Earning a living, in appalling rendering conditions

For all the email marketers out there – earning a living in appalling rendering conditions – This is for you.

Hat tip to the author Mathew Patterson.

You may also want to check out, or join the Email Standards Project.

Find your brand spam

I had an interesting email exchange with Seth Godin a few days ago – in response to this post.

During this brief exchange Seth wrote, “I hate email.”

It turns out one of my email replies went straight into his spam folder. And he felt awful a couple of days later, because having retrieved the item and having read my message, he knew he would have replied sooner – given the chance.

But Seth ‘hates email.’

Of course, in reality he might not. Seth hates ‘Spam’ and the effect it has had on his email use. And his reputation. So much so, that it might have made him say (and think) the wrong thing.

For B2b brands there is a lesson here. Someone somewhere might well be ‘hating’ your product or service due to something that you have no control of. The best B2b marketers will try their darn’dest to find the unrelated ‘Spam’ that messes or cloggs up their brand – and look to fix it.

As for email? It turns out the real Killer App (for productivity and collaboration) is actually Spam. What a shame. I am sure innovation pays a price.

Out of Office

In an era of ‘On Demand’ service and the continued blurring between ‘work’ and ‘play’, is it wrong to put up an Out of Office notice on your email these days?

I am beginning to think most people display far too old fashioned notices – and hide behind them.

I am out of the office from x – x with limited access to email. I will return your email on my return.

I guess it is up to each individual, but please. No access to email? An increasingly unlikely story.
If you are that way inclined, say it as it is;

I am on vacation and taking a break from work and emails. If appropriate I will return your email on my return. If your matter is urgent contact x on x who can help you in x business hours.

For the rest of us how about:

I am on vacation. I will be accessing my emails from time to time but don’t expect an instant reply this time. If your matter is urgent contact me on Mob: xyz.

I really think it is time to cut out the crappy Out of Office email shenanigans. What’s the worst one you have received?

Outgoing only

I am sure everyone has received one of these before:

This is an “outgoing only” email address. If you ‘reply’ to this message by simply selecting the reply button, we will not receive your additional comments.

Sounds like a wasted opportunity to start a conversation if you ask me.

Seth Godin reminds us that if you think interacting with customers is expensive, driving costs down is a good thing, and getting people to go away is beneficial – you’re probably toast.