tend to be quite loyal without being stuffy. So, getting someone like
this on your list can be beneficial as long as you’re not depending on them to attend events or respond to
requests by a certain day.
Fast Types:
Fast types, as the name suggests, are just that... quick to respond. They tend to have high speed
connections and with it mailboxes overflowing with spam and unsolicited e-mails. They also tend to
become wary of bulk e-mail that winds up in their box. You’ll be likely to get a request from these types such
as, “I enjoy hearing about your career, but please don’t send me any more bulk e-mails. I'd prefer to hear
about your success in a personal e-mail. Thanks.” Most won’t ask to be deleted off your list unless you
breach their request.
Regardless, for a multitude of reason, contacts on your list will occasionally opt out of your mailings from
time to time. Don’t take it personally, just take them off the list.
Asking for E-mails
The best way to ask for e-mails at an event is to ask for them. If you don't ask, don’t expect to get many. If
you put a clipboard by the door and leave it sitting there, don't expect to get many. Before each one of my
own shows, I give the emcee a clipboard and a script to follow that asks audience members to put their e-
mail on my list. The emcee then hands the clipboard to someone in the front row. With other business that I
may host, I sometimes hire a volunteer to stroll around with a clip board and collect e-mails.
What to do with your list
When I get my e-mails home, I’ll write a personal e-mail to each person on the list within the week and then
add them into my contact database. Oftentimes, I’ll include a question so we can havea short exchange
before they become an anonymous name on my list. The secret is to make each person feel as if they aren’t
anonymous. For more on this see my article on Email Etiquette.
Generating more Contacts
Your website should have a contact page that allows people to contact you through your site. In other
words, a guest book where viewers are required to leave their name and e-mail in order to contact you. If
you want to take it up another notch, your site should have a way for your viewers to interact with one
another. For instance, viewers of blogs can leave comments and read each others comments. Interactive
sites are the bomb for generating e-mail contacts.
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If you feel like you've been
spinning your wheels with your art
career, this book will give you
practical steps to make changes
that you will see instantly >more
spinning your wheels with your art
career, this book will give you
practical steps to make changes
that you will see instantly >more
| © Slash Coleman 2006 |
